Core muscle activation during dynamic upper limb exercises in women

Area of Science:

• Biomechanics
• Exercise Physiology
• Kinesiology

Background:

• Everyday and athletic activities require coordinated core muscle engagement during upper limb tasks.
• Limited research exists on core muscle activation during dynamic standing upper limb exercises.
• Understanding this activation is crucial for developing effective strengthening programs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate abdominal and back muscle activity during dynamic standing upper limb exercises.
• To determine the efficacy of these exercises for core muscle strengthening.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study involving 20 healthy women.
• Surface electromyography measured activation of rectus abdominis, obliquus externus abdominis, longissimus, and multifidus.
• Exercises included bilateral/unilateral shoulder movements with and without pelvic fixation, compared to isometric maximum contraction.

Main Results:

• Abdominal muscles showed >60% reference activity during bilateral shoulder extension and unilateral horizontal adduction.
• Back muscles showed >60% reference activity during unilateral shoulder horizontal abduction and shoulder extension.
• Muscle activation was 35-64% lower without pelvic fixation compared to exercises with fixation.

Conclusions:

• Dynamic upper limb exercises in a standing position effectively activate core muscles.
• Exercises involving bilateral/unilateral shoulder extension and unilateral shoulder horizontal abduction/adduction with pelvic fixation yield the highest core muscle activation.