A review of biomechanics involved in suspension-based resistance training
Heather Herdell
Eastern Michigan University
SPMD 554
Traditional body weight exercises such as push-ups, planks, and crunches require an athlete to be limited in range of motion as some portion of their body is resting on the ground, on a stable platform. Usually, the motions of these particular exercises are occurring in one or two planes. To expand these motions in all three planes, the athlete would need to have space underneath his or her body. One of the many forms of resistance training uses a collection of ropes, cords, anchors, and/or pulleys suspended from above to lift a portion of an athlete’s body as the person holds on to handles. The athlete
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completes commonly used bodyweight exercises such as push-ups, sit ups, or planks while suspended in one of these devices. This method is known by several names such as suspension training, unstable device training, or bodyweight training, and each brand varies slightly on the particular design of their system. Some suspension program brands such as TRX, and Airfit Pro have become well known in the fitness industry. Suspension training has become more popular over the last decade, but it originally started in the 1800’s with “classic gymnastic rings” (Calatayud et al., 2014). In a traditional body weight exercise, the ground exerts a force up onto the parts of the body which make contact with the floor. When using a suspension device, the core muscles and portion of the body remaining on the ground must compensate for the lack of this support in order to stabilize the body. For this reason, research studies have shown increased core muscle activity when athletes are doing repetitions while suspended compared to the traditional ground (stable) method. It is “well established unstable devices can increase core activation” (Calatayud et al., 2014). Other muscles have shown increased activity as well, particularly the trapezius and triceps in the upper body when feet are lifted. Still, not all muscle activity increases when using this tool (Borreani et al., 2015). For the push-up example, deltoids show greatest activity with stable(non-suspension) platforms, so it is important for the athlete or coach to choose the training regimen according to specific muscle or groups which are being targeted. Just as there are several brands of these training devices, there are many different ways the devices can be used. The athlete can change the angles of a push-up, for example, to increase or decrease the level of difficulty (Gulmez, 2016). As the angle measure between the ground and suspension cable increases up, the load on the athlete increases (Melrose & Dawes, 2015), and as the angle decreases, the load on the suspension straps increases, taking it away from the athlete (Gulmez, 2016). At a 45 degree incline push-up, the athlete is supporting about half of their body weight. At a 75 degree incline, it increases to about 80 percent of their body weight. According to Melrose and Dawes (2015), the resistance level “depends on the manipulation of gravitational pull, generally expressed as a percentage of the user’s body mass.” Another study demonstrates that completing push-ups with hands at a higher point (65cm) compared to lower (10cm) also increases muscle activity for several upper body muscles (Borreani et al., 2015). Strap lengths can be manipulated to change distance from the hanging point, and body positions can be changed as well to adjust resistance requirements due to changing center of gravity.
A drawback to this method of manipulation is that the client and/or coach will need to understand the biomechanics involved in order to properly prescribe the level of resistance needed for improvement (Melrose & Dawes, 2015)since there is no visual gauge as on other machines such as a weight stack with pins. Also, maximum training potential is limited by the athlete’s weight.
When several brands of suspension training systems were compared, one with a pulley system showed the highest amount of muscle activity levels. To attain the most resistance, a coach could choose to use a pulley system device such as Airfit Pro, with a higher angle measure, and shorter
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straps. Suspension training can be used with youth in physical education settings effectively (Rauschenbach, Morrell, Ridley & Walsh, 2013) as well as conditioned athletes when manipulating difficulty and taking proper form and safety into consideration.
Those with skeletomuscular injury or balance problems should not use these devices. Another benefit of using this type of equipment is that the devices are portable, and relatively inexpensive compared to most gym resistance training machines. Coaches can quickly set up, and take down anchors on stable overhead bars, support beams or doorways (Rauschenbach, Morrell, Ridley & Walsh, 2013). The devices can also be used by athletes who travel so that they can maintain their training schedule. Clients may start with doing their traditional body weight exercises on the suspension devices, and gradually increase the resistance by any of the methods described as needed.
Overall, suspension training is valuable tool for increasing core strength and for increasing muscle activity in several specific muscle groups by about 22 percent. It is highly adaptable for most athletes, and is simple to gradually adjust characteristics of these devices. For coaches and athletes or clients, basic knowledge of forces, angles, and center of gravity is all that is needed to tweak exercise prescription and modify traditional body weight
movements.
in sport. What leads athletes to using it? We will also look at the advantages and
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This skill involves jumping in the sagittal plane about the transverse axis. It consists of hip, knee, ankle, and shoulder joints. In the preparation phase in propulsion, the subject has flexed knees and hips which will need to be straightened by the strength of their corresponding joints such as the hinge joint at the knee joint. The hip joint is a ball and socket joint that bears the body weight and allows for jumping motion. During th...
Not all people born with spina bifida have the same needs, so treatment will be different for each person. Some people have problems that are more serious than others. Therapeutic recreation services can be used to strengthen the upper body, help increase postural alignment, and prevent obesity. Excersizes like chair aerobics, strength training, swimming, and archery can help develop shoulder and arm strength. Aerobic activities such as swimming to control body weight and activities that require full range of motion (such as tossing a ball) can also be used to help people. Some may need to maintain upper body strength when a wheelchair is the primary method of getting around. Through play, sports and recreation experiences, TRSs encourages friendship development and social relationships. TRSs can assist young people to adapt to their means of mobility and the strength they need to maintain the ability to move on a daily basis. (Carter p. 204
Throughout literature countermovement jumps (CMJ) are seen to be higher in contrast to squat jumps (SJ) (Bobbert et al. 1996; Kubo et al. 1999; Bobbert et al. 2005). However present literature regarding the key potential mechanisms behind why greater muscle forces are seen accelerating the body upwards in CMJ in comparison to SJ is somewhat unclear. A CMJ can be defined as a positioning starting upright, beginning the descending motion in advance of the upward motion in contrast to a SJ where the start position is squatted with no preparatory countermovement (Akl 2013). The higher jump heights seen in CMJ in comparison to SJ are apparent even if at the start of propulsion phase the body configuration is identical (Bobbert et al. 1996). In past literature three main mechanisms have looked to provide an explanation for the greater muscle forces seen in CMJ than the SJ. The first plausible theory is that the muscle stretch in CMJ increases the production of force capability of the contractile machinery (Edman et al. 1978; Ettema et al. 1992; Herzog et al. 2003). Secondly the assumption that the muscle fibres are on the descending limb of their force–length relationship at the start of propulsion in the CMJ and SJ, however in CMJ the stretching of a chain of elastic components, they are not as far past optimum length therefore allowing a greater force over the initial phase of their shortening range, with the stretching of sequences of elastic components, this then causes the storage of elastic energy that is then reutilized in the propulsion phase (Ettema et al. 1992). The final explan...
The focus of this paper is mechanically and automatically break down the deadlift. It focuses on the four phases of the deadlift (The lift off, pull through, the lockout, and the lowering phase) as well as the muscles involved in lifting and lowering the load. The sole purpose of the deadlift is for health and fitness. It is a core lift that works nearly every muscle in the body. Muscles from the lower and upper extremities will go through a period of flexion and extension when moving through the phases. The deadlift should be performed safely, and with proper form to avoid injury. This paper shows and demonstrates the proper form of the deadlift. There are also a number of forces acting on the load and the athlete. Gravity and external forces will be an active part of lifting the load. Images and tables are provided in the paper to better understand the movements and muscles used when performing the deadlift.
middle of paper ... ... High-intensity interval training: Applications for general fitness training. Strength & Conditioning Journal, 31(6), 44-46. Syatt, J. a.
The purpose of the squat is to train the muscles around the knees and hip joints, as well as to develop strength in the lower back, for execution of basic skills required in many sporting events and activities of daily living. Because a strong and stable knee is extremely important to an athlete or patient’s success, an understanding of knee biomechanics while performing the squat is helpful to therapists, trainers, and athletes alike (11). Because most activities of daily living require the coordinated contraction of several muscle groups at once, and squatting (a multi-joint movement) is one of the few strength training exercises that is able to effectively recruit multiple muscle groups in a single movement, squats are considered one of the most functional and efficient weight-bearing exercises whether an individual’s goals are sport specific or are for an increased quality of life
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(2011), traditional ergometers are stationary (i.e. known as fixed ergometer) that the rower moves respectively to the resistance unit. However, they stated that the dynamic ergometers (i.e. known as slides ergometer) are the best simulation on-water rowing in which all parts of the ergometer moves in response to the motion of the athlete. Additionally, both types of ergometers were used by rowers for training, evaluation and team selection (Shazlin and Sunil, 2015). In recent, the most used rowing ergometer is the Concept II rather than among the existing models (Elliot et al., 2002) which led the market since the development of the II b model in 1986 (Smith and Hopkins, 2012). The similar biomechanics have shown on dynamic ergometry and sculling (i.e. on-water rowing) (Elliot et al., 2002) as notice that shorter drive lengths and higher handle forces during ergometry than sculling (Kleshnev, 2005). Besides, biomechanical analysis shown that the stroke profile in slide rowing differs from stationary rowing as the max and mean forces during slide rowing are lower and stroke frequency is higher at the same work intensity (Larsen and Jensen, 2010). The previous studies observed that the rowers were generated lower stroke forces and higher stroke rates during dynamic than stationary ergometry (Colloud et al., 2006). They reported that significant difference in force curve profiles which is handle and stretcher force during slides ergometer and
Gabboth, Tim. "Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research (Lippincott Williams & Wilkins). Feb2012, Vol. 26 Issue 2, P487-491. 5p." N.p., n.d. Web.
There are many items and services that we use every day. Some enhance our lives while other lead to stagnation. I chose a piece of fitness equipment due to my general interest in the item and my belief in its growing importance in the volatile fitness industry. I believe that despite the faddish nature of the fitness industry, kettle bells will only gain further popularity in the future. My conclusions are that kettlebells will become similar to barbells in the sense that it has stood the test of time as an effective fitness implement.
This paper explores the various benefits and disadvantages of the use of Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation (NMES). NMES has been used as a rehabilitation tool for many athletes who are recovering from various injuries and complications that arise in sports. NMES is a treatment that involves the use of a device called a muscle stimulator that transmits electrical impulses through electrodes that are applied to a specific muscle or muscle group. When this electrical impulse is applied to the muscle fibers, contractions occur and the muscle, shortens. NMES cause concentric contractions where the muscle shortens, but the individual receiving the treatment can go through exercises that also require eccentric muscle contractions where
Most fitness and training facilities now have stability balls, foam rolls, balance boards and other “fun” toys as part of their conditioning equipment. These are part of a new trend in the strength and conditioning field called “functional training”. Definition Functional training is the action of training “function”, a general term that meaning “role or duty”. Functional training is the science of training the body to meet the specific demands of life and sports. It is based on 1) the principle of specificity and 2) muscle function. The principle of specificity also known as SAID (Specific Adaptations to Imposed Demands) means that the body responds and adapts specifically to the type and amount of physical demands under which it is placed. In other words, you only improve what you’ve specifically trained. Since muscle form dictates the role and function of each muscle, muscle needs to be trained the way it is designed to function. Origin Functional training is nothing new and comes primarily from the rehabilitation field. For many decades, therapists have been experimenting with ways of helping their patients regain function. Their goal is to retrain muscles to work properly using special exercises. In their quest to help their patients to become more functional, they have a developed functional training approach. Traditional vs. Functional Traditional strength training usually consists of trying to develop strength and build muscle through isolating specific muscle groups. This type of training could be called dysfunctional training and only develop segmental strength. Traditional strength training is adequate for building muscle but it does not train the body to meet the specific demands of life and sports. It does not reproduce real life conditions and only serves to create non-functional strength. Peter Twist, Vancouver Canucks Strength and Conditioning Coach, explains: “Typical strength training attempts to develop the body through a piecemeal approach, isolating specific muscle groups. Worse yet, this is often done with the body unloaded, sitting stationary on a machine while moving one isolated body part through a controlled range of motion, usually in a strict linear, straight ahead motion”. Traditional strength training train isolated muscle function while functional training train the body to work as a unit. The central nervous system is programmed to make the body function as a unit, not to work in terms of isolated muscle function. Functional training is “functional” since it trains the body the way it has been designed to function.