The relationship between powerlifting performance and hand grip strength among female athletes

Year 2021, Volume: 7 Issue: 4, 112 - 122, 31.12.2021

Natalie Suazo Mark Debeliso

https://doi.org/10.31459/turkjkin.1027695

Cited By: 3

Abstract

With the rising competitiveness in the sport of powerlifting, coaches and athletes are continually looking for better ways to measure progress to predict and improve performance. Many studies have evaluated the link between hand grip strength (HGS) and performance in other sports, and HGS has been a predictor of total body strength. The current study examined the relationship between HGS and powerlifting performance among experienced female powerlifters. HGS was compared to the 1RM of the squat (SQ), bench press (BP), deadlift (DL) and aggregate total. It was hypothesized that there would be a positive meaningful relationship between HGS and powerlifting performance. Thirty-one (n=31) female powerlifting participants (age 29±6.3 years, body mass 82.8±27.8 kg) with at least 3 months of powerlifting training experience were assessed for HGS and powerlifting performance measures. Hand grip strength was measured with a Jamar hydraulic hand dynamometer prior to a sanctioned powerlifting meet. Three trials of HGS were completed by the participants where each trial was separated by 1-minute rest period. The average of the two highest HGS scores were recorded for analysis. The powerlifting performance measures were assessed at a sanctioned powerlifting meet comprised of 1 repetition maximums (1RM) in three event lifts, the back squat (BS), bench press (BP) and deadlift (DL). The event 1RMs, aggregate total (AT), and HGS scores were then normalized to body mass (BM). The normalized event 1RMs and AT were then compared to the normalized HGS scores with Pearson correlation coefficients (r). The BS, DL and AT scores demonstrated moderately significant relationships (r=0.46, r=0.51, r=0.48) respectively with HGS (p<0.05). Bench press performance had a low (r=0.35), but significant association with HGS (p<0.05). The BS/BM, BP/BM, DL/BM and AT/BM demonstrated significant moderate-high relationships (r=0.55, r=0.52, r=0.66, r=0.61) respectively with HGS (p<0.05). Within the parameters of this study, female powerlifting performance appears to have a meaningful positive relationship with HGS.

Keywords

back squat, bench press, deadlift, dynamometer, grip strength, powerlifting

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