Surface electromyography for noninvasive characterization of muscle. Exerc. Sport Sci. Rev., Vol. 29, No. 1, pp 20-25, 2001. Linear electrode arrays are used for noninvasive muscle characterization to study individual motor unit properties and the myoelectric manifestations of muscle fatigue during sustained contractions. The location of an electrode pair with respect to the innervation zone(s), the deterministic rather than stochastic nature of the signal, and the possibility of noninvasive fiber typing are discussed.