RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN POWER AND STRENGTH OF THE UPPER AND LOWER LIMB MUSCLES AND THROWING VELOCITY IN MALE HANDBALL PLAYERS MOHAMED SOUHAIEL CHELLY, 1,2 SOUHAIL HERMASSI, 1 AND ROY J. SHEPHARD 3 1 Research Unit ‘‘Evaluation and Analysis of Factors Influencing Sport Performance’’, Higher Institute of Sport and Physical Education of Ksar Said, Tunis, Tunisia; 2 Higher Institute of Sport and Physical Education of Ksar Said, Tunis, Tunisia; and 3 Faculty of Physical Education & Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada ABSTRACT Chelly, MS, Hermassi, S, and Shephard, RJ. Relationships between power and strength of the upper and lower limb muscles and throwing velocity in male handball players. J Strength Cond Res 24(6): 1480–1487, 2010—This study aimed to investigate relationships between peak power (PP) as measured by upper limb (PP UL ) and lower limb (PP LL ) force– velocity tests, maximal upper limb force assessed by 1 repeti- tion maximum bench press (1RM BP ), and pullover (1RM PO ) exercises, estimates of local muscle volume and 3-step running handball throwing velocity (T 3-Steps ). Fourteen male handball players volunteered for the investigation (age: 19.6 6 0.6 years; body mass: 86.7 6 12.9 kg; and height 1.87 6 0.07 m). Lower and upper limb force–velocity tests were performed on appropriately modified forms of a Monark cycle ergometer, with measurement of PP UL and PP LL , and the corresponding respective maximal forces (F 0UL and F 0LL ) and velocities (V 0UL and V 0LL ). T 3-Steps was assessed using a radar Stalker ATS system TM . Muscle volumes of the upper and lower limbs were estimated with a standard anthropometric kit. T 3-Steps was closely related to absolute PP UL and to F 0UL (r = 0.69, p , 0.01 for both relationships). T 3-Steps was also moderately related to 1RM BP and 1RM PO (r = 0.56, p , 0.05; r = 0.55, p , 0.05 respectively), and to PP LL and F 0LL (r = 0.56, p , 0.05; r = 0.62, p , 0.05, respectively). When PP LL was expressed per unit of limb muscle volume, the relationship with T 3-Steps disappeared. This suggests the importance of muscle volume to performance in throwing events. Force–velocity data may prove useful in regulating conditioning and rehabilitation programs for handball players. Our results also highlight the contribution of both the lower and the upper limbs to handball throwing velocity, suggesting the need for coaches to include upper and lower limb strength and power programs when improving the throwing velocity of handball players. KEY WORDS force–velocity test, maximal repetition tests, muscle volume, anthropometry, resistance conditioning INTRODUCTION H andball is a strenuous contact sport that emphasizes running, jumping, sprinting, throw- ing, hitting, blocking, and pushing (6). Basic (body mass, body height, and body mass index) and specific (hand) anthropometric characteristics are important to technical and tactical skills (25), but elite performance also demands strength and power in both the upper and the lower limb muscles. An early study by Fleck et al. (5) demonstrated the relationship of handball throwing velocity to upper extremity isokinetic torque. More recently, greater medicine ball throw scores were noted in girls and boys selected for handball teams relative to those who were not selected (14). Throwing performance is thus a key to success (11,21), with maximal isometric strength serving as one laboratory correlate of throwing velocity in both sexes (6,21). Nevertheless, isometric testing is a less than optimal method of evaluating a dynamic act such as handball throwing, and it could underestimate the potential perfor- mance of the muscles involved. Others have examined rela- tionships between ball throwing velocity and the strength, power, and bar velocity of the upper extremity as measured in concentric-only bench press exercises (7,8). Concentric- only contractions are again rare during handball, a succession of eccentric–concentric muscle contractions being more typical of normal play. The ‘‘pullover’’ seems the most relevant field test for a handball player. No one has previously studied the power of the upper and lower limbs in relation to handball throwing; however, there have been a few such studies of swimmers. Swimming depends on the power developed by both the upper and the lower limbs, especially in short distance events. Thus, Wingate Test measurements of power for the upper and the Address correspondence to Dr. Mohamed Souhaiel Chelly, csouhaiel@ yahoo.fr. 24(6)/1480–1487 Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research Ó 2010 National Strength and Conditioning Association 1480 Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research the TM