Professional Documents
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AND
IMTIAZ DESAI2
School of Biomedical and Health Science, University of Western Sydney, Sydney, Australia; and 2Department of Sport and
Exercise Science, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
ABSTRACT
Marshall, PWM and Desai, I. Electromyographic analysis
of upper body, lower body, and abdominal muscles during
advanced Swiss ball exercises. J Strength Cond Res 24(6):
15371545, 2010Although there is now some evidence
examining the use of a Swiss ball during core stability and
resistance exercises, this has commonly been performed using
basic or isometric exercises. There is currently no evidence
examining more advanced Swiss ball exercises. The purpose
of this study was to determine whether or not muscle activity
measured during advanced Swiss ball exercises was at an
approximate intensity recommended for strength or endurance
training in advanced, or novice individuals. After a familiarization
session, 14 recreationally active subjects performed 6 different
advanced Swiss ball exercises in a randomized order. The
primary dependent variables in this study were the activity
levels collected from anterior deltoid, pectoralis major, rectus
abdominis (RA), external obliques, lumbar erector spinae,
vastus lateralis (VL), and biceps femoris using surface electromyography. All signals were normalized to maximal voluntary
isometric contractions performed before testing for each muscle. The results of this study showed that the Swiss ball roll
elicited muscle activity in triceps brachii (72.5 6 32.4%) and VL
(83.6 6 44.2%) commensurate with the intensity recommended for strength exercises in advanced trainers. Rectus
abdominis activity was greatest during the bridge exercise
(61.3 6 28.5%, p # 0.01). This was the only exercise to elicit
RA muscle activity commensurate with a strength training
effect. The remainder of the exercises elicited abdominal activity
that would require a higher number of repetitions to be performed for an endurance training adaptation. Although this study
has provided evidence for one advanced Swiss ball exercise
providing a significant whole-body stimulus, the practical
Address correspondence to Dr. Paul W.M. Marshall, p.marshall@uws.
edu.au.
24(6)/15371545
Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research
2010 National Strength and Conditioning Association
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METHODS
Experimental Approach to the Problem
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Exercise Procedures
The prone hold position was a 4-second isometric contraction performed with the individual supporting themselves
on the Swiss ball with their forearms flat on the surface,
and their shoulders flexed to 90. The Praying Mantis exercise
was performed separately to the isometric contractions but
using the hold as a starting position. For the Praying Mantis
exercise, the subject was required to rotate the ball 360
clockwise, then 360 anticlockwise by moving the shoulder
girdle only (although adjustments in whole body posture
occurred these were not the focus of initiating ball movement). The movement was instructed to be performed at a
natural, self-selected speed. The ball was maintained underneath the subject throughout the movement. The position of
the hands (linked via fingers) was used to indicate the 0
starting point for the movement, and this was used to guide
the individuals eyes for the degree of rotation. One trial
represented the full rotation in each direction.
Single Leg Squat
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Bridge
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The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS Inc, v16.1,
Chicago, IL, USA) was used for analysis. Descriptive statistics
were calculated for all exercises for each muscle. A one-way
analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to identify differences
between exercises for each muscle. Gender was entered as
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RESULTS
Gender was not a significant covariate in the analysis of
normalized EMG levels. The average normalized EMG levels
for each muscle during the exercise tasks are presented in
Tables 13.
Abdominal Muscle Activity
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Pectoralis major
40.7 6 25.6
30.5 6 18.1
27.0 6 8.8
13.8 6 4.6
7.7 6 4.3
5.8 6 4.1
1.2 6 1.4
Anterior deltoid
37.7
16.7
5.5
29.0
7.4
4.1
1.1
6 16.4
6 9.4
6 4.6
6 16.3
6 5.4
6 5.2
6 1.3
Triceps brachii
72.5
27.1
28.0
14.4
1.6
12.4
1.5
6 33.4
6 15.7
6 10.1
6 3.1
6 2.1
6 5.9
6 0.8
VL
BF
10.6 6 4.6k
22.2 6 11.2
3.6 6 5.5
11.2 6 6.4
8.1 6 6.9
2.2 6 1.0
2.1 6 0.8
3.1 6 5.8
5.6 6 5.7
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DISCUSSION
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PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS
This is the first study we know of to measure muscle activity
during more advanced Swiss ball exercises that are observed
in the recreational training environment. If the goal of
strength and conditioning coaches is to increase the strength
of the upper body, lower body, or trunk musculature, it seems
that advanced Swiss ball exercises will be no more beneficial
than moderately loaded resistance exercises. Moreover, the
only Swiss ball exercise to achieve a high level of muscle
activity was the most complicated movement to perform.
When compared with relatively basic to teach and perform
resistance exercises such as shoulder extensions, squats, and
VOLUME 24 | NUMBER 6 | JUNE 2010 |
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The authors have no professional relationships with any
company or manufacturer who may benefit from the results of
the current study. The results of the current study do not
constitute endorsement of the product used by the authors or
the National Strength & Conditioning Association.
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