Files and links (2)
Published VersionCC BY-NC-ND V4.0, Open Access
Journal article
Long-Term Strength Adaptation: A 15-Year Analysis of Powerlifting Athletes
Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, Vol.34(9), pp.2412-2418
2020
PMID: 32865942
Abstract
Strength is a fundamental component of athletic performance and development. This investigation examined the long-term strength development of powerlifting (PL) athletes. The rate of strength gain/day was assessed in 1897 PL athletes (F = 626, M = 1,271) over a 15-year period (2003–2018). Independent T-tests explored sex differences in baseline absolute (kg) and relative strength (kg·body mass−1 [bm]) recorded from the first competition, and strength gain/day (kg·d−1). Analyses based on initial strength quartiles were conducted using one-way analysis of variances with significance set at p < 0.05. Bivariate correlational analysis tested for relationships between strength gain/day and baseline strength, the number of competitions, and mean days between competitions. Males had greater absolute (M: 513.3 ± 99.8 kg, F: 289.4 ± 55.7 kg, p < 0.001) and relative (M: 5.89 ± 1.04 kg·bm−1, F: 4.27 ± 0.85 kg·bm−1, p < 0.001) strength at baseline. Overall, strength gain/day (F: 0.12 ± 0.69 kg·d−1, M: 0.15 ± 0.44 kg·d−1, p = 0.318) was similar between sexes. However, the strongest males showed a lower rate of strength improvement (0.102 kg·d−1) compared with least strong males (0.211 kg·d−1), p = 0.010. No differences were observed across quartiles for females. Correlational analyses revealed significant but weak negative relationships between strength gain/day and the mean days between competitions for females (r2 = −0.120, p = 0.003) and males (r2 = −0.190, p < 0.001). Similar relationships were observed for baseline strength (r2 = −0.073, p = 0.009) and the number of competitions (r2 = −0.111, p < 0.001) for males. The results suggest similar strength adaptation between sexes. The strongest males improve more slowly, possibly due to a ceiling effect. Collectively, the findings provide novel evidence of real-world long-term strength adaptations that may be particularly useful to understand athlete development, to aid periodized programming, and to benchmark strength over time.
Details
- Title
- Long-Term Strength Adaptation: A 15-Year Analysis of Powerlifting Athletes
- Authors
- Christopher Latella (Corresponding Author) - Edith Cowan UniversityWei-Peng Teo (Author) - Deakin UniversityJemima Spathis (Author) - Australian Catholic UniversityDaniel van den Hoek (Author) - Australian Catholic University
- Publication details
- Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, Vol.34(9), pp.2412-2418
- Publisher
- Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
- Date published
- 2020
- DOI
- 10.1519/JSC.0000000000003657
- ISSN
- 1533-4287; 1064-8011
- PMID
- 32865942
- Copyright note
- This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives License 4.0 (CCBY-NC-ND), where it is permissible to download and share the work provided it is properly cited. The work cannot be changed in any way or used commercially without permission from the journal.
- Organisation Unit
- School of Health - Sports & Exercise Science
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 99716193602621
- Output Type
- Journal article
Metrics
200 File views/ downloads
50 Record Views
InCites Highlights
These are selected metrics from InCites Benchmarking & Analytics tool, related to this output
- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- International collaboration
- Web Of Science research areas
- Sport Sciences