New Training Tasks for Stepwise Loading in Isometric Bodyweight Squat with Active Posture Control

Tatsuya Kitamura ,Shinji Tsukamoto,Yasuhito Tanaka,Tomoo Mano,Manabu Akahane,Yukako Ishida,Akira Kido,Yozo Kobayashi

doi:10.3390/app11178151

Tatsuya Kitamura , Shinji Tsukamoto + Show 6 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/app11178151

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Abstract

Isometric bodyweight squats are fundamental exercises in athletic training and rehabilitation. Previously, we measured muscle activity in a normal squat posture (NSP) and a squat posture with the center of foot pressure (COP) intentionally shifted forward as far as possible (forward-shifted posture: FSP), and the muscle activity patterns varied significantly according to the COP location. This study focused on stepwise loading as a training strategy. Ten healthy male participants performed isometric bodyweight squats in a previous study, adopting the NSP and FSP, with three knee flexion angles (30°, 60°, and 90°). The muscle activities of the vastus medialis (VM), semitendinosus, tibialis anterior (TA), and gastrocnemius muscle lateral head were measured using surface electromyogram. This study further explored the relationship between COP shifting and knee flexion angles on electromyogram changes using three-dimensional diagrams. In one-way repeated measures analysis of variance by ranks, knee flexion angles affected the muscle activities of the VM and TA in the NSP and muscle activities of the VM in the FSP. Combining these findings, stepwise loading tasks were created to train individual target muscles. The ten male participants examined all the tasks, and the feasibility was confirmed accordingly.

Highlights

This study focused on the isometric bodyweight squat as a rehabilitation approach for elderly people, especially those with a risk of frailty
We focused on the muscle activities of the vastus medialis (VM), semitendinosus (ST), lateral head of the gastrocnemius (GL), and tibialis anterior (TA) muscles
The impact of changing the knee flexion angles on muscle activity patterns was analyzed using previous datasets; new training tasks were designed for stepwise loading

Summary

Introduction

Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. The benefits of squat exercises have been reported in athletic training [1,2], rehabilitation [3,4], and locomotive syndrome in elderly people [5]. Squats can refer to a wide variety of exercises, comprising partial squat [6], half squat [7], parallel squat [8,9], full squat [8,9], and deep squat [7]. There are front [9,10,11], back [10,11,12], and overhead squats [12] with various bar positionings

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