Electromyographic examination of selected muscle activation during isometric core exercises.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of the current study was to quantitatively examine the muscle activations of 3 common isometric core exercises (abdominal bridge, single-leg abdominal bridge, and superman) along with a newly introduced isometric exercise (flying squirrel) and determine if muscle activations differed among the exercises. DESIGN The design was a comparison study. SETTING An athletic training classroom laboratory was where all data collections occurred. PARTICIPANTS Thirty healthy collegiate graduate students (age, 23.4 ± 1.4 year; height, 171.3 ± 10.3 cm; mass, 73.3 ± 16.2 kg), regardless of sex, consented to participate. INDEPENDENT VARIABLE The independent variable was the muscle selected. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES The main outcome measures or dependent variables were the muscle activation reported as percent of maximum voluntary isometric contraction during each exercise. RESULTS Results revealed that the multifidi produced the greatest muscle activity in all exercises, and the single-leg abdominal bridge exercise produced greater muscle activation than the general abdominal bridge exercise (P < 0.025). CONCLUSIONS The findings of this study demonstrate that any of these exercises may be a part of a core stability program. In addition, these findings may be incorporated into an isometric core exercise program to supplement a currently implemented isometric core exercise program.