The Effects of the Leg Position on the Nordic Hamstring Exercise Eccentric Force: A Randomized Cross-Over Study
Ricardo Maia Ferreira,
Pedro Nunes Martins,
Hugo Nunes,
Luís Gonçalves Fernandes,
César Ferreira Amorim,
Luciano Maia Alves Ferreira
Affiliations
Ricardo Maia Ferreira
Polytechnic Institute of Maia, N2i, Social Sciences, Education and Sport School, Avenida Carlos de Oliveira Campos, Castêlo da Maia, 4475-690 Maia, Portugal
Pedro Nunes Martins
Polytechnic Institute of Maia, N2i, Social Sciences, Education and Sport School, Avenida Carlos de Oliveira Campos, Castêlo da Maia, 4475-690 Maia, Portugal
Hugo Nunes
Polytechnic Institute of Maia, N2i, Social Sciences, Education and Sport School, Avenida Carlos de Oliveira Campos, Castêlo da Maia, 4475-690 Maia, Portugal
Luís Gonçalves Fernandes
Polytechnic Institute of Maia, N2i, Social Sciences, Education and Sport School, Avenida Carlos de Oliveira Campos, Castêlo da Maia, 4475-690 Maia, Portugal
César Ferreira Amorim
Master’s and Doctorate Program in Physiotherapy, University of São Paulo (Unicid), São Paulo 05508-070, Brazil
Luciano Maia Alves Ferreira
Laboratory of Physical and Functional Assessment in Physiotherapy (LAFFFi), Interdisciplinary Center of Investigation Egas Moniz (CiiEM), Quinta da Granja, 2829-511 Setubal, Portugal
Given the posterior chain configuration, it is anticipated that tibial positioning influences hamstring recruitment; medial hamstrings should be more activated during medial rotation, while lateral hamstrings should be more activated during lateral rotation. However, most studies showing this pattern have focused on concentric or isometric strength, leaving the influence on eccentric strength fairly unknown. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the electromyographic response of the hamstring muscles during Nordic hamstring exercises in three leg positions: internal rotation, external rotation, and neutral. This study encompassed a randomized crossover study and used surface electromyography to analyze the activity of the biceps femoris and semitendinosus muscles during the Nordic hamstring exercise, in the three positions. Results indicated no statistically significant differences in muscle activation between positions or sides (p > 0.05), though small effect sizes were observed for the biceps femoris in different positions (η2 = 0.01–0.03). Furthermore, the internal rotation position generally elicited the highest muscle activations. Notably, biceps femoris muscles exhibited higher activations compared to semitendinosus muscles, with the greatest differences seen in the internal rotation position. This suggests that tibial rotation influences hamstring recruitment patterns; however, it was lower than expected.
