Relation between Muscular Force of a Limb, under Different Starting Conditions, and Speed of Movement

Abstract A horizontal adductive arm swing executed at maximal speed, and timed at intervals of 15°, 53°, 90°, and 105°, was studied under two experimental conditions. Although the movement completed was the same in both conditions, the fundamental difference between the “normal” and “pre-tensed” arm movements was that in the latter condition the subject built up his arm strength maximally just prior to initiating the movement. Twenty trials under each condition was performed by 60 college men. All reliability coefficients were found to be high, i.e., over .89. In contradiction to expectations, the relationship between premovement strength and speed of movement at the first station (r = -.208) was lower than anticipated. However, the low correlations found between strength and speed of movement are in general agreement with the results of earlier investigators which have substantiated the predominance of neuromotor specificity.