Harnessing Peak Power And Balance Proficiency To Excel In Masters Weightlifting

The relationship between countermovement jump (CMJ) and Olympic weightlifting (OWL) performance has been studied in younger athletes. Empirically, given the challenges to balance, heightened balance proficiency (BP), particularly under challenging sensory and motor conditions, could also be related to OWL success. PURPOSE: To evaluate whether CMJ peak power (PP), moderated by BP, could predict OWL performance in Masters athletes and whether the effect of CMJ PP is stronger in higher performing athletes regardless of age. METHODS: Male (n = 63, ages 39-70) and female (n = 33, ages 35-73) athletes competing in the 2022 World Master Weightlifting Championships (Orlando, FL) volunteered to undergo 30s balance testing (2 trials) on foam surface with eyes closed while center of pressure (CP) was recorded (100 Hz). The average CP velocity was used to reflect BP. Following a dynamic warm-up, 3 maximal effort CMJ repetitions were completed while vertical ground reaction forces were recorded from which PP (W‧kg-1) was computed. Quantile regression models were used to examine the association of age, PP, and BP with the total weight lifted standardized by body mass and sex (GAMX). RESULTS: Peak power and balance proficiency were not correlated (r = -0.06). Better PP was associated with better weightlifting performance in median regression models (coefficient = 1.16, se = 0.33, p = 0.003) while performance declined with increasing age (coefficient = -1.66, se = 0.30, p < 0.001). The effect of peak power was stronger for better athletes as measured by quantiles of GAMX. The coefficient for peak power increased by 64% from the 25th percentile (1.06) to the 85th percentile (1.75). Worse BP moderated the effect of peak power (coefficient = -0.03, se =0.03) but it was not statistically significant (p = 0.459). CONCLUSIONS: Peak power was associated with weightlifting performance, and it had a larger effect for Masters weightlifters with top weightlifting performances than for lower-level weightlifters.