Center for Human Movement Sciences

Optimisation of

cyclic upper-body exercise

Riemer Vegter

• Fundamental research on the biomechanics & physiology [1] of cyclic

upper-body excercise [2]
• applied to the optimisation of motor skill acquistion [3] and assistive
technology [4]
• for (wheeled) mobility [5] in the context of rehabilitation, daily living and
paralympic sports
Current projects (PhD)
• Rowie Janssen
• WheelPower (ZonMW)
• Danielle Meijering
• Total elbow arthroplasty, AGIKO together with Orthopaedics
• Bram Bastiaansen
• Smart Sensor Shorts (CAS, NWO)
• Jelmer Braaksma
• Power assist wheelchair optimisation (Ma-PhD)
• Roos Duijn
• Elbow biomechanics (Ma-Phd)
• Reto Togni
• Steering wheelchair backrest (ETH, Zurich)
• Enrico Ferlinghetti
• Markerless motion capture
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Background Riemer
• 1999-2001: Structural engineering
• 2001-2006: Human Movement Sciences
• 2007-2009: Lecturer/ junior researcher
• 2009-2014: Lecturer/ PhD-student
• Current: Assistant Professor
• Mathematics and Biomechanics
• Research on Rehabilitation and
Disability Sports
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Rehabilitation Paralympics
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 Research example

Motor learning

Get from here To here

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 Motor learning

1.Improved mechanical efficiency

2.Changes in propulsion technique

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 1. Mechanical efficiency
› Percentage of internally liberated energy that is used
for propulsion:
Measured at the wheels

Poutput
M E(%) = 100
Pmetabolic
calculated from Cardio-respiratory
measurements

› Wheelchair ME is low (<10%) compared to for

instance handcycling (ca. 15%) and cycling (ca. 25 %)
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Emergent pattern of coordination within task constraints

Individual Task

Environment
11 Modified from Sparrow & Newell 1998
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2. Propulsion technique

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 Kinematics

Dynamics

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 Research question (Vegter 2014)

• Does motor learning take place already

during the first 12 minutes of practice?

• 70 able-bodied subjects: 22.8(3,6) years,

80.2(11.4) kg, 1.87(0.07)m.

1. Does mechanical efficiency go up?

2. Does the propulsion technique improve?
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 Oxygen consumption

Measurement-wheels

Motor driven Treadmill

Pulley system

Standardized measurement at 0.20 W/kg body weight

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 T1 T2 T3

ca. 700 pushes

(Vegter et al. 2013b)

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 Change in ME
5.8 Mechanical efficiency
5.6

%
5.4 T3
Mechanical efficiency

5.2

T2
5

4.8 Mean
T1 Standard error
4.6

4.4
0.5 T1 T2 T3
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 20
Propulsion Technique Push sequence for T1 T2 T3 of one subject

15
4th min

Torque (Nm)
10 82 83 84 85 86 87 88

T1 5

0 6.8 7.6 6.8 5.4 6.7 6.2 5.4

-5

-10
50.5 51 51.5 52 52.5 53 53.5 54
Time (s)

20
8th min
15
Torque (Nm)

10 75 76 77 78 79 80

T2 5

0 7.8 7.6 7.4 7.5 6.3 10.2

-5

-10
50.5 51 51.5 52 52.5 53 53.5 54
Time (s)

20

15
12th min
Torque (Nm)

10 54 55 56 57

T3 5

0 10.7 9.8 8.5 7.6

-5

-10
50.5 51 51.5 52 52.5 53 53.5 54
Time (s)

Torque signal. Push start Push stop 55 Push number 6.8 7.8 10.7 Work per push

n.b. Same speed(1.1 m/s) and power output (0.2 W/kg)

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 Individual differences
Diferences in mechanical efficiency between
the initially slow (ISI) and fast (IFI) improvers
7
ISI
IFI
6.5 Improvers (47)
Mechanical Efficiency (%)

5.5

Non-improvers (23)
5

4.5

4
Pretest Posttest

Vegter et al 2013, 2014

 Intra limb variability

12
54 6 v

ar
iat
angle (˚)

ion
14

in
36

ma
x
)
Nm

ang
e (

le
162
u
18

o rq
t

180
0

40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0
variation in max torque
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Non-improvers
• less
variability

Improvers
• More
variability
Current applications in adapted sports

• Wheelchair Rugby
• Wheelchair Tennis
• Wheelchair Athletics

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Example wheelchair rugby
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MeanPout (W)
Example wheelchair tennis

20
15
10
5
0
-5
-10
-15
-20
-25
-30
-10 0 10 20 30 40 50
Mean of two measures (W)
😎
 Example wheelchair tennis
- Left (hand)
Higher peak load
- Right (racket)

Power losses
Example wheelchair racing

😎
😎 😎

•comparison ergometer, field & match

Center for Human Movement Sciences
 10 12.08 23.04 34.33 46.01

8 16.13 29.47 42.93 56.89

Velocity (m/s)

6 16.71 30.59 44.85 58.97

Indoor training
2 Outdoor training
Competition
0
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400
Distance (m)

10

8
Velocity (m/s)

Indoor training
2 Outdoor training
Competition
0
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50
Distance (m)
 Questions ?

r.j.k.vegter@umcg.nl
http://www.rug.nl/staff/r.j.k.vegter/index
https://twitter.com/RiemerVegter
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