Science for practice

Body Composition and Physical Working Capacity of the Strongest Weightlifters of the USSR

S. V. Stepanova, All-Union Research Institute of Physical Culture (VNIIFK); A. F. Sinyakov, O. N. Belina, State Central Institute of Physical Culture (GTsOLIFK)

English summary of Tyazhelaya Atletika. Ezhegodnik 1983 (Moscow: Fizkultura i Sport, 1983), pp. 29–31: the text is paraphrased, not translated; data tables are given in full with English labels.

Aim: reference values for body composition and sport-specific working capacity, from USSR team lifters observed over several years. There were no norms before.
Methods: Matiegka's method (1921) with caliper skinfolds (Lutovinova, Utkina, Chtetsov, 1970). Working capacity measured as N170 in the authors' special test (described in the 1982 yearbook).
New index: muscle-fat index = muscle mass ÷ fat mass. Its mean ranged from 3.69 (over 110 kg) to 7.07 (52 kg).
Using the data individualised training and improved preparation for major meets.

Table 1. Muscle and fat mass

Class, kg	n	Muscle mass, kg				Muscle mass, % of bodyweight				Fat mass, kg				Fat mass, % of bodyweight				Muscle-fat index
Class, kg	n	x̄	σ	max	min	x̄	σ	max	min	x̄	σ	max	min	x̄	σ	max	min	x̄	σ	max	min
52	44	30.13	1.44	33.33	27.0	53.64	1.97	58.47	49.8	4.35	0.75	6.4	3.1	7.75	1.39	11.6	5.5	7.07	1.28	10.25	4.6
56	66	32.77	2.27	38.9	28.2	54.95	2.63	62.2	48.6	4.86	0.79	7.4	3.68	8.33	1.30	12.3	6.18	6.68	1.14	9.66	4.3
60	54	35.86	1.60	39.99	32.7	56.11	2.16	61.52	51.7	5.4	1.36	9.77	3.97	7.99	1.96	15.26	6.33	6.89	1.29	9.4	3.5
67.5	37	39.73	1.76	42.9	35.4	55.74	1.82	59.44	51.69	6.43	0.83	8.52	5.0	8.93	1.10	11.6	6.9	6.25	0.91	8.5	4.6
75	58	43.84	2.11	48.8	39.07	56.73	2.56	61.7	50.7	6.92	1.11	10.6	4.72	8.94	1.45	14.1	6.1	6.53	1.25	9.65	3.9
82.5	42	47.69	3.10	54.47	42.57	57.26	2.78	63.34	51.27	7.57	2.10	14.5	5.34	8.99	1.52	16.8	6.36	6.58	1.33	9.00	3.2
90	47	52.75	2.73	57.9	45.8	57.69	2.52	61.5	50.3	8.5	2.28	14.6	4.49	9.26	1.94	15.6	7.0	6.61	2.08	12.65	3.4
100	62	56.7	3.47	65.8	49.72	56.09	2.98	62.6	48.7	11.15	3.17	20.7	5.8	11.01	3.24	20.9	5.8	5.47	1.74	10.5	2.4
110	58	61.12	3.43	65.9	49.2	55.55	3.29	61.5	48.5	13.46	2.78	20.11	7.3	12.29	2.30	17.49	6.9	4.91	1.34	8.8	2.6
over 110	42	74.87	6.08	86.02	59.6	53.51	3.55	59.31	43.9	22.29	5.65	38.19	13.6	16.23	3.84	26.16	9.48	3.69	1.04	6.25	1.7

Table 2. Working capacity (N170), sport-specific tests

Class, kg	n	N170, kgm/min				N170, kgm/min per kg bodyweight
Class, kg	n	x̄	σ	max	min	x̄	σ	max	min
52	24	854.8	352.9	1794.4	436.0	15.2	5.9	31	7.9
56	26	1141.9	223.3	1601.0	723.0	18.4	3.5	27.5	13.6
60	24	1196.4	238.3	1807.1	887.0	18.3	3.9	28.7	13.4
67.5	14	1167.3	414.5	1855.7	475.0	16.5	5.3	25.7	6.9
75	23	1304.4	275.2	1805.1	753.5	16.8	3.3	22.8	10.1
82.5	13	1379.8	265.2	1925.6	1070.8	16.5	3.9	23.4	10.5
90	19	1565.7	475.0	2702.2	973.0	17.4	5.0	28.7	10.4
100	20	1473.7	296.5	2152.7	1058.3	14.8	3.6	23.7	10.4
110	16	1634.4	308.5	2212.0	1142.0	14.8	2.3	20.2	12.1
over 110	14	2008.9	406.2	2887.2*	1534.5	14.6	3.0	22.2	11.9

* Printed as “2887 2” in the digitised source (decimal separator lost); most probably 2887.2.