Neuromuscular activation of the rectus abdominis in hundred, plank and crunch exercises: A surface electromyographic comparison
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33233/fb.v24i6.5476Keywords:
rectus abdominis, abdominal exercises, electromyogramAbstract
Introduction: The rectus abdominis muscle has among its functions to stabilize and flex the trunk. There are several static and dynamic exercises that can condition it for sports performance or rehabilitation. Objective: To compare the neuromuscular activation of the rectus abdominis between hundred, plank and crunch exercises by surface electromyography. Methods: Cross-sectional study with female students from a public university, 18 to 30 years old. Evaluated by surface electromyography, equipment Miotool 400, software MiotecSuite, unipolar surface electrodes positioned bilaterally in the upper portions of the rectus abdominis muscle, considering values of the square root of the mean normalized by dynamic peak in crunch exercise and maximum voluntary isometric contraction in hundred and plank. Results: We evaluated 34 female students, mean age of 20.47 years, where the exercise hundred evidenced significant difference (p = 0.0146) between the activation of the muscle belly of the rectus abdominis, revealing greater activation in the left in relation to the right; the exercise plank was the one that revealed the greatest discrepancy between the muscle bellies. The plank exercise revealed the greatest discrepancy between the muscle bellies (p = 0.0001), exposing a high activation of the left abdomen in comparison to the right; the crunch exercise showed no significant difference between the muscle bellies (p = 0.1834), with less activation between the exercises. Conclusion: The abdominal crunch exercise proved to be an isotonic exercise that recruited fewer motor units, suggesting greater effectiveness when performing the task fully.
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Copyright (c) 2023 André de Aguiar Santos Filho, Tereza Cristina dos Reis Ferreira, Marcio Clementino Souza Santos, Paulo Eduardo Santos Ávila, Tiago Costa Esteves, Gabriella Melo de Andrade, Altair Vallinoto Klautau, João Sérgio de Sousa Oliveira
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