Abstract
Joint torques provide information regarding the net contribution of each joint during a movement, which is useful to know in training and rehabilitation settings. PURPOSE: To investigate the effect of load on joint torques during rear foot-elevated split squats (RFESS) relative to body mass and to total mass (body mass + weights). METHODS: Fourteen injury-free males, ages 18-25, who regularly performed lower body resistance training participated. A 1RM test was conducted in a previous session to determine each subject’s RFESS 1RM. Each participant stepped on a force plate with their right leg, with their left leg supported behind them, and completed five repetitions with no load (0% 1RM) and 40% 1RM and three repetitions with 80% 1RM. An eight-camera Vicon motion capture system (200 Hz) was used to collect body landmark data, while a Kistler force plate (1000 Hz) recorded the net ground reaction force on the lead leg. Joint torques were calculated using Nexus software, averaged over repetitions for the concentric phase, and then were normalized for both body mass and total mass. Repeated measures ANOVA was run with SPSS to determine the effect of load on each joint’s torque values (p < 0.05). RESULTS: In the sagittal plane, the hip and ankle joint torques increased with greater load (p < 0.001 for both), while there was no significant difference at the knee when normalized for body mass. When normalized for total mass, the hip and ankle joint torques still increased with load (p < 0.001 and p = 0.001, respectively), while knee joint torque decreased (p = 0.024). In addition, magnitudes of joint torque were greater at the hip and ankle than at the knee in all conditions. In the frontal plane, joint torques at the hip and ankle were statistically different in the 40% 1RM and 80% 1RM conditions than the 0% 1RM condition, whether normalized for body mass or total mass (p < 0.009 for all). Unlike the sagittal plane, when normalized for body mass, joint torque at the knee increased with load (p = 0.010). However, it decreased with load when normalized for total mass (p = 0.002). Additionally, magnitudes of joint torque were greater at the knee than at the hip and ankle in all conditions. CONCLUSION: There was hip and ankle dominance in the sagittal plane and knee dominance in the frontal plane during the concentric phase of the RFESS.
Recommended Citation
Trounday, Daniel R.; Chan, Miranda; Dominici, Connor; and LeBlanc, Michele FACSM
(2025)
"Effect of Load on Lower Extremity Joint Torques in Rear Foot-Elevated Split Squats,"
International Journal of Exercise Science: Conference Proceedings: Vol. 14:
Iss.
5, Article 33.
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/ijesab/vol14/iss5/33