Effect of Core Training on Trunk Flexor Musculature in Male Soccer Players

The present study aimed to elucidate the effect of core training on trunk flexor musculature in athletes. Twenty-eight collegiate male soccer players were randomly assigned to three groups: a training group that performed core exercises with wheeled platforms (WP), a training group that performed body mass-based core exercise (BME), and a control group that did not perform core exercise training (CON). WP and BME trained twice a week for 10 weeks. The WP performed 8–14 exercises with wheeled platforms. BME conducted four core exercises to failure. Before and after the intervention, trunk segment lean body mass (LBM) was measured using a whole-body dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry scanner. Muscle thicknesses (MTs) of the rectus abdominis (RA), external oblique, internal oblique (IO), and transverse abdominis were determined with an ultrasound apparatus. No significant changes for any measured variables were found in CON. In both training groups, the trunk segment LBM was significantly increased through the intervention. While MT for IO significantly increased in the two training groups, significant increases in MT for RA were found in only WP. For collegiate soccer players, the core training programs adopted here can be effective in increasing trunk segment LBM, but the effectiveness on the trunk flexor muscularity differs between the two training modalities.