Important muscles while elite gymnasts sustain

a strength and hold element on the still rings

Didier Staudenmann1, Martin Keller1, Christoph Schärer2, Wolfgang Taube1
2
1
Switzerland

INTRODUCTION RESULTS
The planche represents an important strength and hold element on the still rings, but it’s The planche was sustained for a duration of 2.4–11.8 s. As can be seen in Tab1 overall
muscle activity was only investigated in a few studies. For instance differences in muscle main active muscles were PM-DEm-BB-IS-DEa (56-68%). The variation in muscle activity
activity was analyzed for the swallow, another strength and hold element [1]. In this previous was largest for DEa-IS-TRm-PM (11-24%). From the main active muscles the activity of
study averaged activity was considered, thus it remains unknown how the muscle activity DEm-IS-DEa primarily decreased over time, while for BB and PM it increased over time
changes over time when sustaining the planche on the still rings. (see Tab1). As large spread over all subjects were found, data of individual gymnasts are
additionally presented, which indicate subject-specific muscle acticities (Fig2).
The aim of this study was to determine the dynamic contribution of nine muscles around the
shoulder, while elite gymnasts sustained the planche for as long as possible.
Tab1: Overall measures of muscle activity (mean, variation, increase) when sustaining the planche.
Dark to light gray fields indicate important main active muscles.
METHODS trunk - shoulder blade trunk - arm shoulder - arm arm - shoulder
In six elite gymnasts we measured nine muscles surrounding the shoulder with surface TRs TRm TRi SA LD PM IS TM DEa DEm DEp BB TB
mean 20±9 27±10 47±32 54±17 12±6 56±24 66±10 28±23 68±15 59±15 39±15 65±20 21±12
electromyography (EMG) organized in four functional groups (Fig1): 1) Trapezius superior, (%MVC)

mid, inferior (TRs, TRm, TRi), serratus anterior (SA), 2) latissimus dorsi (LD), pectoralis var 6±6 15±13 9±7 10±7 2±1 24±13 15±7 10±5 14±4 8±2 7±3 11±3 7±3
(%MVC)

major (PM), 3) infraspinatus (IS), teres major (TM), deltoid anterior, mid, posterior (DEa, increase 3±6 5±7 2±6 0±4 0±1 7±3 -3±5 -4±5 -3±5 -2±2 -1±1 2±3 1±3
(%MVC/s)
DEm, DEp), 4) biceps and triceps brachii (BB, TB). From the processed EMG envelopes [2]
that were normalized to maximum voluntary contraction (%MVC) we calculated mean,
variation and increase (%MVC/s) while sustaining the planche (Fig1) for as long as possible. trunk - shoulder blade
-6 1 -3
trunk - arm
5 8 12 5 5 -7 -8 -0 -1
shoulder - arm
-1-12 -3 0 -0 -0
arm - shoulder
3
1: 2.4s -2 -7 -4
100 13

Muscle activity (%MVC)

2: 4.5s 2
-9 1 -1 -2
3: 4.6s
-2
trunk - shoulder blade 4: 6.1s 7 -5 -1 -1 7
75 19
100 5: 9.5s
4 -5 -1
planche ❶ trunk – shoulder blade
6: 11.8s 7 -0 -3
TRs 5 0
sustained ❷ trunk – arm 14
2
TRm 50
1 1 1 -0
-2
-3 -2 -0
❸ shoulder – arm
0
1 0 -2 -1
50 TRi -1 2 3

SA ❹ arm – shoulder 25
1 0 -4 -3 -2 6
2
-1 0
-2 0 -2
1
-0 0 -0 -0

0 0
TRs TRm TRi SA LD PM IS TM DEa DEm DEp BB TB
2 4 6 8 10 12 14 Reference
Muscle location
trunk - arm
100 TRi TRm Fig2: Dynamic muscle activity for each individual gymnast (1-6) ranked with sustained planche
mean=54%
increase=12%/s LD duration. Boxplots represent the dynamics of muscle activity; the middle line of boxplot shows the
PM LD TRs
median, the box represent the interquartile range and error bars show the range in muscle activity.
TM IS
Muscle activity (%MVC)

50 variation=46% SA Values above boxplots indicate the increase in muscle activity over time (%MVC/s).
DEp
0
TB
2 4 6 8 10 12 14

100
shoulder - arm CONCLUSION
IS
TM
The main active muscles were BB-IS-DEa with highest variation for DEa-IS-PM and the
50 DEa
Fig1: Upper panel shows a gymnast sustaining
activity of DEa-IS decreased while for BB-PM it increased over time. Thus DEa-IS are the
DEm
DEp the planche and the electrode location of dorsal main limiting muscles and BB-PM become important when sustaining the planche for as
0 muscles. Left panel shows EMG envelopes of a long as possible. Overall, DEa and BB are expected to importantly contribute to the trunk
2 4 6 8 10 12 14

arm - shoulder
representative gymnast sustaining the planche extension moment in the shoulder, while IS and PM as well as all other muscles, expect
100 for a duration of 6 s (vertical lines). From the LD, importantly contribute to stabilize the biomechanically unstable planche. However, the
BB
TB
EMG envelopes we calculated the mean, the large overall spread and the outcome of individual gymnasts indicated a subject-specific
50 variation and the increase in muscle activity. strategy in muscle activity when sustaining the planche for as long as possible.

0 References
2 4 6 8 10 12 14 [1] Bernasconi SM 2009 J Strength Cond Res, Can shoulder muscle coordination during the support scale at ring height be replicated during training exercises in gymnastics?
Time (s) [2] Staudenmann D 2007 J Biomech, Effects of EMG processing on biomechanical models of muscle joint systems: sensitivity of trunk muscle moments, spinal forces, and stability.