A preliminary study on the differences in male and female muscle force distribution patterns during squatting and lunging maneuvers

Abstract

In the United States, 250,000 people tear their anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) annually with females at higher risk of ACL failure then males. By predicting muscle forces during low impact maneuvers we may be able to estimate possible muscle imbalances that could lead to ACL failure during highly dynamic maneuvers. The purpose of this initial study was to predict muscle forces in males and females similar in size and activity level, during squat and lunge maneuvers. We hypothesized that during basic low impact maneuvers (a) distribution of quadriceps forces are different in males and females and (b) females exhibit quadriceps dominance when compared to males. Two males and three females performed squatting and lunging maneuvers while electromyography (EMG) data, motion capture data, and ground reaction forces were collected. Nine individual muscle forces for muscles that cross the knee were estimated using an EMG-driven model. Results suggest that males activate more their rectus femoris muscle than females, who in turn activate more their vastus lateralis muscle at their maximum flexion angle, and more their vastus medialis muscle when ascending from a squat. During the lunge maneuver, males used greater biceps femoris force than females, throughout the lunge, and females exhibited higher semitendinosus force. Quadriceps dominance was evident in both males and females during the prescribed tasks, and there was no statistical difference between genders. Understanding individual muscle force distributions in males and females during low impact maneuvers may provide insights regarding failure mechanisms during highly dynamic maneuvers, when ACL injuries are more prevalent.

Intermuscular coherence between homologous muscles during dynamic and static movement periods of bipedal squatting

“…466/17-ek). We recruited only male participants to avoid variance due to possible gender-related differences in brain structure and function ( Grabowska 2017 ) as well as differences in activation profiles during squats ( Graci et al 2012 ; Hale et al 2014 ; Mehls et al In press ). Before participation, all participants provided their written, informed consent to take part in the experiments following the Helsinki Declaration.…”

The effect of back squat depth and load on lower body muscle activity in group exercise participants

“…Participants that engaged in strength training outside BODYPUMP TM were excluded. Males were also excluded as their muscle recruitment strategy for squatting may differ from that of females (Hale et al, 2014).…”

Lunge as a Sport-specific Exercise: A Mini Review

“…Previous studies had been conducted on comparing the muscle activity during lunge with different methods [14,27,28] and equipment [24,29]. Research on lunge has examined the muscle activation on different legs [30], in fatigue conditions [31], ratio of muscle activation [32,33], different muscle activation across genders [34], and how this compared to other exercises [35,36]. As such, Kim and Yoo [24] compared the use of variety of foot wedge boards on vastus medialis (VM) and vastus lateralis (VL) muscle activities and the VM/VL ratios among 20 asymptomatic males.…”