THE INFLUENCE OF MUSCLE GROUP LOCATION AND RACE ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MUSCLE STRENGTH AND POWER

Objective. This study investigated the influence of muscle group locat ion and racial background on the relationship between measures of musc le strength and power, It was hypothesized that both African American (AA) and Caucasian American (CA) males would exhibit similar strength- power relationships, but these relationships would be dependent upon m uscle group location. Experimental design. A cross-sectional, comparat ive design was used, Setting, The Human Performance Laboratory at the U. of Oklahoma. Subjects. Normal, healthy college-aged AA (n=14) and C A (n=15) males volunteered for this study. Measures. Upper and lower b ody strength (IRM) was assessed using a Smithpress bench press and Pol aris leg press, and upper and lower body power was measured with a pie zoresistive accelerometer. Results. When comparing power between upper and lower body muscle groups, both AA and CA groups exhibited similar relationships (r=0.68 and r=0.61, respectively), however, the relatio nship between upper and lower body strength was relatively stronger fo r the AA group (r=0.65 vs r=0.42). When evaluating the strength-power relationship within a given muscle group, i.e., upper or lower body, t here were no racial differences, but the relationship between strength and power did differ with respect to muscle group location. Conclusio ns. There were stronger relationships between measures of muscular str ength and power for the lower limbs when compared to the upper body in dicating the importance of muscle group location rather than racial et hnicity as a confounding factor that can affect neuromuscular force pr oduction, This information is important when attempting to characteriz e neuromuscular function relative to specific skills or motor sport pe rformance, thus emphasizing the principle of specificity.