30 Seconds SummaryHow Sex, Strength, and Age Affect Strength Gains In Powerlifters
- Large dataset from Open Powerlifting used to analyze rate of strength gains among competitive lifters, utilizing over 640,000 meet results dating back to 1971.
- Men gained strength at a monthly rate of 0.576%, while women gained at 0.920%, with women showing significantly faster strength gains.
- Analysis stratified by sex due to significant differences in strength gains between men and women.
- Initial strength correlates with rate of progress; the relationship is significant but weak, with higher initial strength associated with slower progress especially in the upper deciles of strength.
- Age found to have a less predictive relationship with strength gains, with no significant differences in gains between individuals aged 20-80 years, though the effect of age on strength gains is predominantly visible in individuals younger than 20.
- Multiple factors such as genetics, training quality, nutrition, and lifestyle play a larger role in strength gains, accounting for 88.6% of variation, rather than just age, sex, or initial strength which explain only about 11.4%.
- Results suggest significant variability and a weak predictive relationship from traditionally assumed factors like age, sex, and initial strength, emphasizing the importance of individual differences and training variables.
- Dataset provided by Open Powerlifting, which serves as a valuable resource for robust and extensive data on powerlifting performances.
Stronger By Science
Greg Nuckols
