Science for practice

Predictive Value of Tests of Physical Development, Physical and Technical Preparedness and Morphofunctional State of Weightlifters in the Pre-Competition Period

V. A. Jasiūnas, A. V. Gailiūnienė, Kaunas

English summary of Tyazhelaya Atletika. Ezhegodnik 1982 (Moscow: Fizkultura i Sport, 1982), pp. 48–51: the text is paraphrased, not translated; data tables are given in full with English labels.

Aim and method

Test data underpin training planning (A. N. Vorobyov, 1971; V. M. Zatsiorsky, 1979), but earlier weightlifting studies (R. P. Moroz, R. A. Roman, L. N. Sokolov, A. V. Chernyak, N. S. Ippolitov, V. G. Oleshko and others) used disparate tests and conditions. Aim: the most informative pre-competition tests.
Subjects: 26 lifters aged 16–26: group A — 16 MS; group B — 10 first-class lifters and CMS.
Tests: Abalakov vertical jump (also with 25% and 50% of bodyweight), standing long jump, five-fold jump, flying 30 m, back and hand dynamometry, bar height in pulls, squat and deadlift and their ratios to the lifts, Chernyak's (1978) technique criteria Kr (snatch) and Kt (clean-and-jerk).
Morphofunctional indices: Bruksch, Erismann, vital, Pignet and obesity indices, height-to-leg ratio, body surface, height and mass, fat, bone and muscle mass, active mass, heart rate, BP and others.

Table 1. Statistically significant correlations between snatch results and test scores

Masters of Sport (group A)		CMS and 1st-class lifters (group B)
Test	r	Test	r
1. Forearm flexor strength	0.598	1. Standing long jump	0.705
2. Thigh extensor strength	0.784	2. Five-fold two-footed jump	0.724
3. Back squat	0.804	3. Forearm flexor strength	0.762
4. Deadlift	0.733	4. Back squat	0.609
5. Body mass	0.805	5. Trunk muscle strength	0.606
6. Pignet index	−0.804	6. Body mass	0.794
7. Obesity index	0.738	7. Body length	0.710
8. Body surface	0.674	8. Absolute bone mass	0.563
9. Absolute bone mass	0.618	9. Absolute muscle mass	0.792
10. Absolute muscle mass	0.760	10. Active body mass, kg	0.820
11. Active body mass	0.806	11. Combined bone and muscle mass	0.791
12. Combined bone and muscle mass	0.773	12. Bar height, snatch pull	0.715
13. Bar height, snatch pull	0.694	13. Bar height, clean pull	0.795
14. Bar height, snatch	0.845	14. Bar height, snatch	0.879
15. Bar height, clean	0.845	15. Bar height, clean	0.872
16. Technical criterion, snatch (Kr)	0.714	16. Technical criterion, snatch (Kr)	0.861

Table 2. Statistically significant correlations between clean-and-jerk results and test scores

Masters of Sport (group A)		CMS and 1st-class lifters (group B)
Test	r	Test	r
1. Forearm flexor strength	0.702	1. Five-fold two-footed jump	0.689
2. Thigh extensor strength	0.729	2. Forearm flexor strength	0.820
3. Back squat	0.813	3. Back squat	0.759
4. Deadlift	0.757	4. Deadlift	0.762
5. Body mass	0.849	5. Body mass	0.800
6. Pignet index	−0.821	6. Pignet index	−0.658
7. Obesity index	0.733	7. Absolute muscle mass	9.735*
8. Body surface	0.732	8. Active body mass	0.717
9. Absolute bone mass	−0.573**	9. Combined bone and muscle mass	0.780
10. Absolute muscle mass	0.777	10. Bar height, snatch	0.800
11. Active body mass	0.843	11. Bar height, clean	0.854
12. Combined bone and muscle mass	0.804
13. Bar height, snatch pull	0.621
14. Bar height, clean pull	0.637
15. Bar height, snatch	0.849
16. Bar height, clean	0.899
17. Technical criterion, snatch (Kr)	0.779

* As printed; r cannot exceed 1 — almost certainly 0.735. ** As printed; the sign is doubtful (+0.618 with the snatch).

Findings

Indices were not equally informative: 16 correlated significantly with the snatch in each group; with the clean-and-jerk, 17 in group A and 11 in group B.
Strongest links (r > 0.8) with the snatch, per the authors in both groups: squat, body mass, Pignet index, active mass, bar height in snatch and clean (some group B values in Table 1 are below 0.8). With the clean-and-jerk: A — squat, body mass, active mass, bone-plus-muscle mass, clean height; B — forearm strength, body mass, snatch and clean heights.
The Pignet index correlates strongly and negatively.

Most informative indicators

Physical development: A — forearm and thigh strength, body mass, Pignet index, back strength; B — forearm and trunk strength, body mass, body length.
Physical preparedness: A — squat; B — five-fold jump, standing long jump.
Morphology: body mass, active mass, bone-plus-muscle mass, body surface, muscle mass.
Technique: bar heights in pulls and the clean plus Kr (A also snatch height).