An isokinetic investigation of hamstrings and quadriceps function in track and field athletes

Includes bibliographical references (pages 91-101)Throwers (TH, n = 8), distance runners (DR, n = 10), and\ud sprinters (SP, n = 10) aged 18 to 34, were studied on a Cybex II\ud isokinetic dynamometer at 90, 180, 240, and 300 deg/s to determine\ud group differences and the effects of variable speed on knee flexion\ud (KF) and extension (KE) peak torque and instantaneous power.\ud Variables measured at each test speed included the KF/KE strength\ud ratio, ft lbs/kgn1, and watts/kgm for KF and KE. Significant\ud differences between groups were found only for watts/kgm KE at 300\ud deg/s where performance scores for DR were lower than TH and SP (p <\ud .05). Significant increases in the KF/KE ratio corresponding with\ud increases in test speed were observed only in DR (p< .05) who tended\ud to demonstrate higher values compared to TH and SP. Ft lbs/kgm for KF\ud and KE generally decreased with increased test speed, while watts/kgm\ud increased. KF/KE ratios for all speeds were considerably lower than\ud those previously reported for similar subjects. Differences between\ud groups in peak torque and instantaneous power production were less\ud marked when results were expressed relative to body weight