Relationship of Limb Lengths and Body Composition to Lifting in Weightlifting

Dafnis Vidal Pérez, José Miguel Martínez-Sanz, Alberto Ferriz-Valero, Violeta Gómez-Vicente and Eva Ausó
Additional contact information
Dafnis Vidal Pérez: Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Alicante, 03690 Alicante, Spain
José Miguel Martínez-Sanz: Research Group on Food and Nutrition (ALINUT), Department of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Alicante, 03690 Alicante, Spain
Alberto Ferriz-Valero: Department of General Didactics and Specific Didactics, Faculty of Education, University of Alicante, 03690 Alicante, Spain
Violeta Gómez-Vicente: Department of Optics, Pharmacology and Anatomy, Faculty of Sciences, University of Alicante, 03690 Alicante, Spain
Eva Ausó: Department of Optics, Pharmacology and Anatomy, Faculty of Sciences, University of Alicante, 03690 Alicante, Spain

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 2, 1-16

Abstract: Weightlifting is a discipline where technique and anthropometric characteristics are essential to achieve the best results in competitions. This study aims to analyse the relationships between body composition, limb length and barbell kinematics in the performance of weightlifters. It consists of an observational and descriptive study of 19 athletes (12 men [28.50 ± 6.37 years old; 84.58 ± 14.11 kg; 176.18 ± 6.85 cm] and 7 women [27.71 ± 6.34 years old; 64.41 ± 7.63 kg; 166.94 ± 4.11 cm]) who met the inclusion criteria. A level I anthropometrist took anthropometric measures according to the methodology of the International Society for the Advancement of Kinanthropometry (ISAK), and the measurement of the barbell velocity was made with the software Kinovea. In terms of body composition, both genders are within the percentage range of fat mass recommended for this sport. In female weightlifters, there is a positive correlation between foot length, maximal velocity in the Snatch (ρ = 0.775, p = 0.041), and performance indicator in the Snatch and the Clean & Jerk (ρ = 0.964, p < 0.001; ρ = 0.883, p = 0.008, respectively). In male weightlifters, a positive correlation between tibial length and average velocity of the barbell in the Snatch is observed (ρ = 0.848, p < 0.001). Muscle mass percentage correlates positively with performance indicator in both techniques (ρ = 0.634, p = 0.027; ρ = 0.720, p = 0.008). Also, the relative length of the upper limb is negatively correlated with the performance indicator (ρ = −0.602, p = 0.038). Anthropometry and body composition may facilitate skill acquisition among this sport population, contributing to increase the limited body of scientific knowledge related to weightlifting.

Keywords: weightlifter; anthropometry; athletic performance; biomechanics (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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