TEST-retest reliability of kinetic variables measured on campus board in sport climbers.

Sport climbers frequently use campus board (CB) to improve their upper limb strength under similar conditions of high-difficulty sport climbing routes. The objective of this study was to assess the test-retest reliability of peak force and impulse measured using a CB instrumented with two load cells on starting holds. The same evaluator examined 22 climbers on two days with 48 h between the assessments. The participants performed five concentric lunges (CL) and five lunges with stretch-shortening cycle with 1 min intervals between repetitions and 10 min between exercises. All variables were associated with significant intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) values (p = 0.001), and none variable showed systematic errors (p > 0.05). Peak force ICC was higher than 0.88, and the standard error of measurement (SEM%) was less than 5%. Impulse ICC for the CL was greater than 0.90, and the SEM% was less than 14%. We conclude that the kinetic variables measured using the CB were reliable. The ability of the hands to maintain contact with the holds (peak force) and the abilities of the arms and shoulders vertically move the centre of mass (impulse) should be taken into account by coaches on CB training prescription as well for further research.

Comparison of two classification criteria of lateral strength asymmetry of the lower limbs in professional soccer players / Comparação de dois critérios de classificação de jogadores de futebol profissional da assimetria lateral de força dos membros inferiores

Abstract Prospective studies have indicated that assessing muscle function by the isokinetic test in the preseason is able to identify muscle strength variables that can be associated with injuries in the hamstring muscles of professional soccer players. However, the results are conflicting and could be related to the different cutoff points for the categorization of athletes in asymmetric or symmetric. Based on these conflicting results, the present study aims to: i) Identify the cutoff points of lateral asymmetry (LA) of the 95% confidence interval for the peak torque in soccer players, evaluated by the isokinetic test, taking into consideration the mean population value; ii) Compare LA between 15% cutoff point proposed in literature and the upper limit of 95% confidence interval (UP) of the study population. Sixty-four professional soccer players performed five knee flexion and extension repetitions at rate of 60°/s, with a one-minute interval. To determine the cutoff point for strength asymmetries, the UP was used, and for the purpose of diagnostic concordance of information among the different values, the McNemar's χ2 test was applied. The proportion between symmetric and asymmetric athletes was not different from the 15% cutoff point and the general population, both for knee flexors (χ2 = 0.5, p = 0.250) and the knee extensors (χ2 = 2.0, p = 0.125). It was concluded that the cutoff point of 15% referenced in literature for the general population provides similar diagnostic information for the classification of professional soccer players.

Resumo Estudos prospectivos têm indicado que avaliar a função muscular pelo teste isocinético na pré-temporada é capaz de identificar variáveis da força muscular que se associam a lesões nos músculos posteriores da coxa em jogadores de futebol, entretanto, os resultados são conflitantes e podem estar relacionados aos diferentes pontos de corte para categorização do atleta em assimétrico. Diante de resultados antagônicos, o presente estudo objetivou: i) Identificar o ponto de corte da assimetria lateral (AL) do intervalo de confiança de 95% para o pico de torque em jogadores de futebol, avaliado no teste isocinético, levando em consideração a média populacional; ii) Comparar a AL entre o valor de corte de 15%, proposto pela literatura, e o limite superior do intervalo de confiança de 95% (LS) da população estudada. 64 jogadores de futebol profissional realizaram cinco repetições máximas de flexão e extensão do joelho na velocidade de 60°/s com intervalo de um minuto entre repetições. Para determinação do ponto de corte da AL, utilizou-se o LS e para a concordância da informação diagnóstica entre os diferentes valores de corte foi aplicado o teste χ2 de McNemar. A proporção entre simétricos e assimétricos não foi diferente entre os valores de corte de 15% e o populacional, tanto para os flexores do joelho (χ2 = 0.5; p = 0.250) quanto para os extensores do joelho (χ2 = 2.0; p = 0.125). Conclui-se que, o ponto de corte populacional proporciona uma classificação dos atletas de futebol profissional similar ao valor de 15% referenciado na literatura.