Asymmetry in muscle activation and co-contraction between lower limb during Zap-3 flamenco footwork

Zhang, Ningyi ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2282-7960 , Gómez-Lozano, Sebastián ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4888-2930 , Armstrong, Ross ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8424-6854 , Liu, Hui ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1793-0015 , Guo, Ce ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0006-3372-818X and Vargas-Macías, Alfonso ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1222-6133 (2025) Asymmetry in muscle activation and co-contraction between lower limb during Zap-3 flamenco footwork. Sensors, 25 (15). p. 4829.

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Abstract

This study aims to investigate asymmetries in muscle activation and co-contraction of main lower limb muscles during flamenco Zap-3 footwork with consideration of the footwork speed and dancer proficiency. Twelve flamenco dancers participated, including six professionals and six amateurs. Each participant performed the Zap-3 sequence under three speed conditions: 160 beats per minute (bpm), 180 bpm and the fastest speed level (F). The normalized surface electromyography was recorded in the gastrocnemius medialis (GM), biceps femoris (BF), tibialis anterior (TA) and rectus femoris (RF) in the dominant (DL) and non-dominant leg (NDL). The co-contraction index was also calculated for selected muscle pairs. The results showed that significant asymmetries occurred only in professional dancers and exclusively at the F speed level. Specifically, the value of the GM in the NDL was higher than that of the DL (p < 0.05, d = 1.97); the value of the BF in the DL was higher than that of the NDL (p < 0.05, d = 1.86) and the co-contraction index of BF/RF in the DL was higher than that of the NDL (p < 0.05, d = 1.87). Understanding these asymmetries may help to inform individualized training strategies aimed at optimizing performance and reducing potential risks.

Item Type:	Article
Journal / Publication Title:	Sensors
Publisher:	MDPI
ISSN:	1424-8220
Departments:	Institute of Health > Rehabilitation and Sport Science
Additional Information:	Ross Armstrong, Associate Professor in Musculoskeletal and Population Health, University of Cumbria, UK. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Depositing User:	Insight Administrator
SWORD Depositor:	Insight Administrator
Date Deposited:	22 Aug 2025 20:31
Last Modified:	25 Aug 2025 08:00
URI:	https://insight.cumbria.ac.uk/id/eprint/8999

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