Core Muscle Activity during Suspension Exercises

Core Muscle Activity during Suspension Exercises

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Core Muscle Activity during Suspension Exercises

Strengths

The article “Core Muscle Activity during Suspension Exercises” by Mok et al. elaborates on the importance of improving stability within the core of individuals that have musculoskeletal issues as well as those that seek to maintain their health. When evaluating the article, several strengths are observed in terms of the gathering and presentation of the information and the process of conducting research and conclusion development. Firstly, it is evident that data analysis was carried out in a progressive manner (Mok et al., 2015). The primary aim was ensuring this procedure ascertained the eradication of any bias in the evaluation. One can observe this analysis from the charts developed in the findings sector. The values that are compared in Table 1 are the level of muscle activation against the varied values of suspension workouts (Mok et al., 2015). This form of tabulation offers the reader the chance to observe and deduce the correlation that exists between the two variables hence support the findings established. It is important to note that the validity of the results was guaranteed using the SPSS 20.0 software that incorporates ANOVA in analyzing the extent of muscle activation levels within the context of same exercises as well as similar muscle groups (Mok et al., 2015).

The second strong point observed is that for the correlation between the two variables to be validated and established, the study employed empirical data analysis as well as literature review in the discussion on the findings. The empirical study provides the scientific values and facts that shed light on the effect of suspensions exercises on muscle activity whereas literature reviews provide more elaborate explanation on further studies conducted on other related variables and the relation of the findings to this particular experiment.

Weakness

The weakness noticed concerning the article is the non-specific aspect in the literature review. In the discussion part, the authors have failed to delve clearly into the studies conducted detailing other aspects that are considered in suspension exercises. One can also observe the studies are not specified in terms of the organization that conducted them and the primary objectives. Additionally, there is no indication of the type of experimental research method that was employed as well as the number of participants involved.

The informative aspect of this literature review is the inclusion of recommendations only. For instance, some of the studies discussed in the paper recommend electrode replacement in the abdominal region to increase validity and reliability (Fong et al., 2015). Others suggest that enhancement of efficacy can be attained through monitoring lumbo-pelvic alignments (Stutzig & Siebert, 2015).The third weakness of the study is the limitations implicated. According to the authors, the number of the members participating in the study was limited. Thus, this begs the question whether the data collected was adequate for analysis and the eventual establishment of conclusion and application. Secondly, the correlation variables were indirectly represented hence making the findings seem somewhat unclear as compared to those indicated by other studies.

Application

The information provided in the article can be provided to trainers as a guideline in directing suspension exercises. For further activation, the instructors can apply enhanced effort in directing their trainee to perform exercises that work the lower limbs more (Mok et al., 2015). Thirdly, the principle of increased activation on unstable surfaces can be applied to conducting exercises on Swiss balls (Mok et al., 2015). Lastly, it is important to understand that suspension exercises in overall improve the strength levels with different sets of muscles. With this understanding, trainers can aim to increase more activation through increasing the length of period dedicated to conducting a suspension exercise session as opposed to other workout routines.

References

Fong, S., Tam, Y., Macfarlane, D., Ng, S., Bae, Y., Chan, E., & Guo, X. (2015). Core Muscle Activity during TRX Suspension Exercises with and without Kinesiology Taping in Adults with Chronic Low Back Pain: Implications for Rehabilitation. Evidence-Based Complementary And Alternative Medicine, 2015, 1-6. http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2015/910168

Mok, N., Yeung, E., Cho, J., Hui, S., Liu, K., & Pang, C (2013). Core muscle activity during suspension exercises. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 2013, 189-194.

Stutzig, N., & Siebert, T. (2015). Influence of joint position on synergistic muscle activity after fatigue of a single muscle head. Muscle & Nerve, 51(2), 259-267. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/mus.24305