Development of lumbar extension strength: Effect of pelvic stabilization during resistance training

The purpose of this studywas to determine the effect of pelvic stabilization during resistance training on the development of isometric lumbar extension strength (torque output) when testing and training are conducted on a lumbar dynamometer. Eighteen healthy volunteers were randomly assigned to one of two groups that trained on a lumbar extension dynamometer: One trained with pelvic stabilization (n = 9) and the other trained without pelvic stabilization (n = 9). Peak isometric lumbar extension torque was measured on the dynamometer at seven angles over the full range of lumbar flexion, before and after a twelve-week, one time per week dynamic progressive resistance exercise program. Following training, peak isometric torque increased for the stabilization and without stabilization groups (average increase of 15.8 ± 11.8% and 20.6 ± ;17.2%, respectively; p ≤ 0.05), while there was no difference in torque production between the groups (p > 0.05). This study demonstrates that pelvic stabilization is not required during training to develop lumbar extension strength when testing and training are conducted on the same machine.