Correlations between Competitive Performance and Tests of Lower Body Power in Male and Female Collegiate Weightlifters

To determine which measures of lower body muscular power may be indicators of weightlifting performances, 40 contestants at the _1993 Collegiate National Championships volunteered to serve as subjects (males, n=23, X±SD age=21.3± 2.8 yrs; females, n=17, age=22.2±2.7 yrs). All athletes had met qualifying standards in order to compete at the contest, and no athlete tested positive for performance enhancing drugs. After completion of competition, each subjects' weightlifting performance (kg; snatch + clean & jerk) was recorded. Body composition was assessed via 7 skinfold sites. Tests of lower body power included estimated mean and peak watts from vertical jumps with and without a counter movement, and a 30 second Wingate anaerobic power test using a WATSystem II computerized ergometer (International Tapetronics, Bloomington, IL). Weightlifting performances for females were approximately 60% of male performances, while vertical jump and Wingate power of females were 66-70% of male performances. When Pearson Product Moment correlations were calculated between weightlifting performances and lower body power tests, males demonstrated significant (p<.01) correlations with 21 different power variables (r=.75 to .83), while females exhibited no significant relationships (p>.05). The strongest relationships for males were between each weightlifting variable (snatch, clean & jerk, total) and Wingate peak power (r=.55 to .60), Wingate mean power (r=.58 to .65), and Wingate total work (r=.59 to .66). When partial correlations adjusted for body mass, males demonstrated significant (p<.05), but lower correlations with 24 different power variables (r= .44 to .62), while females exhibited no significant relationships. To account for training experience, partial correlations adjusting for years of weightlifting training produced no significant positive correlations for either gender. The results for males agree with previously reported relationships between lifting power (watts) and various other measures of lower body power. The lack of any significant relationships for females was unexpected, but may be due to lower strength levels, or less efficient lifting technique. Future studies are necessary to understand why standard tests of lower body power are related to weightlifting performance for males, but not for females.