Muscle strengths in relation to fat storage rate in young men

Abstract

Hand-grip strength, elbow flexion strength, trunk extension strength and knee extension strength, and body composition (measured by densitometry) were measured in 59 male students (mean 19.2 years) in order to compare the muscle strength of obese men, in relation to fat storage rate (% fat), with those of non-obese men. Their % fat ranged from 6.2–35.6%. Correlations of body weight and lean body mass were found to be significant with each muscle strength. Our findings presented that obese men had lower muscle strengths for body weight and lean body mass than non-obese men do. This might be the result of two characteristics, inactivity and weak willpower, of obese men. Besides, the 20% fat of threshold of obesity for men proposed by Behnke and Wilmore was reasonable from the viewpoint of the muscle strength because of the differences between group D (18.8% fat) and group E (23.8% fat).