Affiliations: [a] Exercise and Sports Science Program, The University of
Tulsa, Tulsa, OK, USA | [b] Athletics Department, The University of Tulsa, Tulsa,
OK, USA
Note: [] Address for correspondence: John Caruso, Ph.D., 312 Chapman
Hall, 600 S. College Avenue, Tulsa, OK 74104, USA. Tel.: +1 918 631 2924; Fax:
+1 918 631 2068; E-mail: john-caruso@utulsa.edu
Abstract: To assess the extent anthropometry predicts front squat performance,
American college football players (n=18) performed 3–6
repetition sets at 55, 65, 75 and 80% of their 1RM (one repetition maximum)
load across two workouts. At the conclusion of sets, an accelerometer (Myotest
Inc., Royal Oak MI) measured peak power, force and velocity. Before the first
workout, anthropometric data were collected from subjects that emphasized body
segment length ratios in an attempt to predict front squat variance. Via
multivariate regression, anthropometry attempted to predict the variance from
each of 12 criterion variables (peak power, force and velocity at each load).
With an α=0.05, anthropometry predicted significant
amounts of variance for six criterion variables, which also had high R
(0.647–0.832) and R^{2} (0.419–0.720) values. The same
variables also yielded moderate standard error of estimates, thus anthropometry
accounted for much front squat performance variance. Height/hip width ratio,
body weight, body mass index and torso length were the best predictors of front
squat performance. Based on current results, it was concluded anthropometry is
an important predictor of front squat performance in American college football
players.
Keywords: Height/hip width ratio, body weight, body mass index, torso length
