EXPLORING DIFFERENCES IN ELECTROMYOGRAPHY AND GROUND REACTION FORCES BETWEEN FRONT AND BACK SQUATS BEFORE AND AFTER A FATIGUING PROTOCOL

Limited research has been conducted to explore differences in biomechanical and physiological demands of the front and back squat, especially in response to fatigue where technique may be altered. This study investigated differences in electromyography and ground reaction forces during a 3-repetition maximum back and front squat before and after a fatiguing protocol in 30 males. Mean and peak activation of the semitendinosus was greater in the back squat than the front squat (p \u3c 0.05). There were no differences in quadricep activation between back and front squats. There were no differences in electromyography as a result of fatigue, however, force production decreased for back squats following fatigue (p \u3c 0.01). This research disputed the notion that front squats have a greater quadricep focus, however lends support to the hypothesis that quadricep activation equal to the back squat can be achieved with lighter absolute load in a front squat. The finding of lower ground reaction forces for the back squat following the fatiguing protocol in addition to no differences in electromyography between front and back squats indicates greater effects of the fatiguing protocol on back squat performance

There is no dose-response relationship between the amount of exercise and improvement in HbA1c in interventions over 12 weeks in patients with type II diabetes : a meta-analysis and meta-regression

Background: Aerobic exercise is well recognised as an effective treatment for people with type 2 diabetes but the optimal amount of aerobic exercise to improve glycaemic control remains to be determined. Thus, a meta-analysis and meta-regression were carried out to assess this. Methods: Medline, Cochrane, Embase, and Web of Science databases were searched up until 15th December 2020 for the terms “aerobic exercise AND glycaemic control”, “type 2 diabetes AND exercise”, and “exercise AND glycaemic control AND Type 2 diabetes AND randomised control trial”. We included (i) randomised control trials of ≥12 weeks, (ii) trials where participants had type 2 diabetes and were aged 18 or over, (iii) the trial reported HbA1c concentrations pre- and post-intervention. Two reviewers selected studies and extracted data. Data are reported as standardized mean difference (SMD) and publication bias was assessed using funnel plots. Results: 5364 original titles were identified. 16 studies were included in the metaanalysis. Aerobic exercise reduced HbA1c vs. control (SMD = 0.56 (95% CI 0.3 – 0.82), p 0.05). Conclusion: 12-week or longer aerobic exercise programmes improve glycaemic control, and BMI in adults with type 2 diabetes. Longer or more intense interventions appear to confer no additional benefit on HbA1c