## 4 Discussion  
Significant findings for the MMG\({}_{\text{MDF}}\)-torque relationships include: (1) greater \(b\) terms for the linear increasing in comparison to the linearly decreasing segment at PRE, (2) greater \(b\) terms for females in comparison to the males at POST\({}_{\text{ABS}}\), and (3) a significant increase in \(b\) terms for the females post-cycling training. For the MMG\({}_{\text{MDF}}\)-torque relationships, the 95% CIs calculated for the \(b\) terms during the linearly increasing and decreasing segments of the PRE and POST\({}_{\text{ABS}}\) targeted torques were all considerably < 1 for the males and females, respectively. Thus, the patterns were nonlinear, as the rate of change for torque (X variable) was greater than MMG\({}_{\text{MDF}}\) (Y variable) for both muscle actions before and after training. Prior to the continuous cycle training program, there were no differences in the \(b\) terms between males and females. However, there were training-induced changes for only the females, such as a significant increase in \(b\) terms when matching the POST\({}_{\text{ABS}}\) torque level (Figure 3). Consequently, females exhibited a later deflection point in the MMG\({}_{\text{MDF}}\)-torque relationships in comparison to PRE. It is suggested that MMG\({}_{\text{MDF}}\) provides insight regarding global firing frequencies of unfused active MUs [12]. Thus, the larger \(b\) terms exhibited by the females suggests a greater reliance on increasing MU firing rates for the unfused MUs to modulate torque following training, whereas the similar \(b\) terms for the males at the PRE and POST\({}_{\text{ABS}}\) targeted torques suggest MU control strategies (respective contributions of MU recruitment and rate coding) were unchanged. The lack of change in \(b\) terms for the males supports [PERSON] et al. [10], which reported two weeks of long duration cycling training had no effect on MU firing rates at various contraction intensities in men. However, the results for the current study contrast with those of [PERSON] et al. [11], which reported 10 weeks of cycling training increased the \(b\) terms in the MMG\({}_{\text{RMS}}\)-torque relationship in males and females during a linearly increasing muscle action up to 70% of pre-training MVC, suggesting increased MU recruitment. The training-related increase of \(b\) terms by the females during the POST\({}_{\text{ABS}}\) contraction for the current study also elicited sex-related differences at post-training. Subsequently, these findings in conjunction with [PERSON] et al. [11] may suggest sex-specific adaptations in MU control strategies following endurance training during moderate-intensity, but not high-intensity, contractions. Nonetheless, the \(b\) terms calculated for the MMG\({}_{\text{MDF}}\)-torque relationships indicated 10 weeks of cycling elicited training-related differences for the females, resulting in sex-related differences at post-testing. In addition, there were divergent findings between muscle actions before and after training. For example, for PRE, the \(b\) terms during the linearly increasing segment were greater than during the linearly decreasing segment, whereas there were no differences between muscle actions for POST\({}_{\text{ABS}}\) (Figure 4). It is well known that lower-threshold MUs possess greater firing frequencies than higher-threshold MUs [28] and, thus, the findings at PRE suggest a greater dependence on earlier recruited, lower-threshold MUs to modulate torque during the linearly increasing segment and the activation of higher-threshold MUs to modulate torque during the linearly decreasing segment. Previously, [PERSON] and [PERSON] [25] reported similar \(b\)-term differences between muscle actions for MMGMPF-force relationships during a trapezoidal muscle action at 70% MVC, but not 50% or 60% MVC, in sedentary individuals.