Vol. 89, Issue 3, 1061-1064, September 2000
Gender- and height-related limits of muscle strength in world
weightlifting champions
Lincoln E.
Ford1,
Alvin
J.
Detterline1,
Kevin K.
Ho1, and
Wenyuan
Cao2
1 Krannert Institute of Cardiology, Department of Medicine,
Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana 46202;
and 2 China National Research Institute of Sports Science,
Beijing, China 100061
To assess factors that limit human
muscle strength and growth, we examined the relationship between
performance and body dimensions in the world weightlifting champions of
1993-1997. Weight lifted varied almost exactly with height squared
(Ht2.16), suggesting that muscle mass scaled almost exactly
with height cubed (Ht3.16) and that muscle cross-sectional
area was closely correlated with body height, possibly because height
and the numbers of muscle fibers in cross section are determined by a
common factor during maturation. Further height limitations of muscle
strength were shown by only one male champion 
183 cm and no female
champions 175 cm. The ratio of weight lifted to mean body
cross-sectional area was approximately constant for body-weight classes
83 kg for men and 64 kg for women and decreased abruptly for higher weight classes. These findings suggest a nearly constant fraction of
body mass devoted to muscle in lighter lifters and a lesser fraction in
heavier lifters. Analysis also suggests that contractile tissue
comprises ~30% less body mass in female champions.
human; skeletal muscle; muscle fiber; athletics
