Muscle fatigue has multiple definitions, but with a special mission what is the protective mission, warning the body about weakness or the appearance of a functional disability. In this review, we present the applications of Electromyography (EMG) as a technique to gain insight into the activation patterns during cycling and the onset of fatigue. A narrative review has been carried out in which analysis of the EMG activity during the different phases of the pedal cycle. The movement of the pedal has been studied exhaustively and has been able to distinguish 4 phases in the pedaling that originate the propulsion and the recovery. By using the EMG it is possible to describe the typical activation patterns in terms of the activity level and activation time of the main muscles of the lower limbs. Muscle activity and coordination can vary between people throughout a single cycle of pedaling and between different cycles of the same person. Moreover, we examine the main factors that can influence these electromyographic patterns during the pedal cycle. We also describe the influence of factors such as output power, cadence or frequency of pedaling, slope and posture, foot pedal interface, training level and muscle fatigue that produce alterations in the time of activation and muscular coordination. In conclusion, we believe that EMG can detect the occurrence of muscle fatigue, either of central or peripheral origin. The method used to estimate the neuromuscular fatigue threshold from the EMG amplitude during an incremental test on a cycle ergometer is presented. In general there is an increase in amplitude to try to maintain the force and a decrease in the frequency spectrum.
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