Table 1

Abdominal curl up exercise muscle activation levels (% MVC, standard deviation in brackets), average difference between surfaces and number of participants whose change in activity was greater than 5% MVC during

Surface
Muscles studied during abdominal curl up exercise

Rectus Abdominis
External Oblique
Internal Oblique
Erector Spinae

Ball
29.0 (33.1)
23.2 (20.6)
32.9 (27.6)
3.2 (3.5)





Bench
25.7 (16.6)
21.1 (13.4)
27.1 (16.4)
6.2 (10.6)





Difference
3.36(20.6)
2.17 (11.65)
5.82 (18.2)
3 (7.61)
Increase
2
2
4
0
Decrease
2
3
2
1

Lehman et al. Dynamic Medicine 2005 4:6   doi:10.1186/1476-5918-4-6