Comparison Of Muscle Activation During Quadrupedal Movement Training And Traditional Bodyweight Exercises

Quadrupedal movement training (QMT) is a unique form of bodyweight training shown to improve flexibility, functional movement screen scores, and proprioception, however, little is known about its muscle activation characteristics. PURPOSE: To compare surface EMG (sEMG) activity of muscles of the trunk, upper, and lower extremity during QMT movements to common traditional bodyweight exercises (TRA). METHODS: Twenty (males n = 9) participants (age: 27.5 ± 10.8 yrs., height: 169.0 ± 7.0 cm, mass: 66.6 ± 10.9 kg) were prepped and fitted with sEMG electrodes on their right-side bicep brachii, medial deltoid, triceps brachii, pectoralis major, latissimus dorsi, rectus abdominus, rectus femoris, and bicep femoris. Following completion of maximal voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC) tests for normalization, participants performed 4 repetitions of 8 QMT exercises (Side Kick Through, Front Step Through, Full Scorpion, Crab Reach, Forward Crab, Forward Beast, Lateral Ape, and Underswitch) and 3 TRA exercises (pushup, squat, and forearm plank) in random order using a controlled tempo. RESULTS: The pooled peak muscle activations of all QMT exercises resulted in moderate (21-40% MVIC) to very high (> 60% MVIC) peak muscle activation levels for each muscle group with significantly higher (p > 0.05) muscle activation for the biceps (47.72 ± 21.41%), deltoid (66.58 ± 11.39%), and latissimus dorsi (62.81 ± 18.14%) than the pushup (23.31 ± 16.95, 45.63 ± 18.59, 29.17 ± 20.58%, respectively) and significantly higher activation of the bicep femoris (41.89 ± 13.83%) than the squat (17.79 ± 11.12%). TRA (pushup) showed significantly higher activation of the triceps and pectoralis. There were no differences in rectus femoris or rectus abdominus. CONCLUSION: Muscle activation levels during QMT are comparable to or higher than common traditional bodyweight exercises and therefore may be an appealing strategy for training multiple muscle groups simultaneously. Future studies comparing the chronic effects of QMT to TRA are warranted. Supported by: Grove City College Swezey Fund