Trial reportPloS one2019
Muscle activity of Bulgarian squat. Effects of additional vibration, suspension and unstable surface.
Trial report in PloS one, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 19 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
19 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Effects on Strength, Power and Speed Execution Using Exercise Balls, Semi-Sphere Balance Balls and Suspension Training Devices: A Systematic Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Pooled it
- Effects of rear-foot instability devices on lower-limb muscle activation during the Bulgarian split squat in male football players.Scientific reports · 2025Trial
- External Load, More than Surface Instability, Drives Post-Activation Performance Enhancement in Split Squat Conditioning Activity: Phase-Specific EMG Responses.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Article
- Effects of Whole-Body Vibration on Lower-Limb Muscle Activity in a Flywheel Half-Squat.European journal of sport science · 2026Article
- Reliability and Validity of the Load-Velocity Relationship for Predicting the 1 RM in the Bulgarian Split Squat Exercise.Journal of human kinetics · 2026Article
- Effects of unilateral and bilateral training on performance in team sports athletes: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Biology of sport · 2026Article
- Targeted muscle activation in Bulgarian split squat variations: effects of trunk position and suspension-based execution.BMC sports science, medicine & rehabilitation · 2025Article
- Rear Leg-derived Moment Contributes to Resistance Against Hip Extension in Bulgarian Split Squats.International journal of exercise science · 2025Article
- Comparison of the Electromyography Activity during Exercises with Stable and Unstable Surfaces: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Sports (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
- External focus instruction using a paper balloon: impact on trunk and lower extremity muscle activity in isometric single-leg stance for healthy males.Frontiers in sports and active living · 2024Article
- Light weights are as effective as heavy weights for muscle activation in the Hammerobics exercise.PloS one · 2024Article
- Effects of unilateral and bilateral contrast training on the lower limb sports ability of college basketball players.Frontiers in physiology · 2024Article
- Adding mechanical vibration to a half squat with different ballasts and rhythms increases movement variability.PloS one · 2023Article
- Effects of an 8-week lunge exercise on an unstable support surface on lower-extremity muscle function and balance in middle-aged women.Physical activity and nutrition · 2022Article
- Assessment of the Speed and Power of Push-Ups Performed on Surfaces with Different Degrees of Instability.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- Superimposed vibration on suspended push-ups.PeerJ · 2022Article
- Is the novel suspension exercises superior to core stability exercises on some EMG coordinates, pain and range of motion of patients with disk herniation?Sport sciences for health · 2022Article
- sEMG Activity in Superimposed Vibration on Suspended Supine Bridge and Hamstring Curl.Frontiers in physiology · 2021Article
- Influence of the Amount of Instability on the Leg Muscle Activity During a Loaded Free Barbell Half-Squat.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2020Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Practitioners of strength and conditioning are increasingly using vibration and unstable environments to enhance training effects. However, little evidence has been found comparing the use of suspension devices and vibratory platforms used in the Bulgarian squat. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to examine the effect of suspension devices (TRX®), unstable surfaces (BOSU®), and vibration plates on muscle activity and force during the Bulgarian squat. Twenty physically active male students (age = 24.40 ± 3.63 years) performed a set of five repetitions of Bulgarian squats, suspended lunges, suspended lunges-BOSU, suspended lunges-Vibro30, and suspended lunges-Vibro40 (vibration 30 Hz or 40 Hz and 4 mm of amplitude). A randomized within-subject design was used to compare leg muscle activity, vertical ground reaction forces, and force exerted on the strap across the five exercises. Results showed no significant differences in muscle activity between the Bulgarian squat and suspended lunge (p = 0.109, d = 2.84). However, the suspended lunge significantly decreased muscle activation compared to the suspended lunge-BOSU (p = 0.012, d = 0.47), suspended lunge-Vibro30 (p = 0.001, d = 1.26), and suspended lunge-Vibro40 (p = 0.000, d = 1.51). Likewise, the Bulgarian squat achieved lower activity than the suspended lunge-Vibro40 (p = 0.010, d = 0.96). The force on the strap significantly decreased in the suspended lunge-BOSU compared to the suspended lunge-Vibro30 (p = 0.009, d = 0.56). The suspended lunge achieved higher front leg force production than the Bulgarian squat (p = 0.006, d = 0.48). In conclusion, leaning the rear leg on a suspension device does not provoke an increase in the activation of the front leg during the Bulgarian squat but increases the vertical ground reaction forces. Thus, the use of unstable surfaces or vibration plates for the front leg increased muscular activity when performing a suspended lunge.
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