ArticleBMC sports science, medicine & rehabilitation2025
Targeted muscle activation in Bulgarian split squat variations: effects of trunk position and suspension-based execution.
Article in BMC sports science, medicine & rehabilitation, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT06112015 (Effect of Trunk Position on Muscle Activations During Traditional and Suspension Based Bulgarian Split Squat), which is not on this map. Cited by 3 papers.
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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.
Effect of Trunk Position on Muscle Activations During Traditional and Suspension Based Bulgarian Split Squat
Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed.
- 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
- Lower-limb joint kinetics and their contribution to attacking arm hand velocity during the aerial phase of the volleyball jump serve.BMC sports science, medicine & rehabilitation · 2025Article
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeOptimizing muscle activation through exercise variation is critical for enhancing performance and reducing injury risk. This cross-sectional study examined how trunk position (neutral vs. flexion) and surface stability (ground-based vs. suspension-based) influence lower extremity and trunk muscle activation during the Bulgarian Split Squat (BSS).
methodsTwenty-one trained female athletes (mean ± SD: age 20.3 ± 2.5 years; height 165.9 ± 5.8 cm; body weight 58.5 ± 5.7 kg) participated in the study. Surface electromyography was used to assess activation of eight lower extremity and trunk muscles: gluteus medius (GMed), gluteus maximus (GMax), vastus lateralis (VL), rectus femoris (RF), vastus medialis (VM), semitendinosus (ST), biceps femoris (BF), and erector spinae (ES) during four BSS variations.
resultsSuspension-based BSS resulted in significantly greater activation of the ES (p = 0.046), while trunk flexion increased activation in the GMax, BF, and RF muscles (p < 0.05).
conclusionSuspension-based BSS is particularly effective for targeting trunk stabilizers like the ES, while trunk flexion enhances posterior chain muscle activation, especially GMax and BF. These variations can be strategically applied in strength training and rehabilitation to meet specific neuromuscular goals. In practice, the findings may guide individualized programming for enhancing performance or preventing injuries in female athletes.
trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT06112015, registered on 01/11/2023.
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