Abstract:

Introduction: Obtaining information on muscle strength and the proportion of muscle fibers are crucial for the process of planning and prescribing physical training. Different types of tests are used to measure muscle strength and the individual predominance of muscle fibers, whether considered gold standard or those that estimate variables indirectly, with acceptable validity and reliability in the literature. Objective: To explore and present the methods and/or indirect tests proposed in the literature to estimate dynamic muscle strength and the predominance of muscle fibers. Materials and Methods: The following databases were used: US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health (PubMed) and Google Scholar. No specific search methods were used, only studies dealing with the research topic. Discussion: Different types of tests and/or indirect methods are proposed in the literature that present positive results when compared to direct tests. Determining that the use of these tests and/or methods may be useful in the practice of coaches, athletes and researchers. Conclusion: It is considered that the test of one repetition maximum (1RM) can be the best alternative to estimate the dynamic muscular strength. While for muscle fiber predominance, muscle resistance test has been presented as a potential method for estimating the proportion of muscle fibers. However, more studies are needed to obtain concrete information about the predominance of muscle fibers through this test.

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