CAN BODY ADIPOSITY AND SHOULDER JOINT AMPLITUDE INFLUENCE THE EXPLOSIVE STRENGTH PERFORMANCE OF UPPER LIMBS IN PARALYMPIC THROWERS?

Abstract

This study aimed to identify anthropometric, morphological and body composition clinical-demographic variables, correlating with the performance of the medicine ball test in Paralympic throwing athletes. Eight athletes were evaluated using a sociodemographic and competitive level questionnaire, determination of the arm muscle area through the circumference of the upper limbs, evaluation of body adiposity and the thickness of the triceps, biceps, abdominal, suprailiac, scapular, axillary, thigh medial, and calf muscles and power performance through the medicine ball test. A simple linear regression test was performed to correlate the observed variables and the medicine ball-throwing results. We adopted p<0.05. As the main result, the performance in the medicine ball test was significant with the results of upper limb morphology (R²=0.712; p=0.016) and with axial adiposity (R²=0.790; p=0.007), however, was observed an exciting level of correlation also with appendicular heaviness (R²=0.517), however without statistical significance. It is understood, therefore, the axial and appendicular adiposity with the medicine ball throwing, indicating that these factors can influence the performance of the explosive strength of the upper limbs in Paralympic throwers, indicating that the medicine ball can be a tool for evaluating and monitoring power at different times of a competitive season.

Received: 2022/11/23

Reformulated: 2023/03/26

Accepted: 2023/04/04