Sex Differences in Absolute and Normalized Rapid Force During Maximal Handgrip Contractions

Authors

Alisa Soloveva, Texas Christian UniversityFollow
Garrett Augsburger, Texas Christian University
Joshua Carr, Texas Christian University

Abstract

Sex differences in strength are well documented. However, the influence of the strength disparity on the absolute and normalized rate of force development (RFD) is not as well described, particularly for the handgrip. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine differences in absolute and normalized RFD between sexes during maximal handgrip contractions. METHODS: During a single visit, 32 right-hand dominant participants (n = 16 males, n = 16 females) performed maximal, unilateral isometric handgrip contractions with their dominant hands. Maximal force, the RFD from 0-50ms (RFD₅₀), 0-100ms (RFD₁₀₀), and peak RFD (RFD_peak) were computed. The RFD responses were normalized to the maximal force values during each contraction (_nRFD₅₀, _nRFD₁₀₀, _nRFD_peak). Independent samples t-tests were used for statistical analysis and the effect size for the mean comparisons were computed. RESULTS: Males were stronger than females (p < 0.01, d = 2.36) and demonstrated greater absolute RFD_peak (p < 0.01, d = 1.11) values, but there were no sex differences for RFD₅₀ (p = 0.112, d = 0.578) and RFD₁₀₀ (p = 0.088, d = 0.624) despite the moderate effect sizes for greater RFD values for the males. There were no sex differences for the normalized RFD responses. Specifically, _nRFD₅₀ (p = 0.112, d = 0.624), _nRFD₁₀₀ (p = 0.167, d = 0.501), and _nRFD_peak (p = 0.217, d = 0.446) showed moderate effect sizes for greater normalized RFD values for females compared to males. CONCLUSION: The data shows that sex differences in RFD are influenced by the interval of measurement and normalization procedures. These results have implications for studies comparing RFD between sexes.

Recommended Citation

Soloveva, Alisa; Augsburger, Garrett; and Carr, Joshua (2021) "Sex Differences in Absolute and Normalized Rapid Force During Maximal Handgrip Contractions," International Journal of Exercise Science: Conference Proceedings: Vol. 2: Iss. 13, Article 15.
Available at: https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/ijesab/vol2/iss13/15