ISOKINETIC PERFORMANCE IN ELITE VOLLEYBALL AND BASKETBALL PLAYERS

The aim of this study was to determine and compare the maximal voluntary peak torque of the ham-string and quadriceps muscles, and the torque ratio between these muscles in volleyball and basketball play-ers across a spectrum of speeds in their dominant legs. Twenty male volleyball players, 20 male basketball players, and 20 controls were evaluated using an isokinetic dynamometer at angular velocities of 60º, 180º and 300°s-1. No significant quadriceps and hamstring muscles concentric peak torque was found between volleyball and basketball players with the exception of quadriceps at 300°s-1 (volleyball: 139.9±0.7 Nm, bas-ketball: 117.2±1.9 Nm). The mean hamstring/quadriceps muscles (H/Q) ratios at 60°s-1 were similar to each other. No significant differences were found between volleyball and basketball players for H/Q muscles ra-tio at 180°s-1. Volleyball players demonstrated higher differences compared to the basketball players and control groups only at 300°s-1 (p=.001 and p=.000, respectively). Our data suggest that the sport’s demands seem to influence isokinetic concentric H/Q ratio