Abstract
There are no studies that have simultaneously examined muscle strength of high- and low-level athletes in each of the two competitive styles in wrestling. The purpose of this study was to clarify the characteristics of muscle strength by style and level of competition in lightweight athletes specializing in freestyle (FS) and Greco-Roman style (GS) in wrestling.
Thirty-seven male collegiate lightweight wrestlers (age, 20.3±1.2 years; height, 165.3±3.7 cm; weight, 63.6±2.9 kg; competition career, 12.7±3.7 years) participated in this study. Participants were divided into 4 groups as follows: high-level GS (HGS, n=9), low-level GS (LGS, n=8), high-level FS (HFS, n=8), and low-level FS (LFS, n=12). Isometric and isokinetic muscle extension and flexion torque of elbow, knee, and trunk as muscle strength were measured by biodex system 4. The main results of this study showed that isometric and isokinetic (60, 180, and 300 deg/sec) elbow extension strength were higher in high-level athletes than in low-level athletes, regardless of competitive style (all P<0.05), and that HGS was higher than HFS and LGS in isometric knee flexion muscle strength (P=0.001, P=0.023, respectively), and that GS was higher than FS in isometric knee and trunk extension muscle strength (P=0.029, P=0.014, respectively). The results of this study suggest the importance of upper extremity extensor strength in wrestling competitions and the need for strength improvement programs based on competition style.
