Difference in Muscle Activities According to Stability on Support Surface During Plank Exercise

Abstract

| Abstract |1 )PURPOSE: The present study aimed to measure muscle activities in the pectoralis major, the erector spinae, and the quadriceps femoris according to support surface states of arms and legs during plank exercise. METHODS:The subjects of this study were 21 healthy males in their 20s and their muscle activities at three states were measured as follows: The first state was where the support surface of arms and legs was stable. The second state was where only arms were unstable, and the third state was where only legs were unstable. Electromyography (EMG) was used to measure muscle activities. Pectoralis major, quadriceps femoris, and elector spinae were measured for muscle activities. RESULTS:The muscle activities in the pectoralis major were statistically high when arms were unstable. The muscle activities in the quadriceps femoris were statistically high when legs were unstable. The muscle activities in the erector spinae were higher when arms and legs were unstable compared to that at the stable support surface. No significant † Corresponding Author : choipt88@gmail.com This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. difference was revealed statistically when arms and legs were unstable. CONCLUSION:If the instability of arms and legs is employed during plank exercise, exercise on the upper and lower bodies or the erector spinae is expected to be more effective.