Neuromuscular Assessment of a Stand-Up Paddle Stroke

This study analyzed muscle activity during the stand-up paddle stroke, considering the paddling side and the adjacent and opposing muscles relative to the position of the arms during paddling. Methods: Fourteen male paddleboarders performed three trials covering 195 m in which surface electromyography of the upper trapezius, biceps brachii, triceps brachii, tibialis anterior, and gastrocnemius medialis were recorded (four-cycle strokes on each side). The data were processed according to percentage of maximum voluntary contraction (% MVC). The MVC activation values (µV) for each muscle were then calculated and presented as percentage MVC (% MVC). Results: The recovery phase accounted for 60% of the paddle cycle, while the pull phase represented 39%. During right-side paddling, higher % MVC was found in the opposite-side upper trapezius (24.35%, p < 0.01) during the pulling phase and in the adjacent biceps brachii (8.36%, p < 0.03) during the recovery phase. In left-side paddling, greater % MVC was found in the opposite-side upper trapezius (27.60%, p < 0.01) during the pulling phase and in the opposite-side triceps brachii (42.25%, p < 0.04) during the recovery phase. Furthermore, the pulling phase exhibited higher MVC in the opposite-side upper trapezius compared to the recovery phase, both in the right-side (24.35%, p < 0.03) and left-side (27.60%, p < 0.01) paddling. Conclusions: these findings help establish the muscular activity of both sides of the paddling technique and the differences between the upper and lower limbs.