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THE EFFECTS OF SUSPENSION TRAINING ON CORE AND QUADRICEPS MUSCLE ACTIVATION DURING A PUSH-UP

Abstract

THE EFFECTS OF SUSPENSION TRAINING ON CORE AND QUADRICEPS MUSCLE ACTIVATION DURING A PUSH-UP

J. May, K. Grenier, M. Hopkins, K. Johnston, K. Lane, C. Lynde, K. Slattengren, R. McCulloch

Gonzaga University, Spokane, WA

Suspension training has increased in popularity and usage despite limited evidence of its ability to produce instability as a means of providing strength and conditioning benefits. PURPOSE: To determine the effects of suspension training on instability measures and proximal lower limb muscle activation during a push-up activity. We hypothesized that push-ups performed on a suspension trainer would: 1) create more instability in the form of increased movement tracked by a 2D motion capture system; and 2) that this added instability would increase the amount of muscle activation from the core and proximal lower limb stabilizing muscles during a suspended push-up compared to a raised, standard push-up. METHODS: Eighteen active, college-aged males participated in a randomized and counterbalanced study. The subjects performed five consecutive push-ups in two different stability conditions: 1) feet suspended in the foot cradles of the suspension bands and 2) feet resting on a box adjusted to match the height of their feet in the cradles. Muscle activation was recorded for the following muscles bilaterally: internal oblique’s, erector spinae, latissimus dorsi, biceps femoris, and vastus lateralis. Max voluntary contractions (MVC) were obtained prior to testing for each muscle. Movement was recorded from above the subjects and digitized via markers on the posterior aspect of the shoulders, hips, and ankles. Paired t-tests were used to evaluate significant differences between the experimental and control conditions (p<0.05). RESULTS: Significant increases in displacement between conditions were seen for fifty percent of the marker locations (p<0.05). Evaluation of normalized EMG data showed a significant increase in only the right latissimus dorsi between conditions (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Performing a push-up in the suspension system was successful at creating instability as evident by the moderate, but significant, increases in movement. However, the instability resulted in increased activation for only the right latissimus dorsi. The results suggest that further evaluation of upper body musculature during this instability exercise may be valuable.

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