Isokinetic Contractions

The nature of the muscle insertions onto a bone through a tendon gives rise to mechanical advantage and disadvantage depending on the angle between the two limbs. The speed at which a fixed weight can be lifted isotonically also depends on this angle. The greater the mechanical advantage the faster the weight is moved. Isokinetic equipment is designed to increase the resistance as the speed increases. The slower the load is moved the less the resistance. The variation of resistance with speed results in isokinetic contractions or single speed movements.