Grip Strength & Correlation to Strength Expression in Barbell Movements
Start Date
April 2025
Location
3rd floor - Library
Abstract
Purpose: The Norwood Classic is a biannual powerlifting competition, established in 2020 to promote resistance training among students at Xavier University. Hosted at the campus recreation center, the event encourages three-person teams, with each member performing one of the three core powerlifting movements—bench press, squat, or deadlift—to determine their one-repetition maximum (1RM). Given the established relationship between hand grip strength (GS) and overall muscular strength, this study aimed to examine the association between GS and 1RM performance across the three powerlifting lifts, and document the anthropometric characteristics participants.
Methods: Sixteen participants (14 males, 2 females) from the Fall 2024 Norwood Classic were assessed. Measurements included height, weight, GS, body fat percentage (%BF; via Omron HBF306), exercise Frequency, Intensity, and Time (FIT index), and 1RM in each participant’s assigned lift.
Results: Participants had a mean height of 1.80±0.1 m, weight of 86.6±15.8 kg, BMI of 27.1±4.7 kg/m², GS of 47.7±11.5 kg, %BF of 15.4±5.1%, and FIT index of 91.8±13.4. Mean 1RM were significantly different across lifts: bench press (121.2±37.8, n=7) was lower than both squat (162.5±34.1, n=4) and deadlift (178.6±41.9, n=5) (p < 0.05). GS was strongly correlated with bench press performance (r = 0.90, p < 0.05), but not with squat or deadlift performance.
Conclusion: GS demonstrated a strong positive association with upper body muscular strength, specifically bench press performance, but was not predictive of lower body strength. These findings support GS as a potential proxy for upper body strength assessment in resistance-trained individuals.
Grip Strength & Correlation to Strength Expression in Barbell Movements
3rd floor - Library
Purpose: The Norwood Classic is a biannual powerlifting competition, established in 2020 to promote resistance training among students at Xavier University. Hosted at the campus recreation center, the event encourages three-person teams, with each member performing one of the three core powerlifting movements—bench press, squat, or deadlift—to determine their one-repetition maximum (1RM). Given the established relationship between hand grip strength (GS) and overall muscular strength, this study aimed to examine the association between GS and 1RM performance across the three powerlifting lifts, and document the anthropometric characteristics participants.
Methods: Sixteen participants (14 males, 2 females) from the Fall 2024 Norwood Classic were assessed. Measurements included height, weight, GS, body fat percentage (%BF; via Omron HBF306), exercise Frequency, Intensity, and Time (FIT index), and 1RM in each participant’s assigned lift.
Results: Participants had a mean height of 1.80±0.1 m, weight of 86.6±15.8 kg, BMI of 27.1±4.7 kg/m², GS of 47.7±11.5 kg, %BF of 15.4±5.1%, and FIT index of 91.8±13.4. Mean 1RM were significantly different across lifts: bench press (121.2±37.8, n=7) was lower than both squat (162.5±34.1, n=4) and deadlift (178.6±41.9, n=5) (p < 0.05). GS was strongly correlated with bench press performance (r = 0.90, p < 0.05), but not with squat or deadlift performance.
Conclusion: GS demonstrated a strong positive association with upper body muscular strength, specifically bench press performance, but was not predictive of lower body strength. These findings support GS as a potential proxy for upper body strength assessment in resistance-trained individuals.
