Does the Grip Width Affect the Bench Press Performance of Paralympic Powerlifters?
in International Journal of Sports Physiology and PerformanceBy purchasing this content you agree and accept the terms and conditions
Purpose: To verify the effects of using different grip widths in bench press performance in Paralympic powerlifting athletes. Methods: Twelve experienced Paralympic powerlifting male athletes (25.40 [3.30] y, 70.30 [12.15] kg) participated in the study. Maximal dynamic strength and maximal isometric strength (MIS) were determined. Then, mean propulsive velocity (MPV) using 25%, 50%, and 100% of maximal dynamic strength load and time to achieve 30%, 50%, and 100% of MIS were assessed with 4 different grip widths, specifically the biacromial distance (BAD: 42.83 [12.84] cm), 1.3 BAD (55.68 [16.70] cm), 1.5 BAD (63.20 [18.96] cm), and 81 cm. Electromyographic analysis was performed during MIS assessment in the pectoralis major sternal portion, anterior deltoid, triceps brachii long head, and pectoralis major clavicular portion. Results: Large differences were found between MPV performed with different grip widths using 25% of maximal dynamic strength load (P = .02,
M.D.M. dos Santos, Aidar, and de Souza are with the Group of Studies and Research of Performance, Sport, Health and Paralympic Sports (GEPEPS); Aidar and de Souza with the Dept of Physical Education; and J.L. dos Santos, the Postgraduate Program in Biotechnology, Northeast Network in Biotechnology (RENORBIO), Federal University of Sergipe, São Cristóvão, Brazil. da Silva de Mello is with the Sports Dept, Federal University of Minas Gerais—UFMG, Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Neiva, Marinho, and Marques are with the Dept of Sport Sciences, University of Beira Interior, Covilhã, Portugal, and the Research Center in Sport Sciences, Health Sciences and Human Development, CIDESD, Covilhã, Portugal.
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