Study Design: An experimental design using repeated measures within subjects. Purposes: Determine if pre-activation techniques enhance quadricep and gluteus maximus muscle activity during a leg press exercise set more than a leg press exercise done without pre-activation, and to assess if similar muscle activity can be achieved during a leg press exercise set using less resistance using the same techniques. Background: Exercise intensity is an important exercise component. It has been demonstrated that certain exercise combinations may enhance or activate muscle groups more efficiently than would normally be required. How best to use this technique has not been established. Subjects and Methods: Twenty healthy adult males between the ages of 20 to 40 years without a history of lower extremity injuries were recruited. Five exercise conditions and 4 muscles were analyzed using both average and peak muscle activity as the dependent variable. Data was assessed using a repeate measures ANOVA. If the data violated the sphericity assumption, the Friedman rank sum test was substituted. Post hoc analysis was used to explore any significant findings. Results: EMG activity of the gluteus maximus and quadriceps muscles at 60% of 1RM was not significantly greater during the leg press exercise when the pre-activation exercises were first employed compared to the leg press exercise without the pre-activation exercises. Less resistance was required to achieve appropriate intensity in the quadriceps and/or gluteus maximus muscles during the leg press exercise when employing the pre-activation techniques. Conclusions: This study did not support the hypothesis that pre-activation supersets of the quadriceps and gluteus maximus muscles would enhance activation of those same muscles in a subsequent leg press exercise using the same resistance but did not support the hypothesis that similar effects can be achieved with less resistance. Expected Outcome: EMG activity of the gluteus maximus and quadriceps muscles at 60% of 1RM was not significantly greater during the leg press exercise when the pre-activation exercises were first employed compared to the leg press exercise without the pre-activation exercises. Less resistance was required to achieve appropriate and significantly equal intensity in the quadriceps and/or gluteus maximus muscles during the leg press exercise when employing the pre-activation techniques. Relevance: The results may contribute to the exercise recommendations in the the rehabilitation, conditioning, and aging specialty professions.
