Abstract
The purpose of this investigation was to determine if there are gender differences in the isokinetic torque-velocity curves constructed from peak torque (PT) and constant joint angle (i.e., angle-specific torque) (CJA) torque values for leg flexion and extension. Ten female and ten male university students performed leg extension and flexion movements at velocities of 0, 48, 96, 144, 192, 240, and 288 deg/sec (zero, 0.84, 1.68, 2.51, 3.35, 4.19, and 5.03 rad/sec) on a Cybex II isokinetic dynamometer. The results indicated that the plateau in CJA torque output for the men extended from 0 to 192 deg/sec (0–3.35 rad/sec) for leg extension and 0 to 96 deg/sec (0–1.68 rad/sec) for leg flexion. For the women, the torque plateau extended from 0 to 144 deg/sec (0–2.51 rad/sec) for leg extension and 0 to 48 deg/sec (0–0.84 rad/sec) for leg flexion. For both CJA and PT output, the men showed a smaller percent decline (relative to maximal values) than the women with increasing velocities. These findings support the presence of gender differences in the PT and CJA torque-velocity relationships for leg extension and flexion.