Relationship of Individual Differences and Subsequent Changes in Static Strength with Speed of Forearm Flexion Movement

Abstract

This study investigated the relationship between strength and speed of forearm flexion and compared the effect of three methods of training on speed of forearm flexion movement. Ninety-one university freshmen were tested for maximum static strength, forearm mass, and speed of forearm flexion. They were assigned to four groups: control, speed of movement, isometric, and isotonic. After an 8-week experimental program, subjects were tested again for strength, mass, and speed of forearm flexion movement. Low positive relationships, significant at the .05 level, between static strength and speed of forearm flexion were found in this study. When static strength was related to the mass which was moved during movement, correlations between strength/mass and speed were not significant. The results of both correlational computations and covariance analysis indicated that increasing the strength of the muscles which move a limb does not result in a corresponding increase in the speed with which the limb can be moved.