DOES HAND GRIP STRENGTH CHANGE WITH GENDER? THE TRADITIONAL METHOD VS. THE ALLOMETRIC NORMALISATION METHOD

Abstract

The results of muscle strength and force tests were complicated by various factors, such as age, gender and level of physical activity. The most well-known factor is body size. The allometric normalising method has been recommended to obtain more precise results from strength and force tests. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine if gender plays a role in hand grip strength (HGS), and we used two methods: the traditional method (TM; non-normalised strength) and the allometric normalisation method (ANM; strength independent of body size). A total of 124 men (age: 21.0 ± 2.0 yr; BMI: 23.42 ± 2.47 kg/m 2 ) and 77 women (age: 21.0 ± 2.0 yr; BMI: 21.07 ± 2.02 kg/m 2 ) participated in this study. The HGS was measured in kilograms using the dominant hand via an adjustable hand grip dynamometer. When the traditional method was used, HGS was expressed in Newtons (kg × 9.81). Otherwise, a formula (S n = S / m 0,67 ) was used for the allometric normalisation scaling (Sn = normalized strength, S = recorded strength, m = body mass and 0.67 = allometric coefficient). Both the TM (women: HGS of 323.7 N vs. men: HGS of 461.1 N; p˂0,001) and the ANM (women: HGS of 21.31 ± 2.54 N vs. men: HGS 26.39 ± 3.78 N; p˂0,001) confirmed that there are differences in HGS as a function of gender. Replication studies are required to determine which method is more appropriate for determining the gender differences in HGS. Article visualizations: