Muscle power differences between upper and lower limbs in adolescent athletes: an approach of expert researchers

We have previously demonstrated the relation between the biological maturation (BM) and the power of both upper (ULP) and lower limbs (LLP) in young athletes. We have also observed that the BM has a higher influence on the ULP, and the LLP is more prone to changes in hormonal and morphological factors. However, we have not yet compared the power of upper limbs and lower limbs in relation to the BM stage to verify whether the BM exerts more relation on the muscle power of a segment of the body. To attend this question, in this transverse study we have analyzed the relative muscle power from 241 young athletes (male: 57%, female: 43%, 12.3 ± 1.7 years) in relation to the BM stages of—delayed, synchronized and advanced. The ULP was verified by the medicine ball test and the LLP was verified by jump test in strength platform. Measures were standardized in Watts. The ULP was superior than LLP when individuals were at the late (male: p