A comparison of trunk muscle activation: Ab Circle vs. traditional modalities

The purpose of this study was to compare the activation of the rectus abdominis (RA), external oblique abdominis (EO), lower abdominal stabilizers (LASs), and lumbar erector spinae (LES) during performance of 3 traditional trunk exercises vs. exercise on the Ab Circle device. Surface electromyography was used to assess 12 subjects (6 men, 6 women) for 6 exercise conditions, including: abdominal crunch, side bridge, quadruped, and Ab Circle levels 1-3. For the RA, the abdominal crunch elicited significantly greater activity vs. the Ab Circle level 1, and the side bridge elicited significantly greater activity vs. the Ab Circle levels 1 and 2. For the EO, the side bridge elicited significantly greater activity vs. the quadruped. No significant differences were noted between conditions for the LASs. For the LES, the side bridge and quadruped elicited significantly greater activity vs. the abdominal crunch. The results of this study indicate that the anterior, posterior, and lateral trunk musculature can be activated to similar or even greater levels by performing the 3 traditional trunk exercises vs. the Ab Circle. This was particularly evident for the side bridge exercise, which elicited significantly greater activity of the RA vs. the Ab Circle levels 1 and 2, and elicited similar activity of the EO, LASs, and LES at all 3 Ab Circle levels.