Predicting strength in high school women athletes

Area of Science:

• Sports Science
• Exercise Physiology
• Strength and Conditioning

Background:

• Accurate strength assessment is crucial for training programs in female high school athletes.
• One-repetition maximum (1RM) testing is a standard but can be time-consuming and requires expertise.
• Exploring alternative, reliable strength testing methods is beneficial for this demographic.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if repetitions-to-maximum tests can predict one-repetition maximum (1RM) performance.
• To evaluate the efficacy of these tests for assessing upper and lower body strength in female high school athletes.

Main Methods:

• Fifty-seven female high school athletes (ages 14-18) participated.
• Participants completed 1RM bench press (1RMBP) and leg press (1RMLP) tests.
• They also completed repetitions-to-fatigue tests: bench press at 27 kg (BPRTF27) and leg press at 91 kg (LPRTF91).

Main Results:

• High correlations were found between BPRTF27 and 1RMBP (r=0.802) and LPRTF91 and 1RMLP (r=0.793).
• Regression analysis yielded predictive models for upper body (1RMBP = 28.88 + 0.68*BPRTF27) and lower body strength (1RMLP = 106.3 + 2.4*LPRTF91), both with p < 0.001.
• These correlations indicate strong relationships between repetitions-to-fatigue and 1RM performance.

Conclusions:

• Repetitions-to-fatigue tests are viable alternatives to 1RM testing for strength assessment in female high school athletes.
• BPRTF27 and LPRTF91 can reliably predict upper and lower body strength, respectively.
• These findings support the use of simpler, less demanding tests for evaluating strength in this population.