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ORIGINAL ARTICLE EXERCISE PHYSIOLOGY AND BIOMECHANICS
The Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness 2022 July;62(7):890-7
DOI: 10.23736/S0022-4707.21.12588-5
Copyright © 2021 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA
language: English
The impact of foot angle on lower limb muscles activity during the back squat and counter movement jump
Francesco ROLLI 1, 2, Jacopo A. VITALE 3 ✉, Lorenzo PUGLIESE 2, Gennaro BOCCIA 4, Antonio LA TORRE 2, 3, Lysander POLLITT 1
1 Carnegie School of Sport, Leeds Beckett University, Leeds, UK; 2 Department of Biomedical Sciences for Health, University of Milan, Milan, Italy; 3 LaMSS - Laboratory of Movement and Sport Science, IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Galeazzi, Milan, Italy; 4 Department of Clinical and Biological Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
BACKGROUND: Squatting is a core exercise for many purposes. However, there is still controversy surrounding the practice of targeting specific muscle groups when performing the back squat with different stance widths or foot positions. Therefore, this study aimed to assess lower limb muscle activation during different form of back squat when adopting three different foot angles.
METHODS: Eight male active participants (age: 24.0±0.8 years, height: 1.80±0.63 m and mass: 85.8±8.7kg) performed maximal isometric squat, back squat with an overalod of 80% of 1 repetition maximum, and countermovement jump (CMJ) when adopting three foot rotation angles: parallel (0°), +10° outward (external rotation), and +20° outward (external rotation). We calculated the root mean square of the electromyographic signals recorded from eight participant’s dominant leg muscles.
RESULTS: During the descending phase of the back squat, the 20° external foot rotation elicited greater activation of the biceps femoris (+35%; P=0.027) and gastrocnemius medialis (+70%; P=0.040) compared to parallel foot. There were no significant differences among the other muscles and exercise conditions.
CONCLUSIONS: The +20° foot position increased BF and GasM muscle activity only during the downward phase of the back squat. Strength coaches should consider the present findings when selecting specific resistance exercises aiming to improve athletes’ strength and physical fitness.
KEY WORDS: Motor activity; Resistance training; Rehabilitation; Muscle strength