Holding Strong: Grip Strength and Anthropometric Associations with Stein Holding Performance at Xavier University
Start Date
April 2026
Location
3rd floor - Library
Abstract
During Xavier’s annual Oktoberfest (2025), participants tested upper‑body muscular endurance in the Rec Sports Stein Holding Competition by holding a ~5‑lb water‑filled stein in a standardized position as long as possible. This study examined the association between grip strength and anthropometric factors with Stein holding performance, with particular emphasis on sex-specific differences.
Methods: Sixty‑nine participants completed assessments of grip strength, body mass, height, body mass index (BMI), and wingspan. Stein‑holding performance was quantified as time to task failure, and correlations with anthropometric and strength variables were analyzed using IBM SPSS.
Results: Participants (67% male) had a mean height of 1.8 ± 0.1 m, body mass of 77.6 ± 15.6 kg, BMI of 25.2 ± 4.1 kg/m², wingspan of 175.6 ± 10.5 cm, and grip strength of 43.9 ± 12.3 kg. Mean Stein holding performance was 139.3 ± 51.5 seconds. Across the full sample, grip strength demonstrated the strongest association with holding performance (r = 0.65, p<0.001), while body mass and wingspan showed moderate positive correlations (r = 0.49 and r = 0.41, p<0.001; respectively). Among males, grip strength had the strongest association with holding performance, although the relationship was weaker than in the combined sample (r = 0.47, p<0.001). In females, body mass and BMI exhibited the strongest associations with performance (r = 0.44, p=0.04 and r = 0.42, p=0.04), followed by grip strength (r = 0.36, p=0.09).
Conclusion: Grip strength, an indicator of overall muscular strength and function, was most strongly associated with Stein holding performance overall and in males. While grip strength remains influential in females, anthropometric factors such as body mass, and BMI appear to play a relatively greater role, suggesting potential sex-specific differences in performance characteristics.
Holding Strong: Grip Strength and Anthropometric Associations with Stein Holding Performance at Xavier University
3rd floor - Library
During Xavier’s annual Oktoberfest (2025), participants tested upper‑body muscular endurance in the Rec Sports Stein Holding Competition by holding a ~5‑lb water‑filled stein in a standardized position as long as possible. This study examined the association between grip strength and anthropometric factors with Stein holding performance, with particular emphasis on sex-specific differences.
Methods: Sixty‑nine participants completed assessments of grip strength, body mass, height, body mass index (BMI), and wingspan. Stein‑holding performance was quantified as time to task failure, and correlations with anthropometric and strength variables were analyzed using IBM SPSS.
Results: Participants (67% male) had a mean height of 1.8 ± 0.1 m, body mass of 77.6 ± 15.6 kg, BMI of 25.2 ± 4.1 kg/m², wingspan of 175.6 ± 10.5 cm, and grip strength of 43.9 ± 12.3 kg. Mean Stein holding performance was 139.3 ± 51.5 seconds. Across the full sample, grip strength demonstrated the strongest association with holding performance (r = 0.65, p<0.001), while body mass and wingspan showed moderate positive correlations (r = 0.49 and r = 0.41, p<0.001; respectively). Among males, grip strength had the strongest association with holding performance, although the relationship was weaker than in the combined sample (r = 0.47, p<0.001). In females, body mass and BMI exhibited the strongest associations with performance (r = 0.44, p=0.04 and r = 0.42, p=0.04), followed by grip strength (r = 0.36, p=0.09).
Conclusion: Grip strength, an indicator of overall muscular strength and function, was most strongly associated with Stein holding performance overall and in males. While grip strength remains influential in females, anthropometric factors such as body mass, and BMI appear to play a relatively greater role, suggesting potential sex-specific differences in performance characteristics.
