The effects of EMG biofeedback on strength acquisition

This study investigated the effectiveness of electromyographic (EMG) biofeedback in maximizing strength gains and integrated electromyographic (IEMG) levels of the quadriceps muscle group resulting from an isokinetic exercise program. Twenty-one male volunteers recruited from physical education classes at a large southwestern university were randomly assigned to one of the following three treatment groups: (1) a biofeedback (BF) trained group, (2) a deception (DEC) trained group, and (3) a nonfeedback (NF) trained group. Subjects were trained and tested for strength by extension on a Cybex Isokinetic Exercise Machine at a speed of 30 degrees per second. Training sessions were performed three times per week for five weeks; pretest and posttest data were based on the best score of three trials of a 1-RM maximum effort. A pretraining to posttraining comparison indicated significant increases in strength (p less than .001) and IEMG levels (p less than .001) for all treatment groups when a paired t test was applied to the data. A multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) revealed that the BF trained group showed significantly greater peak torque values than DEC and NF trained groups (p less than .01) and produced significantly greater IEMG levels than the NF trained group (p less than .05). Overall, these results were taken as supporting the hypothesis that a training program of combined isokinetics and EMG biofeedback produces significant gains in maximal force and IEMG activity of leg-extensor muscles.