Activity of Lower Limb Muscles During Squat With and Without Abdominal Drawing-in and Pilates Breathing.

Barbosa, AC, Martins, FM, Silva, AF, Coelho, AC, Intelangelo, L, and Vieira, ER. Activity of lower limb muscles during squat with and without abdominal drawing-in and Pilates breathing. J Strength Cond Res 31(11): 3018-3023, 2017-The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of abdominal drawing-in and Pilates breathing on the activity of lower limb muscles during squats. Adults (n = 13, 22 ± 3 years old) with some Pilates experience performed three 60° squats under each of the following conditions in a random order: (I) normal breathing, (II) drawing-in maneuver with normal breathing, and (III) drawing-in maneuver with Pilates breathing. Peak-normalized surface electromyography of the rectus femoris, biceps femoris, gastrocnemius medialis, and tibialis anterior during the knee flexion and extension phases of squat exercises was analyzed. There were significant differences among the conditions during the knee flexion phase for the rectus femoris (p = 0.001), biceps femoris (p = 0.038), and tibialis anterior (p = 0.001), with increasing activation from conditions I to III. For the gastrocnemius medialis, there were significant differences among the conditions during the knee extension phase (p = 0.023), with increased activity under condition I. The rectus and biceps femoris activity was higher during the extension vs. flexion phase under conditions I and II. The tibialis anterior activity was higher during the flexion compared with the extension phase under all conditions, and the medial gastrocnemius activity was higher during the extension phase under condition I. Doing squats with abdominal drawing-in and Pilates breathing resulted in increased rectus, biceps femoris, and tibialis anterior activity during the flexion phase, increasing movement stability during squat exercises.

Eight-week equipment-based Pilates exercises positively affects quality of life, and functional capacity in non-active adult women: a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: The Pilates exercises are popular for muscle conditioning among women. However, the effects on conditioning of healthy non-active adult women due to Pilates practicing are not fully explained. The aim of this randomized controlled trial was to assess the effects of equipment-based Pilates exercises on the percentage of body fat, weight, body mass index (BMI), functional capacity, and quality of life of adult healthy women. METHODS: Seventy-eight non-active women were randomly assigned to 2 groups (Pilates or Control). The Pilates group performed a total of 16 exercise sessions (60 minutes each, performed twice a week for 8 consecutive weeks). The control group was instructed to perform no exercise. Percentage of body fat (DXA scans), weight, BMI, distance covered in the incremental shuttle walk test, maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max), and quality of life (SF-36 scores) were analyzed. RESULTS: There were no significant between-group differences at baseline, but significant group-by-time interaction was observed for Pilates group postintervention. Higher distance covered (P=0.01), VO2max (P=0.04), and quality of life (P=0.04) were observed after the intervention compared to the control group. No differences were observed for body composition. CONCLUSIONS: Two months of equipment-based Pilates training improved functional capacity and quality of life in healthy adult women.