Lower Body Power-Load Curves For NCAA Division I Men's and Women's Collegiate Basketball Players

Abstract

Lower body power is an important contributor to sports such as basketball. One goal for off-court strength training for basketball is to increase power using exercises such as barbell speed-squats. As such, it is helpful for coaches to know which training loads to use for optimizing external lower body power. PURPOSE: To determine the barbell loads that elicit the greatest external mean power for the speed-squat exercise, and to determine differences between men and women basketball athletes at a major American university (NCAA Division I). METHODS: Twenty-six men and women basketball athletes participated in this project (X±SD; men, n=12, age (yrs.)=19.4±1.0, hgt. (m)=1.98±0.07, body wgt.(kg) = 94.0±10.8; women, n=14, age=19.8±1.2, hgt.=1.81±0.09, body wgt.=74.4±10.0). Maximum parallel barbell strength (1 RM) and speed-squats at 7 relative loads (% 1 RM) were performed. An external dynamometer was used to determine mean external power at each load. Polynomial regressions (2nd order) were used to determine the load-power relationship, from which absolute (kg) and relative (% 1 RM) loads for maximal mean external speed-squat power (Wmax) were determined. Additionally, load and power relative to body weight (kg/kg BW, W/kg BW respectively) was determined. T-tests (p<.05) compared genders, and linear regression determined strength and power relationships. RESULTS: Absolute and relative squat strength was greater for men (147.2±27.2 kg, 1.58±0.29 kg/kg BW) than for women (89.6±11.3 kg, 1.22±0.21 kg/kg BW), and Wmax and Wmax/kg BW was greater for men (825.9±96.8 W, 8.9±1.2 W/kg BW) than for women (469.5±98.2 W, 6.4±1.5 W/kg BW). Men (74.2±8.9%) and women (78.2±9.4%) were similar for % 1 RM at which Wmax occurred. All regressions for determining load-power relationships were r2>0.88. Absolute and relative strength and power measures were highly correlated (r2=0.61-0.78), but regression slopes were different for men and women. CONCLUSIONS: Optimal loads for lower body speed-squat power training were determined. Men were stronger and more powerful than women for both absolute and relative strength and power measures, although the % 1 RM loads for Wmax were similar. Future study is necessary to determine why strength and power relationships were different for men and women basketball players.