Original scientific paper
Gender-Related Differences in Maximum Mechanical Power Output in Short-Term Activities in Children and Adolescents
Branko Škof
Aleš Dolenec
Milan Čoh
Abstract
The study was designed to examine the gender-related differences in maximum mechanical power output in various
short-burst activities during growth. The subject sample consisted of four subgroups: 9 boys (14.11±0.6 yr), 9 boys
(10.67±0.71 yr), 7 girls (14.29±0.49 yr), 7 girls (10.57±0.54 yr). We meausred peak power (PP), mean power (MP), fatigue
index (FI) during 30-s WAnT, squat jump height (SJH) and power (SJP), and counter movement jump height (CMJH)
and power (CMJP), maximum speed over 20-metre distance (S20). Lactation concentration was measured in the 3rd and
5th minutes after the WAnT. Ratio normalisation and ANCOVA were used to remove the influence of the differences in
muscle (MM) and body mass (BM). Male adolescents had higher absolute values of PP (P<0.05), MP (P<0.05) than female.
Ratio normalisation showed that boys had higher PP/BM (P<0.05), PP/MM (P<0.05), MP/BM (P<0.05), MP/MM
(P<0.06) than girls. The ANCOVA adjustment for MM showed differences between genders in PP (P<0.001), MP
(P<0.001), SJH (P<0.05), SJP (P<0.05) and CMJP (P<0.001), whereas the ANCOVA adjustment for BM showed differences
only in PP (P<0.001), MP (P<0.001). Prepubertal boys had higher absolute values only in SJP (P<0.05). We
concluded that variations in body composition could not be the only key to gender-related differences in power output in
short-burst activities.
Keywords
anaerobic performance; peak anaerobic power; mean anaerobic power; boys; girls
Hrčak ID:
27034
URI
Publication date:
2.9.2008.
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