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Originally Posted by god hand
Thought some might find this interesting.
The results of the EMG studies show which exercises produce the greatest amount of stimulation within each target muscle group. The following table displays these results. IEMG max motor-unit activation Exercise/% EMG Muscle Stimulation Pectoralis major: Decline dumbbell bench press - 93 Decline bench press (Olympic bar) - 89 Push-ups between benches - 88 Flat dumbbell bench press - 87 Flat bench press (Olympic bar) - 85 Flat dumbbell flys - 84 Pectoralis minor: Incline dumbbell bench press - 91 Incline bench press (Olympic bar) - 85 Incline dumbbell flys - 83 Incline bench press (Smith machine) - 81 Medial deltoids: Incline dumbbell side laterals - 66 Standing dumbbell side laterals - 63 Seated dumbbell side laterals - 62 Cable side laterals - 47 Posterior deltoids: Standing dumbbell bent laterals - 85 Seated dumbbell bent laterals - 83 Standing cable bent laterals - 77 Anterior deltoids: Seated front dumbbell press - 79 Standing front dumbbell raises - 73 Seated front barbell press - 61 Biceps: Biceps preacher curls (Olympic bar) - 90 Incline seated dumbbell curls (alternate) - 88 Standing biceps curls (Olympic bar/narrow grip) - 86 Standing dumbbell curls (alternate) - 84 Concentration dumbbell curls - 80 Standing biceps curls (Olympic bar/wide grip) - 63 Standing E-Z biceps curls (wide grip) - 61 Triceps: Decline triceps extensions (Olympic bar) - 92 Triceps pressdowns (angled bar) - 90 Triceps dip between benches - 87 One-arm cable triceps extensions (reverse grip) - 85 Overhead rope triceps extensions - 84 Seated one-arm dumbbell triceps extensions (neutral grip) - 82 Close-grip bench press (Olympic bar) - 72 Latissimus dorsi: Bent-over barbell rows - 93 One-arm dumbbell rows - 91 T-bar rows - 89 Lat pulldowns to the front - 86 Seated pulley rows - 83 Quadriceps: Squats (parallel depth, shoulder-width stance) - 88 Seated leg extensions (toes straight) - 86 Hack Squats (90 degree angle, shoulder-width stance) - 78 Leg press (110 degree angle) - 76 Smith machine squats (90 degree angle, shoulder-width stance) - 60 Hamstrings: Seated leg curls - 88 Standing leg curls - 79 Lying leg curls - 70 Stiff Legged Deadlifts - 63 Calves: Donkey calf raises - 80 Standing one-leg calf raises - 79 Standing two-leg calf raises - 68 Seated calf raises - 61 Most of these results are laughable ![]() |
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EMG Lawrence and DeLuca (1983, cited in Enoka and Fuglevand, 1993), suggest that EMG measurements during a MVIC are known to be somewhat unreliable. Howard and Enoka (1991, cited in Enoka and Fuglevand, 1993) found that on three repetitions of a knee extensor MVIC the average EMG varied substantially while the force remained constant. The authors therefore cautioned against using EMG as a direct representation of the activation of motor units of a muscle at high forces such as during an MVIC. The EMG recordings from surface electrodes are a result of summation of randomly occurring action potentials from numerous motor units. According to an unpublished dissertation by Fuglevand (1989, cited in Enoka and Fuglevand, 1993, p222), a motor unit action potential is influenced by: * the number and size of fibers innervated by the motor unit, * the spatial orientation of the fibers relative to the electrode, * the electrode configuration and dimensions, * the conduction velocity of the fiber action potential, * the spatial relationship of the electrode to the innervation zone, and the length of the muscle fibers. |
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Originally Posted by PWGriffin
I don't know....it all looks as if it could stand to reason to me...mostly that dumbells are superior to BB....due to the fuller ROM.
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Originally Posted by gopro
Please explain exactly why they are laughable.
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Originally Posted by god hand
Concentration dumbbell curls - 80? Please! More like a 100
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Originally Posted by gopro
Why because YOU feel them more than other movements? That is meaningless.
Nobody said that EMG studies are the holy grail of bodybuilding, but they do have their place in teaches us how certain exercises, grips, and angles affect our muscles. |

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Originally Posted by gopro
Why because YOU feel them more than other movements? That is meaningless.
Nobody said that EMG studies are the holy grail of bodybuilding, but they do have their place in teaches us how certain exercises, grips, and angles affect our muscles. |
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Originally Posted by Mudge
Why is that superior?
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Originally Posted by CowPimp
No no, he's right. His ability to determine the amount of electrical activity occuring in a muscle is superior to that of scientific measuring equipment.
My take on EMGs is that they mean something, but probably not by themselves. Tension is a precursor to growth, not electrical activity. I think it would be highly beneficial to study the correlation between tension and electrical activity that occurs in a muscle to see how much information an EMG can truly provide. |
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Originally Posted by gopro
He probably can speak to the dead as well.
I agree, I would love to see a study like you have mentioned. My personal opinion is that EMG is more useful to bodybuilding than many people think, and that electrical activity and tension are well correlated. Hopefully we will see some evidence of this in the future. |
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Originally Posted by CowPimp
Indeed. As for now, I think EMG studies are still useful to some degree. It does seem to me like they would definitely have some kind of relationship, even if it isn't linear.
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Originally Posted by Robert DiMaggio
for those of you that say they are "useful" tell me how YOU use them in your own personal training?
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Originally Posted by Robert DiMaggio
for those of you that say they are "useful" tell me how YOU use them in your own personal training?
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Originally Posted by gopro
Well, I am not going to get into the debate of working sections of a muscle again because it is useless to do so here.
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Originally Posted by Robert DiMaggio
Neither am I...but who in their right mind goes into the gym and says "hmmm...I am on triceps today so I will do tricep pushdowns since EMG studies showed more muscle fiber stimulation than close grip bench press."
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Originally Posted by CowPimp
You guys don't believe there is any kind of relationship between tension and electrical activity?
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Originally Posted by Dale Mabry
There is definitely a relationship, whether or not it is strong remains to be seen. I would say that a greater TUT leads to greater activity, but greater activity doesn't lead to greater TUT.
An explosive lift would lead to a very high level of activity, but the TUT is small. |
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Originally Posted by Dale Mabry
There is definitely a relationship, whether or not it is strong remains to be seen. I would say that a greater TUT leads to greater activity, but greater activity doesn't lead to greater TUT.
An explosive lift would lead to a very high level of activity, but the TUT is small. |
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Originally Posted by gopro
Well obviously an EMG would only be useful if the relative load and TUT is kept constant throughout all exercises within a given body part. It would be moronic to do it any other way.
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Originally Posted by Dale Mabry
Yes, but then your results are only valuable lifting at that speed. If there is a relationship between TUT and EMG activity, you would use the same muscle lifting at different speeds.
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Originally Posted by Dale Mabry
Yes, but then your results are only valuable lifting at that speed. If there is a relationship between TUT and EMG activity, you would use the same muscle lifting at different speeds.
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Originally Posted by gopro
3. I am more concerned with results regarding areas of the muscle showing the most activity. |
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Originally Posted by Dale Mabry
You mean like upper/lower, etc?
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Originally Posted by Dale Mabry
You mean like upper/lower, etc?
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Originally Posted by topolo
One could theorize that it is physiologically possible but I know of no evidence to support the conclusion that the heads can be activated separately.
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Originally Posted by gopro
The best evidence is empirical.
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Originally Posted by topolo
Not really GP, eyewitness testimony is notoriously unreliable. Having said that, if you say it is true........I believe you!
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Originally Posted by gopro
Well, there is a slight difference between eyewitness testimony of an event, and the visual data collected over 15 years of observation
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Originally Posted by topolo
As I said earlier......if you say it, I believe it.
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