Assessing the reliability of baseline maximum voluntary contraction protocols

Within-day Intraclass Correlation Coefficients (ICCs) estimates ranged from 0.94 to 0.98 for all contraction types and sessions, with between-day ICC estimates ranging from 0.85 to 0.99. Reliability marginally increased as more contractions were factored for both average and peak. Familiarisation and practice only improved reliability for elbow flexion. All baseline MVIC methods had acceptable between-day reliability. Multiple approaches to calculating baseline MVIC are reliable, but the most efficient method is to use the peak of one contraction. This approach balances high reliability with reduced participant fatigue and testing time, making it a practical option for both research and clinical applications.