| Keywords |
Speed skating athletes; Isokinetic hamstring/quariceps strength ratio; Performance related fitness |
| Abstract |
The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of differences in isokinetic hamstring/quadriceps strength ratio on the performance-related physical fitness of young athletes in speed skating. The participants of this study were 27 male (n=14) and female (n=13) athletes and divided by hamstring to quadriceps strength (H/Q) ratio into 3 groups: high group (HG, n=9) with 55% or higher of H/Q ratio, middle group (MG, n=9) with greater than 45% and less than 55% of H/Q ratio and low group (LG, n=9) with 45% or lower of H/Q ratio. The H/Q ratio of right knee was analyzed at 60o/sec using HUMAC NORM. All analysis were performed with SPSS 21.0 and One-way ANOVA was applied to analyze the difference among groups. As results of this study, back strength and side step were significantly higher in HG than LG. The absolute and relative values of knee flexion as well as H/Q ratio for the right and left knee showed significant differences in HG compared to other groups. Furthermore, HG showed significant differences in the relative values of peak and average power compared to LG. The results of this study represent that isokinetic H/ Q ratio might be a critical factor to improve performance of young athletes in speed skating. |