Kinematic and Electromyographic Analysis of Different Hip Adductors Exercises

Following the general warm-up (light aerobic activity, dynamic stretching exercises and bodyweight strength exercises), the electromyographic (EMG) sensors and kinematic markers will be attached to the participant, who will then perform the maximal voluntary contractions for the purpose of EMG normalization. Then the participant will perform new hip adductor exercises using the novelty device, which enables hip adduction eccentric contractions in different hip and knee positions. The latter is important when trying to target specific hip adductor muscle, since different hip and/or knee angles differently affect individual muscle activity and joint torques. Exercises will be performed in randomized order, while the EMG and kinematic signals will be synchronously captured. EMG muscle activity and joint torques, produced during the exercises, will be analysed. Descriptive statistics will be calculated and reported as mean ± standard deviation. Shapiro-Wilk test will be used for testing of normality and Levene's test for equality of variances. Differences among corresponding variables will be obtained from different exercises and tested with the analysis of the variance for repeated measurements. For pair-wise comparisons, paired 2-tailed post-hoc t-tests with Bonferroni's correction will be used. The level of statistical significance will be set at p < 0.05.