A Comparison of Selected Isokinetic Training Velocities on the Development of Muscular Power in College Women

The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of three different isokinetic velocities on the development of muscular power. Seventy-five college females were matched into four equal groups according to the average of their pre-test scores on the Vertical Power Jump Test and the Power Staircase Test. Group I served as the control group, while all 3 of the experimental groups performed the same isokinetic exercise at different pre-set rates of speed. Groups II, III and IV worked at the selected rates of .8, 2.3 and 3.9 inches per second respectively. All four groups were pre-tested and post-tested on a Vertical Power Jump Test and a Power Staircase Test to determine the effect of a six-week training program on power in the ankle-knee-hip extensor groups. An analysis of covariance was utilized to determine the effect of the predetermined isokinetic speeds on the performance of leg power on both the two power tests. The Scheffe Multiple Range Test was employed to determine the nature of the specific difference in the study. A Product Moment correlation coefficient was calculated to estimate the relationship which existed between the Vertical Power Jump Test and the Power Staircase Test. The main findings of this study were: 1. The three different pre-set isokinetic rates of speed significantly improved muscular power in the ankle-knee-hip extensor groups. 2. Although all three selected isokinetic speeds improved leg power, no one speed was significantly more effective as revealed by the results on the two power tests. 3. The Vertical Power Jump Test and the Power Staircase Test correlated for the measurement of muscular power by the ankle-knee-hip extensor muscle groups at the .01 level of significance.