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Electromyographical analysis of lower extremity muscle activation during variations of the loaded step-up exercise. J Strength Cond Res 2012 Dec;26(12):3398-405

Date

01/13/2012

Pubmed ID

22237139

DOI

10.1519/JSC.0b013e3182472fad

Scopus ID

2-s2.0-84870414280 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)   18 Citations

Abstract

The loaded step-up exercise allows strength and conditioning practitioners to incorporate a unilateral resistance for athletes while performing extension at the hip, knee, and plantar flexion at the ankle. This study evaluated the activation of the biceps femoris (BF), gluteus maximus (GMx), gluteus medius (GMe), rectus femoris, semitendinosus (ST), vastus lateralis, and vastus medialis during 4 variations of the step-up exercise to assess the specific muscle training stimulus of each exercise variation. The exercises included the step-up, crossover step-up, diagonal step-up, and lateral step-up. Fifteen women who regularly engaged in lower body resistance training performed the 4 exercises with 6 repetition maximum loads on a 45.72-cm (18-in.) plyometric box. Data were collected with a telemetered electromyography (EMG) system, and root mean square values were calculated for EMG data for eccentric and concentric phases. Results of a repeated-measures analysis of variance revealed a variety of differences in muscle activation between the exercises (p ≤ 0.05). The results indicated that the crossover step-up elicited the greatest concentric muscle activation for the GMe, whereas the step-up elicited greatest eccentric activation for the GMe and greatest activation for the GMx, BF, and ST in both concentric and eccentric phases. These findings can be used by practitioners to inform exercise selection to best target and maximally activate a variety of hip and thigh musculature.

Author List

Simenz CJ, Garceau LR, Lutsch BN, Suchomel TJ, Ebben WP

Authors

Christopher Simenz PhD Clinical Associate Professor in the Physical Therapy department at Marquette University
Christopher J. Simenz PhD Associate Professor in the Institute for Health and Equity department at Medical College of Wisconsin




MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold

Analysis of Variance
Electromyography
Female
Humans
Isometric Contraction
Lower Extremity
Muscle, Skeletal
Plyometric Exercise
Resistance Training
Young Adult