Author(s): TERADA, K., YAMAMOTO, I., Institution: TENRI UNIVERSITY, Country: JAPAN, Abstract-ID: 499

INTRODUCTION:
This study aimed to determine the extent to which an athlete’s ability to perform unilateral weight training (WT) is related to their performance level (PL) in athletics and performance indicators (PIs) related to athletics. Additionally, we examined whether this relationship was stronger than that with the conventional ability to perform bilateral WT.
METHODS:
We enrolled 18 male collegiate track and field athletes, 4 of whom performed short-distance sprints and 14 performed jumping exercises. The ability to perform unilateral WT was evaluated using the unilateral deadlift (Dl), unilateral squat (Sq), and unilateral power clean (Pc) parameters developed by the author. The indices used were the lifting speed of the barbell, measured using a linear position transducer, and the exerted power calculated from the lifting speed of the barbell. The test was performed separately for the right and left sides at four different load weights according to the body weight ratio in each unilateral WT exercise. The index of the ability to perform each bilateral WT exercise was calculated by dividing the season’s highest weight during the study period, which was the 1 repetition maximum of the bilateral Dl, bilateral Sq, and bilateral Pc, by the body weight. The PL of the subjects was assessed by scoring their highest season record during the study period according to the International Association of Athletics Federation scoring tables of athletics, 2017 edition. PIs, including the rebound jump index, drop jump index, vertical jump, leg extension power, and center of pressure trajectory measurements, were obtained for both unilateral and bilateral exercises. Additionally, a questionnaire was used to investigate the season’s best records during the study period for running times of 30-, 60-, and 100-m sprints, the standing long jump, and the five-step jump.
RESULTS:
The relationship between the ability to perform unilateral and bilateral WT and each variable of PL and PI was examined by calculating the Pearson product–moment correlation coefficient. In particular, a moderate-to-strong correlation was found between the power exerted in unilateral Dl and unilateral Sq and PL when lifting heavy weights, and a moderate correlation was also found with PIs. No correlation was found between PL or PIs and the ability to perform unilateral Pc or bilateral WT. When the power exerted during unilateral WT was compared by dividing the PL into two groups, i.e., the group with a lower PL (low-ranking group, n = 9) and the group with a higher PL (high-ranking group, n = 9), the higher-ranking group showed significantly higher values in unilateral Dl and unilateral Sq for most load weights.
CONCLUSION:
These results suggested that the ability to perform unilateral WT, particularly unilateral Dl and unilateral Sq, may better reflect PL and PIs in short-distance jumping track and field events than the conventional ability to perform bilateral WT.