Table 1

Average trunk and shoulder muscle activity during the push up and push up plus exercises when performed on a Swiss ball and an exercise bench.


Triceps
Pectoralis Major
Rectus Abdominis
External Oblique

Bench
Ball
Bench
Ball
Bench
Ball
Bench
Ball

PUHands
22.2 ± 8.8
*43.1 ± 17.3
p = .002
21.4 ± 11.8
26.65 ± 14.5
p = .341
13.4 ± 5.4
22.6 ± 8.6
p = .001
20.9 ± 15.6
24.07 ± 11.9
p = .1191
PUFeet
32.7 ± 17.5
29.9 ± 10.1
p = .355
30.4 ± 9.7
29.9 ± 7.6
p = .717
19.2 ± 6.9
19.6 ± 7.14
p = .742
27.79 ± 13.2
26.7 ± 9.8
p = .575
PUPHands
18.7 ± 10.3
*29.6 ± 14.7
p = .024
14 ± 7.2
21.4 ± 18.5
p = .079
14.9 ± 5.5
*25.4 ± 10.2
p = .011
19.2 ± 11.9
*23.9 ± 11.9
p = .0069

Muscle activity is expressed as a percentage of a maximum voluntary contraction (%MVC). A * indicates a statistically significant difference (p < .05) between the exercises using a Swiss ball or bench as the support surface (PUHands = Push up with hands on bench/ball, PUFeet = push up with feet on ball/bench and PUPHands = push up plus exercise with hands on ball/bench).

Lehman et al. Dynamic Medicine 2006 5:7   doi:10.1186/1476-5918-5-7