Effects of power endurance training on upper extremity muscle function and athletic performance in Thai wheelchair basketball athletes

Abstract

Introduction. This study aimed to investigate the effects of power and power endurance training on upper extremity muscle function and athletic performance in Thai wheelchair basketball (WB) athletes. Methods. Twenty-four WB athletes were divided into power (PO) and power endurance (PE) groups. All athletes were engaged in six weeks of upper extremities resistance training, twice weekly. The one-repetition maximum (1RM), maximum number of repetitions to failure (RTF) of the YMCA bench press test, prone bench pull (PBP) test, 20-metre sprint test, and maximal medicine ball throw were measured before and after. The PO training was at 70–80% of the 1RM, 5 sets of 4 repetitions, while the PE training was at 30–40% of the 1RM, 3 sets of 24 repetitions. The training load was set to increase by 5% of the 1RM every two weeks. Results. Bench press, shoulder press, lat pulldown, and shoulder internal and external rotation 1RM values all increased in PO training, while shoulder internal and external rotation 1RM values increased in PE training. The RTF for the PBP test was significantly improved in both groups. Only the PE training significantly improved the RTF for the YMCA bench press test. There was no statistically significant difference between groups on athletic performance after training. Conclusions. WB athletes benefit from power and power endurance training in a comparable manner to athletic performance. Power training significantly improves maximum strength, while power endurance significantly enhances muscular endurance, resulting in the ability to perform subsequent repetitive movements with adequate speed.