The Efficacy of Soleus Push-Up in Individuals with Prediabetes: A Pilot Study

Background/Objectives: Hamilton and colleagues invented the soleus push-up exercise and showed that this exercise method was successful in reducing postprandial blood glucose levels in sedentary individuals. The objective of the current pilot study was to assess the efficacy of the soleus push-up in...

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Main Authors: Dávid Elek, Miklós Tóth, Balázs Sonkodi, Pongrác Ács, Gábor L. Kovács, Péter Tardi, Csaba Melczer
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-03-01
Series:Sports
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4663/13/3/81
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author Dávid Elek
Miklós Tóth
Balázs Sonkodi
Pongrác Ács
Gábor L. Kovács
Péter Tardi
Csaba Melczer
author_facet Dávid Elek
Miklós Tóth
Balázs Sonkodi
Pongrác Ács
Gábor L. Kovács
Péter Tardi
Csaba Melczer
author_sort Dávid Elek
collection DOAJ
description Background/Objectives: Hamilton and colleagues invented the soleus push-up exercise and showed that this exercise method was successful in reducing postprandial blood glucose levels in sedentary individuals. The objective of the current pilot study was to assess the efficacy of the soleus push-up in individuals with prediabetes and to evaluate the feasibility of incorporating this exercise method into their daily routine. Methods: Ten participants (mean age: 53.3 ± 2.7 years; four females, six males) with prediabetes were included in the study. Initially, participants underwent an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) while being sedentary to establish baseline postprandial blood glucose measurements. During a subsequent OGTT, participants concurrently performed the soleus push-up (SPU) exercise either with or without electromyographic (EMG) feedback. Blood glucose levels were measured at 15 min intervals over the two-hour duration of both OGTTs. Results: We observed that performing the SPU in a sitting position during the oral glucose tolerance test resulted in approximately a 32% reduction in postprandial glucose excursion compared to the sedentary baseline results. This effect was also present in the absence of EMG feedback. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that this repetitive, prolonged contractile muscle activity can improve metabolic regulation in prediabetic individuals without the need for a laboratory setting. SPU may be a viable and effective exercise to support metabolic health in home or work environments. However, further validation is needed with a larger sample size.
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spelling doaj-art-57fadd97774d48db8d3fb439e1d4d02c2025-08-20T01:49:08ZengMDPI AGSports2075-46632025-03-011338110.3390/sports13030081The Efficacy of Soleus Push-Up in Individuals with Prediabetes: A Pilot StudyDávid Elek0Miklós Tóth1Balázs Sonkodi2Pongrác Ács3Gábor L. Kovács4Péter Tardi5Csaba Melczer6Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation Department, Fejér County Szent György University Teaching Hospital Csákvár, 8083 Csákvár, HungaryFaculty of Health Sciences, Institute of Physiotherapy and Sport Science, University of Pécs, 7624 Pécs, HungaryFaculty of Health Sciences, Institute of Physiotherapy and Sport Science, University of Pécs, 7624 Pécs, HungaryFaculty of Health Sciences, Institute of Physiotherapy and Sport Science, University of Pécs, 7624 Pécs, HungaryNational Laboratory on Human Reproduction, University of Pécs, 7624 Pécs, HungaryFaculty of Health Sciences, Institute of Physiotherapy and Sport Science, University of Pécs, 7624 Pécs, HungaryFaculty of Health Sciences, Institute of Physiotherapy and Sport Science, University of Pécs, 7624 Pécs, HungaryBackground/Objectives: Hamilton and colleagues invented the soleus push-up exercise and showed that this exercise method was successful in reducing postprandial blood glucose levels in sedentary individuals. The objective of the current pilot study was to assess the efficacy of the soleus push-up in individuals with prediabetes and to evaluate the feasibility of incorporating this exercise method into their daily routine. Methods: Ten participants (mean age: 53.3 ± 2.7 years; four females, six males) with prediabetes were included in the study. Initially, participants underwent an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) while being sedentary to establish baseline postprandial blood glucose measurements. During a subsequent OGTT, participants concurrently performed the soleus push-up (SPU) exercise either with or without electromyographic (EMG) feedback. Blood glucose levels were measured at 15 min intervals over the two-hour duration of both OGTTs. Results: We observed that performing the SPU in a sitting position during the oral glucose tolerance test resulted in approximately a 32% reduction in postprandial glucose excursion compared to the sedentary baseline results. This effect was also present in the absence of EMG feedback. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that this repetitive, prolonged contractile muscle activity can improve metabolic regulation in prediabetic individuals without the need for a laboratory setting. SPU may be a viable and effective exercise to support metabolic health in home or work environments. However, further validation is needed with a larger sample size.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4663/13/3/81soleus push-upSPUblood glucose levelsprediabetic conditionmetabolism
spellingShingle Dávid Elek
Miklós Tóth
Balázs Sonkodi
Pongrác Ács
Gábor L. Kovács
Péter Tardi
Csaba Melczer
The Efficacy of Soleus Push-Up in Individuals with Prediabetes: A Pilot Study
Sports
soleus push-up
SPU
blood glucose levels
prediabetic condition
metabolism
title The Efficacy of Soleus Push-Up in Individuals with Prediabetes: A Pilot Study
title_full The Efficacy of Soleus Push-Up in Individuals with Prediabetes: A Pilot Study
title_fullStr The Efficacy of Soleus Push-Up in Individuals with Prediabetes: A Pilot Study
title_full_unstemmed The Efficacy of Soleus Push-Up in Individuals with Prediabetes: A Pilot Study
title_short The Efficacy of Soleus Push-Up in Individuals with Prediabetes: A Pilot Study
title_sort efficacy of soleus push up in individuals with prediabetes a pilot study
topic soleus push-up
SPU
blood glucose levels
prediabetic condition
metabolism
url https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4663/13/3/81
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