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. 2023 Jan 20:86:17-29.
doi: 10.5114/jhk/159585. eCollection 2023 Mar.

Sex Difference in Lower-limb Electromyography and Kinematics when Using Resistance Bands during a Barbell Back Squat

Shahab Alizadeh  1 , Leah Vardy  1 , Garrick N Forman  2 , Davis A Forman  3 , Michael W R Holmes  2 , Duane C Button  1   4
Affiliations

Sex Difference in Lower-limb Electromyography and Kinematics when Using Resistance Bands during a Barbell Back Squat

Shahab Alizadeh et al. J Hum Kinet. .

Abstract

The aim of this study was to compare the muscle activity of the gluteus medius (GMe), gluteus maximus (GMa), biceps femoris (BF), vastus lateralis (VL), vastus medialis (VM) and erector spinae (ES) as well as medial knee displacement (MKD) while using varying stiffness resistance bands (red: 1.68 kg; black: 3.31 kg; gold: 6.44 kg) during a barbell back squat (BBS) among males and females. A total of 23 (females: 11) resistance trained people were recruited for this study. Muscle activity was measured using electromyography, and motion capture cameras tracked lower-limb kinematics and MKD. Three resistance bands were placed at the distal end of the femur while performing a BBS at their 85% repetition maximum (RM). Parametric and non-parametric statistical analyses were conducted with the alpha level of 0.05. The gold resistance band resulted in a smaller knee-width-index value (i.e., greater MKD) compared to other bands (p < 0.01). Males exhibited less MKD compared to females during the BBS for each resistance band (p = 0.04). Males produced greater VL activity when using the black and gold resistance bands during the BBS (p = 0.03). When using a gold resistance band, the GMe muscle activation was higher compared to other resistance bands (p < 0.01). VM muscle activity was reduced when using a gold resistance band compared to no band condition (p < 0.01). BF (p = 0.39) and ES (p = 0.88) muscle activity did not change when using different resistance bands. As a result, females may be at a biomechanical disadvantage when using resistance bands compared to males while performing the BBS hindering them from optimal performance.

Keywords: dynamic knee valgus; knee abduction; medial knee displacement; resistance band.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1A
Figure 1A
Loop resistance band placement while squatting, 1B. Reflective marker placement on the thigh, shank, and foot.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Gluteus Maximus (GMa), Gluteus Medius (GMe), Vastus Medialis (VM), Erector Spinae (ES), Vastus Lateralis (VL), and Biceps Femoris (BF) muscle activity for each resistance band condition (No Band, Red, Black, Gold). * p < 0.05
Figure 3
Figure 3
Gluteus Medius (GMe) muscle activity during the descending and the ascending phase of the barbell back squat. * p < 0.01
Figure 4
Figure 4
Vastus Medialis muscle activity during the ascending (checkered) and the descending (solid colour) phase of a barbell back squat among band conditions (No Band, Red, Black, Gold). †: p < 0.05
Figure 5
Figure 5
Vastus Lateralis (VL) muscle activity activity between males (solid colour) and females (stripes) for each band condition (No Band, Red, Black, Gold). †: p < 0.05
Figure 6
Figure 6
Knee-Width-Index (KWI) during a barbell back squat for different band conditions (No Band, Red, Black, Gold) in males (solid-coloured bars) and females (checkered bars). † p ˂ 0.05, * p ˂ 0.01
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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