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May 2009
Exercise Selection
by Ryan Gray
When designing a program, exercises should be carefully selected. After choosing exercises that develop sport specific strength, it is important to consider the effectiveness of each exercise.
Most studies on the effectiveness of muscle contraction use electromyography (EMG), which measures the electrical activity or excitability level of the muscles involved. The higher the electrical activity, the more effective the muscle contraction. In EMG studies, researchers can use the peak of the electrical activity (peak force) or, even better, calculate or integrate the full force under the curve. This improved method is called integrated electromyography, iEMG, and was used in the Cornacchia and LaFramboise (1998) study to evaluate muscle efficiency.
The study determined which exercise yields the greatest percentage of iEMG for each muscle. The chart below shows which exercises produced the greatest amount of stimulation within each target muscle group. The exercises with the highest percentage are considered the best for the particular muscle group.
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Exercise
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iEMG
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Pectoralis Major (chest)
Decline dumbbell bench presses
Decline bench presses (Olympic bar)
Push-ups between benches
Flat dumbbell bench presses
Flat bench presses (Olympic bar)
Flat dumbbell flys
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93
90
88
87
85
84
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Pectoralis Minor (chest)
Incline dumbbell bench presses
incline bench presses (Olympic bar)
Incline dumbbell flys
Incline bench presses (Smith machine)
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91
85
83
81
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Rectus Femoris (Quadriceps)
Saftey squats (90 degree angle)
Seated leg extensions (toes straight)
Half Squats (90 degree angle)
Leg presses (110 degree angle)
Smith machine squats (90-degree angle)
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88
86
78
76
60
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Biceps Femoris (Hamstrings)
Standing leg curls
Lying leg curls
Seated leg curls
Modified hamstring dead lifts
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82
71
58
56
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Semitendinosus (Hamstrings)
Seated leg curls
Standing leg curls
Lying leg curls
Modified hamstring dead lifts
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88
79
70
63
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Gastrocnemius (Calf muscle)
Donkey calf raises
Standing one-legged calf raises
Standing two-legged calf raises
Seated calf raises
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80
79
68
61
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Triceps Brachii (Outer head)
Decline triceps extension (Olympic bar)
Triceps pressdowns (angled bar)
Triceps dips between benches
One-arm cable triceps extensions (reverse grip)
Overhead rope triceps extensions
Seated one-arm dumbbell triceps extension
Narrow-grip bench presses (Olympic bar)
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92
90
87
85
84
82
72
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Latissimus Dorsi (Back)
Bent-over barbell rows
One-arm dumbbell row (alternate)
T-bar rows
Lat pull-downs to front
Seated pulley rows
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93
91
89
86
83
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Biceps Brachii (Long Head)
Biceps preacher curls (Olympic bar)
Incline seated dumbbell curls (alternate)
Standing biceps curls (Olympic bar/narrow grip)
Standing dumbbell curls (alternate)
Concentration dumbbell curls
Standing biceps curls (Olympic bar/wide grip)
Standing E-Z biceps curls (wide grip)
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90
88
86
84
80
63
61
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Anterior Deltoids (Shoulders)
Seated front dumbbell presses
Standing front dumbbell raises
Seated front barbell presses
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79
73
61
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Medial Deltoids (Shoulders)
Standing dumbbell side laterals
Seated dumbbell side lateral
Cable side laterals
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57
53
49
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Posterior Deltoids (Shoulders)
Standing dumbbell bent laterals
Seated dumbbell bent laterals
Standing cable bent laterals
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85
83
77
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