Yin Yanyu, Zhang Yanlong, Wang Minghui, Zhu Yuhang, Bi Gengchao, Zhang Shuo
College of Sports and Health Sciences, Mudanjiang Normal University, Mudanjiang, China.
Graduate School, Harbin Sport University, Harbin, China.
Front Bioeng Biotechnol. 2025 Jun 27;13:1579139. doi: 10.3389/fbioe.2025.1579139. eCollection 2025.
To investigate the impact of two different breathing methods on lower limb muscle strength and muscle synergy in Tai Chi Chuan, and to reveal the joint control strategies of posture stability and synergy associated with the reverse abdominal breathing in Tai Chi Chuan.
Fifteen subjects aged between 33 and 43 years with over 5 years of Tai Chi Chuan experience were selected. High-speed motion capture, a three-dimensional force platform, and surface electromyography were used to collect kinematic and kinetic parameters of Tai Chi Chuan movements under natural breathing and reverse abdominal breathing conditions. Lower limb muscle dynamics were analyzed through computational modeling, and neuromuscular coordination patterns were investigated using muscle synergy analysis techniques. Paired-sample t-tests were used to analyze the differences in various parameters between the two breathing conditions, with significance at P < 0.05.
The peak muscle strength of the gluteus maximus, rectus femoris, and biceps femoris was consistently greater during reverse abdominal versus natural breathing (P < 0.05), as was tibialis anterior co-activation (P < 0.05). Conversely, lateral gastrocnemius-tibialis anterior co-activation patterns showed distinctly lower values (P < 0.05). The stiffness of the knee and ankle joints significantly increased (P < 0.05). In terms of muscle synergy, in the synergy units dominated by the gluteus maximus, rectus femoris, and semitendinosus, the relative weight during reverse abdominal breathing was significantly higher than that during natural breathing (P < 0.05), exhibiting a more efficient muscle synergy.
Reverse abdominal breathing in Tai Chi Chuan enhances muscle activation and synergy, which facilitates increased recruitment of lower limb muscles and optimize joint strategies, thereby improving the stability and coordination of posture control. Reverse abdominal breathing optimized the activation pattern of lower limb muscles, playing an important role in enhancing stability and coordination in individuals with over 5 years of Tai Chi Chuan experience, particularly in the contexts of physical fitness and sports rehabilitation.
探讨两种不同呼吸方法对太极拳下肢肌肉力量和肌肉协同作用的影响，揭示太极拳中与逆腹式呼吸相关的姿势稳定性和协同作用的关节控制策略。
选取15名年龄在33至43岁之间、有5年以上太极拳练习经验的受试者。使用高速动作捕捉、三维测力平台和表面肌电图，收集自然呼吸和逆腹式呼吸条件下太极拳动作的运动学和动力学参数。通过计算建模分析下肢肌肉动力学，并使用肌肉协同分析技术研究神经肌肉协调模式。采用配对样本t检验分析两种呼吸条件下各参数的差异，P<0.05具有显著性。
与自然呼吸相比，逆腹式呼吸时臀大肌、股直肌和股二头肌的肌肉力量峰值持续更大（P<0.05），胫骨前肌的共同激活也是如此（P<0.05）。相反，腓外侧肌-胫骨前肌的共同激活模式显示出明显更低的值（P<0.05）。膝关节和踝关节的刚度显著增加（P<0.05）。在肌肉协同方面，在以臀大肌、股直肌和半腱肌为主的协同单元中，逆腹式呼吸时的相对权重显著高于自然呼吸时（P<0.05），表现出更有效的肌肉协同作用。
太极拳中的逆腹式呼吸增强了肌肉激活和协同作用，有助于增加下肢肌肉的募集并优化关节策略，从而提高姿势控制的稳定性和协调性。逆腹式呼吸优化了下肢肌肉的激活模式，在增强有5年以上太极拳练习经验者的稳定性和协调性方面发挥着重要作用，特别是在身体素质和运动康复方面。
