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Effects of combined abdominal draw-in maneuver and manual resistance during the supine bridge exercise on lumbo-pelvic muscle activity Cover

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Effects of combined abdominal draw-in maneuver and manual resistance during the supine bridge exercise on lumbo-pelvic muscle activity

Advances in Rehabilitation

Volume 40 (2026): Issue 2 (June 2026)

By: Dong-Woo Kim , Sun-Young Jung and Hong-Rae Kim

Open Access

|Jun 2026

Abstract

Introduction

The supine bridge exercise (SBE) is widely used to improve trunk stability and strengthen the lumbopelvic muscles. However, limited evidence exists on the combined application of abdominal draw-in maneuver (ADIM) and manual resistance (MR) during SBE. This study investigated the effects of ADIM and MR, applied separately and simultaneously, for activation of the lumbopelvic muscles.

Material and methods

Twenty healthy adult males participated in this study. The muscle activity of the gluteus maximus (GM), erector spinae (ES), internal oblique (IO) and hamstrings was measured using surface electromyography (EMG). Participants performed SBE under three randomised conditions: ADIM, MR and ADIM combined with MR. The differences among the conditions were analysed using one-way repeated-measures ANOVA with Bonferroni post hoc tests.

Results

Significant differences in muscle activity were found among the three conditions (p < 0.05). It was found that GM activation was highest in the ADIM combined with MR (71.85% maximal voluntary isometric contraction [MVIC]) condition, compared with both ADIM (31.51% MVIC) and MR (67.30% MVIC) (p < 0.05). ES activity was greater in the MR (74.21% MVIC) and ADIM combined with MR (72.50% MVIC) conditions, than in ADIM alone (37.41% MVIC) (p < 0.05). IO muscle activation was the highest in ADIM combined with MR (48.48% MVIC), compared with the other conditions (p < 0.05). Hamstring activity was greater in the MR (63.24% MVIC) and ADIM combined with MR (61.86% MVIC) conditions, than in ADIM (30.54% MVIC) (p < 0.05). The GM/ES muscle ratio was significantly higher in ADIM combined with MR, compared with the other conditions (p < 0.05).

Conclusions

Applying MR during SBE enhances overall muscle activation, whereas the simultaneous application of ADIM with MR further increases GM and IO muscle activation. These findings suggest that ADIM combined with MR is particularly effective for improving lumbopelvic stability and selectively strengthening GM muscle, highlighting its potential as a rehabilitation strategy.

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/advrehab-2026-0010 | Journal eISSN: 1734-4948

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Language: English

Page range: 40 - 50

Submitted on: Sep 2, 2025

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Accepted on: Feb 14, 2026

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Published on: Jun 30, 2026

Published by: University of Physical Education in Warsaw

In partnership with: Paradigm Publishing Services

Publication frequency: 4 issues per year

Keywords:

abdominal muscles,

electromyography,

erector spinae,

exercise therapy,

gluteus maximus

Related subjects:

Clinical medicine,

Physical and rehabilitation medicine,

Sports and recreation,

Sports and recreation, other

© 2026 Dong-Woo Kim et al.
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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