Muscle Stimulation Study Using EMG: Which Exercises Work?

wobz · 08-16-2008, 03:57 PM

As posted by pongboy @ bb.com
Electromyographical (EMG) Research is an essential research tool allowing physiologists to determine the role of muscles during specific movements. EMG is a scientific method of measuring the level of excitation. This is done by placing electrodes over your body and recording the level of muscle activity induced by an exercise. A study was conducted to find which exercises cause the greatest amount of activity within each muscle group and, as a consequence, determine which exercises will produce the greatest gains in mass and strength. This study was conducted by Tudor O. Bompa, PhD & Lorenzo J. Cornacchia. Both men and women were used in the study and all subjects had at least two years experience with resistance training.

Here are the results of the best workout exercises study::
(100% would signify maximum muscle fiber stimulation)

Pectoralis Major (Chest)
Decline dumbbell bench press ----------------93%
Decline bench press, Olympic bar(OB)---------89
Push-ups between benches --------------------88
Flat dumbbell bench press -------------------87
Flat bench press (OB) -----------------------85
Flat dumbbell flyes --------------------------84

Pectoralis Minor (Chest)
Incline dumbbell bench press ----------------91%
Incline bench press (OB) --------------------85
Incline dumbbell flyes -----------------------83
Incline bench press (smith machine) ---------81

Medial Deltoids (Shoulder)
Incline dumbbell (db) side laterals ----- 66%
Standing db side laterals -------63
Seated db side laterals -----62
Cable side laterals -----47

Posterior Deltoids
Standing db bent laterals ----- 85%
Seated db bent laterals -----83
Standing cable bent laterals -----77

Anterior Deltoids
Seated front db press -----79%
Standing front db raises -----73
Seated front barbell press -----61

Biceps brachii (long head)
Preacher curls (Ob) -------------------- 90%
Incline seated Db curls (alternate) ------ 88
Standing biceps curls (Ob/narrow grip)--- 86
Standing Db curls (alternate) ----------- 84
Concentration Db curls ------------------ 80
Standing curls (Ob/wide grip)------------ 63
Sta
ding E-Z curls (wide grip) ----------- 61

Triceps brachii (outer head)
Decline extensions (Ob) ------------------ 92%
Triceps pressdowns (angled bar) ----------- 90
Dips with a bench --------------------------87
One-arm cable extensions (reverse grip) - 85
Overhead rope extensions ------------------ 85
Seated one-arm Db extensions (neutral grip)- 82
Close-grip bench press (Ob) --------------- 72

Latissimus dorsi (back)
Bent-over Bb rows ---------------------------93%
One-arm Db rows -----------------------------91
T-bar rows ----------------------------------89
Lat pulldowns to the front ------------------86
Seated pulley rows --------------------------83

Rectus femoris (quads)
Safety squats (90 degree angle, shoulder width stance) ----88%
seated leg extensions (toes straight) -------86
Hack squats (90 degree angle, shoulder width stance) ----78
Leg press (110 degree angle) ----------------76
Smith machine (90 degree angle, shoulder width stance) ----60

Biceps femoris (hamstring)
Standing leg curls --------------------------82%
Lying leg curls -----------------------------71
Seated leg curls ----------------------------58
Modified hamstring deads --------------------56

Semitendinosus (inner hamstring)
Seated leg curls ----------------------------88
Standing leg curls --------------------------79
Lying leg curls -----------------------------70
Modified hamstring deads --------------------63

Gastrocnemius (calf muscle)
Donkey raises -------------------------------80
Standing one-leg raises ---------------------79
Standing two-leg raises ---------------------68
Seated raises -------------------------------61

TROJANNATION · 08-24-2008, 10:43 PM

Medial Deltoids don't get much love

otrebmu · 08-25-2008, 01:19 AM

i don't understand how it was tested. what were the weights? more muscle recruitment happens when the weight is heavier, so simply performing an exercise at a more difficult angle or variation would skew the results. perhaps they tested doing light, medium, and hard weights, but if that was the case it would be mentioned.

XiL3 · 08-25-2008, 02:08 AM

Strange, I don't feel row sso much in the lats, it's mostly in the rear delts, lower trapezius fibers and underlying back muscles. Pullups on the other hand, that's a lat workout!

Quote:

Originally Posted by otrebmu

i don't understand how it was tested. what were the weights? more muscle recruitment happens when the weight is heavier, so simply performing an exercise at a more difficult angle or variation would skew the results. perhaps they tested doing light, medium, and hard weights, but if that was the case it would be mentioned.

Different fibers are recruited when it is heavier.

TROJANNATION · 08-25-2008, 12:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by XiL3

Strange, I don't feel row sso much in the lats, it's mostly in the rear delts, lower trapezius fibers and underlying back muscles. Pullups on the other hand, that's a lat workout!

I feel T-bar rows in the lats more than any other exercise

XiL3 · 08-25-2008, 01:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TROJANNATION

I feel T-bar rows in the lats more than any other exercise

I feel those pretty good, but I feel those most in the middle back inbetween the scapula. Pullups for me are all lats and a little bicep, pronated wider grip that is.

wobz · 08-25-2008, 07:55 PM

This is all I can find on it- from the book serious strength training. EMG part is highlighted.

Tudor O. Bompa, PhD, revolutionized western training methods when he introduced his groundbreaking theory of periodization in Romania in 1963. After adopting his training system, the Eastern Bloc countries dominated international sports through the 1970s and 1980s. In 1988, Dr. Bompa applied his principle of periodization to the sport of bodybuilding. He has personally trained 11 Olympic Games medalists (including four gold medalists) and has served as a consultant to coaches and athletes worldwide.

Dr. Bompa's books on training methods, including Theory and Methodology of Training: The Key to Athletic Performance, have been translated into eight languages. His training programs have been used in coaching certification programs around the world, and he's received certificates of honor and appreciation from such prestigious organizations as the Argentinean Ministry of Culture, the Australian Sports Council, the Spanish Olympic Committee, and the International Olympic Committee.

A member of the Canadian Olympic Association and the Romanian National Council of Sports, Dr. Bompa is full professor at York University in Toronto, Ontario, where he has taught training theories for 25 years. He and his wife, Tamara, live in Sharon, Ontario, where he enjoys walking his dog, gardening, and watching old movies. He is a citizen of both Canada and Romania.

As a personal trainer, kinesiologist, and former bodybuilder, Lorenzo J. Cornacchia has conducted extensive electromyography (EMG) research to identify which exercises cause the greatest muscle stimulation and which could potentially cause harm. He publishes a regular column in Ironman magazine based on his research.

Cornacchia received his bachelor of arts in physical education and health from York University in Toronto, Ontario. A member of the Association of Kinesiologists of Canada and a resident of Toronto, he enjoys attending wrestling events and playing volleyball and tennis.

XiL3 · 08-25-2008, 08:06 PM

Wait a second I just realized somethng that makes me not believe this stuff so much. They said Pectoralis Minor and used all incline movements, that's an underlying muscle, do they mean the clavicular head of the pectoralis major? The minor is well...minor.

Takuan · 08-26-2008, 01:59 AM

08-16-2008, 03:57 PM	#1 (permalink)
wobz wobz is easily amused. . Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Michigan Posts: 3,344 9821585 Total Awards:	Muscle Stimulation Study Using EMG: Which Exercises Work? As posted by pongboy @ bb.com Electromyographical (EMG) Research is an essential research tool allowing physiologists to determine the role of muscles during specific movements. EMG is a scientific method of measuring the level of excitation. This is done by placing electrodes over your body and recording the level of muscle activity induced by an exercise. A study was conducted to find which exercises cause the greatest amount of activity within each muscle group and, as a consequence, determine which exercises will produce the greatest gains in mass and strength. This study was conducted by Tudor O. Bompa, PhD & Lorenzo J. Cornacchia. Both men and women were used in the study and all subjects had at least two years experience with resistance training. Here are the results of the best workout exercises study:: (100% would signify maximum muscle fiber stimulation) Pectoralis Major (Chest) Decline dumbbell bench press ----------------93% Decline bench press, Olympic bar(OB)---------89 Push-ups between benches --------------------88 Flat dumbbell bench press -------------------87 Flat bench press (OB) -----------------------85 Flat dumbbell flyes --------------------------84 Pectoralis Minor (Chest) Incline dumbbell bench press ----------------91% Incline bench press (OB) --------------------85 Incline dumbbell flyes -----------------------83 Incline bench press (smith machine) ---------81 Medial Deltoids (Shoulder) Incline dumbbell (db) side laterals ----- 66% Standing db side laterals -------63 Seated db side laterals -----62 Cable side laterals -----47 Posterior Deltoids Standing db bent laterals ----- 85% Seated db bent laterals -----83 Standing cable bent laterals -----77 Anterior Deltoids Seated front db press -----79% Standing front db raises -----73 Seated front barbell press -----61 Biceps brachii (long head) Preacher curls (Ob) -------------------- 90% Incline seated Db curls (alternate) ------ 88 Standing biceps curls (Ob/narrow grip)--- 86 Standing Db curls (alternate) ----------- 84 Concentration Db curls ------------------ 80 Standing curls (Ob/wide grip)------------ 63 Sta ding E-Z curls (wide grip) ----------- 61 Triceps brachii (outer head) Decline extensions (Ob) ------------------ 92% Triceps pressdowns (angled bar) ----------- 90 Dips with a bench --------------------------87 One-arm cable extensions (reverse grip) - 85 Overhead rope extensions ------------------ 85 Seated one-arm Db extensions (neutral grip)- 82 Close-grip bench press (Ob) --------------- 72 Latissimus dorsi (back) Bent-over Bb rows ---------------------------93% One-arm Db rows -----------------------------91 T-bar rows ----------------------------------89 Lat pulldowns to the front ------------------86 Seated pulley rows --------------------------83 Rectus femoris (quads) Safety squats (90 degree angle, shoulder width stance) ----88% seated leg extensions (toes straight) -------86 Hack squats (90 degree angle, shoulder width stance) ----78 Leg press (110 degree angle) ----------------76 Smith machine (90 degree angle, shoulder width stance) ----60 Biceps femoris (hamstring) Standing leg curls --------------------------82% Lying leg curls -----------------------------71 Seated leg curls ----------------------------58 Modified hamstring deads --------------------56 Semitendinosus (inner hamstring) Seated leg curls ----------------------------88 Standing leg curls --------------------------79 Lying leg curls -----------------------------70 Modified hamstring deads --------------------63 Gastrocnemius (calf muscle) Donkey raises -------------------------------80 Standing one-leg raises ---------------------79 Standing two-leg raises ---------------------68 Seated raises -------------------------------61 __________________ LNC #1

08-24-2008, 10:43 PM	#2 (permalink)
TROJANNATION TROJANNATION is ALPHA Sovereign of all the misc Contra Champion! Santa Snowboard Champion! Juggle Mania Champion! Hexxagon Champion! Galaxians Champion! Turkey Bowling 2005 Champion! Revenge Of The Stick Champion! Tournaments Won: 28 Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 12,496 140715885 Total Awards:	Medial Deltoids don't get much love __________________ ATM Deadlift & Bench Press Champion http://youtube.com/watch?v=7D4eZ7CCfPA 9thG8 Syndicate

08-25-2008, 01:19 AM	#3 (permalink)
otrebmu otrebmu has no status. brb extreme water bulkin' Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 4,062 1635980 Total Awards:	i don't understand how it was tested. what were the weights? more muscle recruitment happens when the weight is heavier, so simply performing an exercise at a more difficult angle or variation would skew the results. perhaps they tested doing light, medium, and hard weights, but if that was the case it would be mentioned. __________________ My diary (no homo)

08-25-2008, 07:55 PM	#7 (permalink)
wobz wobz is easily amused. . Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Michigan Posts: 3,344 9821585 Total Awards:	This is all I can find on it- from the book serious strength training. EMG part is highlighted. Tudor O. Bompa, PhD, revolutionized western training methods when he introduced his groundbreaking theory of periodization in Romania in 1963. After adopting his training system, the Eastern Bloc countries dominated international sports through the 1970s and 1980s. In 1988, Dr. Bompa applied his principle of periodization to the sport of bodybuilding. He has personally trained 11 Olympic Games medalists (including four gold medalists) and has served as a consultant to coaches and athletes worldwide. Dr. Bompa's books on training methods, including Theory and Methodology of Training: The Key to Athletic Performance, have been translated into eight languages. His training programs have been used in coaching certification programs around the world, and he's received certificates of honor and appreciation from such prestigious organizations as the Argentinean Ministry of Culture, the Australian Sports Council, the Spanish Olympic Committee, and the International Olympic Committee. A member of the Canadian Olympic Association and the Romanian National Council of Sports, Dr. Bompa is full professor at York University in Toronto, Ontario, where he has taught training theories for 25 years. He and his wife, Tamara, live in Sharon, Ontario, where he enjoys walking his dog, gardening, and watching old movies. He is a citizen of both Canada and Romania. As a personal trainer, kinesiologist, and former bodybuilder, Lorenzo J. Cornacchia has conducted extensive electromyography (EMG) research to identify which exercises cause the greatest muscle stimulation and which could potentially cause harm. He publishes a regular column in Ironman magazine based on his research. Cornacchia received his bachelor of arts in physical education and health from York University in Toronto, Ontario. A member of the Association of Kinesiologists of Canada and a resident of Toronto, he enjoys attending wrestling events and playing volleyball and tennis. __________________ LNC #1

08-26-2008, 01:59 AM	#9 (permalink)
Takuan Takuan is sick with allergies. \/ It's a trap(s)! \/ Join Date: May 2008 Location: Oklahoma Posts: 906 2448368 Total Awards: