Verbal Cues Help Athletes Isolate and Activate Muscles Recent
research indicates humans have some ability to selectively
activate or relax certain muscles during isometric or dynamic
actions without changing posture or position. A new study was
conducted to determine whether trained athletes could isolate
either the pectoral or triceps muscles at different intensities
when given verbal technique instruction. There were 11 Division
III football players with at least 6 months of continuous
experience with the bench press who participated in the study.
The bench press was chosen for the movement to determine muscle
recruitment. Each player's 1-rep max on the bench press was
determined before the study began.1 Each player performed 3 sets
of bench press at 50% of their 1-rep max, as well as 80% of
their 1-rep max. Rest periods lasted three minutes between each
set. While performing the exercise, electromyographic (EMG)
activity was recorded for the agonist muscles: pectoralis major,
rear deltoid, and triceps, and