LAUSR

What is the central question of this study? Does the work done above critical power (W′) or muscle activation determine the degree of peripheral fatigue induced by cycling time trials performed in the severe‐intensity domain? What is the main finding and its importance? Peripheral fatigue increased when power output and muscle activation increased, whereas W′ did not change between the time trials. Therefore, no relationship was found between W′ and exercise‐induced peripheral fatigue such as previously postulated in the literature. In contrast, we found a significant association between EMG amplitude during exercise and exercise‐induced reduction in the potentiated quadriceps twitch, suggesting that muscle activation plays a key role in determining peripheral fatigue during severe‐intensity exercise.