The Influence of Ratio and Allometric Scaling Procedures for Normalizing Upper Body Power Output in Division I Collegiate Football Players

Abstract

Upper body power output may be important for collegiate football players when involved in blocking or tackling opponents, however, differences in body size may potentially confound tests examining upper body power output. PURPOSE: To examine the differences in upper body power output among lineman and non-lineman Division I collegiate football players, and to examine the influence of two normalization procedures: (1) ratio scaling and (2) standardized allometric scaling. METHODS: Ten lineman (mean ± SD: age = 19.3 ± 1.6 years; height = 187.7 ± 4.7 cm; mass = 127.7 ± 13.3 kg) and 14 non-lineman (19.6 ± 1.4 years; 181.8 ± 5.2 cm; 92.3 ± 10.6 kg) performed a multiple repetition bench press power test at 50% of their 1 - repetition maximum (1 - RM). Peak power (PP) was determined from a Tendo Weightlifting Analyzer that was attached to the barbell. The PP values were then analyzed under 3 conditions that included: (1) no scaling (absolute values), (2) ratio scaling (PP · body mass−1), and (3) allometric scaling (PP · body mass−0.67). Independent samples t-tests were used to analyze differences in age, body mass, height, and all 3 PP conditions between the lineman and non-lineman groups. RESULTS: The results indicated that the linemen were larger and taller (P < 0.05) than the non-lineman with no differences in age (P = 0.96). The lineman demonstrated greater absolute PP values (P = 0.02); however, ratio scaling favored the smaller non-lineman group (P = 0.04). There were no differences in PP values between positions following the standardized allometric scaling procedure (P = 0.60). CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicated that the standardized allometric scaling procedure may be a more effective method for normalizing PP values among elite Division I collegiate football players. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: These findings may be useful for strength and conditioning coaches who are interested in comparing upper body PP among different player positions by utilizing the standardized allometric scaling technique that can be determined with many handheld calculators.