BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Performing nontraditional
abdominal exercises with devices such as
abdominal straps, the
Power Wheel, and the
Ab Revolutionizer has been suggested as a way to activate
abdominal and extraneous (nonabdominal)
musculature as effectively as more traditional
abdominal exercises, such as the crunch and bent-knee
sit-up. The purpose of this study was to test the effectiveness of traditional and nontraditional
abdominal exercises in activating
abdominal and extraneous
musculature. SUBJECTS: Twenty-one men and women who were healthy and between 23 and 43 years of age were recruited for this study. METHODS: Surface
electromyography (
EMG) was used to assess
muscle activity from the upper and lower
rectus abdominis, external and
internal oblique,
rectus femoris,
latissimus dorsi, and
lumbar paraspinal muscles while each
exercise was performed. The
EMG data were normalized to maximum voluntary
muscle contractions. Differences in
muscle activity were assessed by a 1-way,
repeated-measures analysis of variance. RESULTS: Upper and lower
rectus abdominis,
internal oblique, and
latissimus dorsi muscle EMG activity were highest for the
Power Wheel (pike, knee-up, and roll-out), hanging knee-up with straps, and reverse crunch inclined 30 degrees.
External oblique muscle EMG activity was highest for the
Power Wheel (pike, knee-up, and roll-out) and hanging knee-up with straps.
Rectus femoris muscle EMG activity was highest for the
Power Wheel (pike and knee-up), reverse crunch inclined 30 degrees, and bent-knee
sit-up.
Lumbar paraspinal
muscle EMG activity was low and similar among exercises. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: The
Power Wheel (pike, knee-up, and roll-out), hanging knee-up with straps, and reverse crunch inclined 30 degrees not only were the most effective exercises in activating
abdominal musculature but also were the most effective in activating extraneous
musculature. The relatively high
rectus femoris muscle activity obtained with the
Power Wheel (pike and knee-up), reverse crunch inclined 30 degrees, and bent-knee
sit-up may be problematic for some people with low back problems.