(27) COMPARISONS OF STRENGTH AND POWER ASSESSMENTS COMMONLY USED IN TACTICAL ATHLETES

Abstract Details:

Purpose: Strength and power assessments are helpful tools to screen for injury risk and performance in tactical athletes. While emerging assessment tools, such as force plates, are gaining popularity, they may not be feasible for widespread implementation, therefore there is value in assessments with minimal equipment. To measure strength and power with force plates, the isometric midthigh pull (IMTP) and plyometric pushup test can be used. For measurements of strength and power with minimal equipment, handgrip strength with a dynamometer and the medicine ball toss are commonly utilized. However, the correlation between these tests is unclear. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to identify the relationships with common field tests and emerging technology measures of strength and power. 

Methods: A convenience sample of 12 physically active adults (age: 25 ± 7 yrs; 10 male, 2 female) attended two sessions, separated by 7-14 days. Each session had one of two test batteries, which were block-randomized. Test battery A included a plyometric pushup (peak force, concentric peak force, and peak power) and IMTP (peak force) on force plates. Test battery B included a seated medicine ball toss (max distance) and a handgrip strength test (dominant and non-dominant max strength). Relationships were assessed using Pearson product moment correlation (α = 0.05). 

Results: IMTP peak force was significantly correlated with dominant (r=0.846, p< 0.001), and non-dominant (r=0.862, p< 0.001) handgrip strength. Medicine ball toss distance was not significantly correlated with plyometric pushup peak force (n=11; r=-0.132, p=0.700), concentric peak force (n=8; r=-0.073, p=0.863), or peak power (n=8; r=0.306, p=0.462). 

Conclusions: Handgrip strength demonstrates strong correlations with the IMTP. Further research is needed to evaluate the influence of handgrip strength on IMTP performance. Seated medicine ball toss is not significantly correlated with plyometric pushup performance and one should exercise caution when comparing the results of the two tests. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Tactical strength & conditioning professionals should be mindful of what fitness assessment is most feasible for their population, and the pros and cons that exist. For measurements of total body strength, if force plate implementation is not feasible, the handgrip strength test correlates strongly with IMTP performance. However, IMTP may be limited by handgrip strength, so caution must be used. For measurements of power, if the seated medicine ball toss is used, it measures only concentric upper body power, whereas the plyometric pushup measures both concentric and eccentric power. Professionals also need to consider that not all athletes can do a plyometric push-up, and that athletes may differ in ball toss height strategy, and what an athlete does with their arms while airborne from movement, which could impact performance.

Acknowledgements: This study was not supported with grant funding. However, the authors of this work do receive funding through grant mechanisms from the Department of Defense. The opinions and thoughts expressed in this abstract are that of the authors and are not representative of the Department of Defense.