Abstract:

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the total muscle strength and anthropometric indicators in militaries of the Brazilian Army. The study included 50 soldiers of the Brazilian Army, aged between 19 and 25 years, body mass 71.2 ± 9.1 kg, height 1.75 ± 0.1 m, the Army Physical Training Center soldiers. Anthropometric measurements were: total body mass (TBM) and height. Body composition measures were lean body mass (LBM), fat body mass (FBM), and percentage of body fat (%BF), measured by dual energy ray Absorptiometry (DEXA). It also calculated the body mass index (kg/m2). It was considered as total muscle strength the sum of flexion and extension torque peaks of shoulder, trunk and knee, evaluated in digital isokinetic dynamometer Biodex® S4 Pro. The bivariate Pearson correlation coefficients indicated that there is significant correlation between total muscle strength and all measures except the FBM and %BF (p < 0.05), and found the strongest correlation with LBM measures, TBM and height explaining (R2) 68.89%, 48.30% and 37.70%, respectively. In sumary, these anthropometric indicators are best correlated with total muscle strength.

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