
Abstract
The relationship between trunk strength and athletic performance is well known.
In the past, trunk strength and athletic performance were measured in field
tests. Previous studies encouraged sport-specific analyses. The goal of this
study was to investigate whether there is a relation between ergometrically
measured treadmill or bicycle endurance and isokinetic trunk strength. This
retrospective analysis included 1334 bicycle and 1838 treadmill ergometry
examinations in 1149 subjects. Bicycle and treadmill ergometer performance were
analysed in relation to isokinetic trunk strength. Statistics were performed by
Pearson correlation and mixed or generalised linear models. Higher treadmill and
bicycle power correlated with higher isokinetic trunk strength, with highest
absolute trunk strength in the treadmill group. For both running and cycling
endurance, a positive correlation with trunk strength could be quantified in
regression models. Increased ergometry endurance and lower
flexion/extension ratios are connected weakly. Ergometry performance had
the strongest correlation with extension trunk strength
(r=0.312–0.398 for bicycle ergometry and
r=0.168–0.229 for treadmill ergometry, p<0.001). We
encourage prospective studies using both kinds of ergometry to evaluate the
effect of trunk strengthening to enhance sport-specific endurance performance.
Weight-adapted trunk strength values showed overall greater correlation to trunk
strength and we recommend the use of weight-adapted values.
Key words
trunk strength - endurance - ergometry - athletic performance - training