CORE MUSCLE ACTIVATION DURING TRADITIONAL ABDOMINAL EXERCISES: AN ELECTROMYOGRAPHICAL COMPARISON

Authors

  • Ronald Lee Snarr The University of Alabama
  • Ashleigh Von Hallmark The University of Alabama
  • Michael R Esco The University of Alabama

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.12922/jshp.v4i2.81

Keywords:

EMG, Core, Resistance Training, performance

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to compare the electromyographic (EMG) activity of global trunk musculature during common training exercises. Twenty apparently healthy men (age 25.9 ± 5.6 years; height 175.22 ± 8.46 cm; weight 81.28 ± 6.86 kg) and women (age 22.8 ± 1.81 years; height 166.06 ± 8.47 cm; weight 63.03 ± 10.38 kg) volunteered to participate in this study. Surface electrodes were placed on the RA, EO, LSES and RF. Subjects then performed five repetitions of four common abdominal movements (crunch (C), pike (PK), V-up (VUP), and towel pike (TP)). Means (± SD) for the percent maximal voluntary contractions (%MVC) were measured for each participant during each exercise.

For the RA, the VUP provided significantly greater activity compared to all other exercises; while PK showed the significantly lowest. In terms of the EO, TP elicited the significantly greatest muscle activation; whereas the C provided the lowest EO values. For the RF, the TP had the greatest activity and C the lowest. Lastly, the C and PK provided significantly lower activity in the LSES compared to the TP and VUP.

Results indicate that EMG activity increased during exercises which involved greater ranges of motion, stability demands, and incorporation of body weight resistance (i.e., TP and V-up). Overall, the TP and VUP exercises provided the greatest activation of the examined musculature compared to the standard C and PK. Determining proper movements for the athlete or client can be made based upon the necessary muscular activation levels of the exercises examined within the current manuscript.

Author Biographies

Ronald Lee Snarr, The University of Alabama

Department of Kinesiology

Ashleigh Von Hallmark, The University of Alabama

Department of Kinesiology

Michael R Esco, The University of Alabama

Department of Kinesiology

References

Andersen, L.L., Magnusson, S.P., Nielsen, M., Haleem, J., Poulsen, K., and Aagaard, P. (2006). Neuromuscular activation in conventional therapeutic exercises and heavy resistance exercises: implications for rehabilitation. Phys Ther. 86,683-697.

Axler, C.T., McGill, S.M. (1997). Low back loads over a variety of abdominal exercises: searching for the safest abdominal challenge. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 29(6),804-811.

Ayotte, N.W., Stetts, D.M., Keenan, G., and Greenway, E.H. (2007). Electromyographical analysis of selected lower extremity muscles during 5 unilateral weight-bearing exercises. J Ortho Sports Phys Ther. 37(2),48-55.

Brilla, L.R., and Kauffman, T.H. (2014). Effect of inspiratory muscle training and core exercise training on core functional tests. J Exerc Physiol Online. 17(3),12-20.

Castaneda, N., and Hernandez, S. (2014). Core training for competitive diving. NSCA Coach. 1(2),22-24.

Cholewicki, J., Juluru, K., and McGill, S. (1999). Intra-abdominal pressure mechanism for stabilizing the lumbar spine. J Biomech. 32(1),13-17.

Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences. (2nd ed.). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Earlbaum Associates.

Cram, J.R., and Kasman, G.S. (1998). Introduction to Surface Electromyography. Gaithersburg, MD: Aspen Publishers, Inc.

Escamilla, R.F., McTaggart, M.S.C., Fricklas, E.J., DeWitt, R., Kelleher, P., Taylor, M.K., Hreljac, A., and Moorman, C.T. (2006). An electromyographic analysis of commercial and common abdominal exercises: Implications for rehabilitation and training. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 36(2):45-57

Floyd, R.T. (2009). Manual of Structural Kinesiology. (17thed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

Handzel, T. (2003). Core training for improved performance. Performance Training J. 2(6),26-30.

Hopkins, W., Marshall, S., Batterham, A., and Hanin, J. (2009). Progressive statistics for studies in sports medicine and exercise science. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 41(1),3.

Konrad, P. (2005). The ABC of EMG: A Practical Introduction to Kinesiological Electromyography. Noraxon Inc. USA.

Lee, B., and McGill, S. (2015). The effect of long term isometric training on core/torso stiffness. J Strength Cond Res. 29(6),1515-1526.

Lehman, G.J., Hoda, W., and Oliver, S. Trunk muscle activity during bridging exercises on and off a Swissball. Chiropractic & Osteopathy. 13,14.

McGill, S. (2010). Core training: Evidence translating to better performance and injury prevention. Strength Conditioning J. 32(3),33-46.

Nikolenko, M., Brown, L., Coburn, J., Spiering, B., and Tran, T. Relationship between core power and measures of sport performance. Kinesiology. 43(2),163-168.

Schoffstall, J.E., Titcomb, D.A., and Kilbourne, B.F. (2010). Electromyographic response of the abdominal musculature to varying abdominal exercises. J Strength Cond Res. 24(12),3422-3426.

Snarr, R.L., Esco, M.R., Witte, E.V., Jenkins, C.T., and Brannan, R.M. (2013). Electromyographic activity of rectus abdominis during a suspension push-up compared to traditional exercises. J Exerc Physiol. 16(3),1-8.

Tan, S., Cao, L., Schoenfisch, W., and Wang, J. (2013). Investigation of core muscle function through electromyography activities in healthy young men. J Ex Phys. 16,45-52.

Downloads

Published

2016-07-01

How to Cite

Snarr, R. L., Hallmark, A. V., & Esco, M. R. (2016). CORE MUSCLE ACTIVATION DURING TRADITIONAL ABDOMINAL EXERCISES: AN ELECTROMYOGRAPHICAL COMPARISON. Journal of Sport and Human Performance, 4(2). https://doi.org/10.12922/jshp.v4i2.81

Issue

Section

Original Research Articles