Electromyographic Activity of the Gluteus Maximus on the Weight-Bearing Side During Lateral and Frontal Wall Press Exercises

Background: The lateral wall press (WP) exercise is one of the weight-bearing exercises used in gluteal muscle strengthening programs. However, little is known about the muscle activity level of the gluteus maximus (Gmax) on the weight-bearing side during the lateral WP exercise. The primary actions of the Gmax are hip extension and hip external rotation. In addition, the superior area of the Gmax also functions as a hip abductor. We hypothesized that not only lateral but also frontal WP exercise might be suitable for Gmax strengthening. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to quantify electromyographic (EMG) activity of Gmax in weight-bearing side during lateral and frontal WP exercise. Patients and Methods: Twelve healthy women (university students) participated in this study. The surface EMG was used to quantify the activity of the Gmax on the weight-bearing side during lateral and frontal WP exercises. The exercises were done with opposite leg. A paired t-test was used to examine the significance of differences in the Gmax activity between the lateral and frontal WP exercises. Results: The means ± standard deviations of the averaged EMG during the lateral and frontal WP exercises were 40.1 ± 19.1, and 23.7 ± 11.3 μV, respectively. Those of the percent maximal voluntary contraction during the lateral and frontal WP exercises were 51.4 ± 29.7, and 31.3 ± 20.5, respectively. Gmax activity during the lateral WP exercise was significantly higher than that during the frontal WP exercise Conclusions: The results of this study indicate that the lateral WP exercise is more suitable than the frontal WP exercise for strengthening the Gmax on the weight-bearing side.