PhD, Associate Professor I.N. Nikulin¹
I.A. Matyushenko²
A.V. Antonov³
PhD, Associate Professor A.V. Posokhov^1
1Belgorod State National Research University, Belgorod
²Bauman Moscow State Technical University, Moscow
³Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (National Research University), Dolgoprudny, Moscow Region

Objective of the study was to identify differences between special strength fitness levels of armwrestlers of the middle (80-85 kg) and heavy (up to 110 kg and over 110 kg) weight categories.
Methods and structure of the study. Sampled for the study were 24 armwrestlers aged 18-42 years who were divided into 2 weight categories and 2 groups depending on their skill levels. Group I (n=12) included the athletes with the sports titles "World Class Master of Sport" and "Master of Sport of Russia". Group II (n=12) was made of the athletes with the sports qualifications of Class I athletes and Candidate Masters of Sport. Group A (middle weight category) included the athletes (n=12) with the body mass of 78 to 85 kg, Group B (heavy weight category) – 105 kg and over (n=12). The subjects’ special strength abilities were assessed using the tensodynamometry method.
Results and conclusions. The skilled armwrestlers and athletes of the heavy weight category (up to 110 kg and over 110 kg) were found to have significantly higher special strength fitness rates as compared to those of the middle weight category (80-85 kg). The largest differences between the mean strength values were found in the muscles involved in the forearm pronation, shoulder pronation, and wrist abduction (p<0.01). The smallest differences were found in the strength of the finger flexor muscles, forearm flexor muscles in the supine position, and wrist flexor muscles (p<0.05). The armwrestlers of the heavy weight category left those of the middle weight category behind in all the control tests.

Keywords: armwrestling, strength fitness, weight categories, strength topography.

References

1. Voronkov A.V., Nikulin I.N., Sobyanin F.I. K voprosu o kontrole sovershenstvovaniya silovoy podgotovlennosti studentov, zanimayushchikhsya armsportom [On monitoring of improvement of strength training of students involved in armwrestling]. Fizicheskoe vospitanie studentov. 2014. No. 2. p. 49-52.
2. Matyushenko I.A., Nikulin I.N., Antonov A.V. et al. Modelnye kharakteristiki silovykh pokazateley otdelnykh myshechnykh grupp armrestlerov razlichnoy kvalifikatsii [Model characteristics of strength of individual muscle groups of armwrestlers of different qualifications] Teoriya i praktika fiz. kultury. 2020. No.8. pp. 19-21.
3. Podrigalo L.V. Monitoring funktsionalnogo sostoyaniya sportsmenov v armsporte: mediko-biologicheskie i sportivno-pedagogicheskie aspekty [Monitoring of functional condition of armwrestlers: biomedical and sports-pedagogical aspects]. Kharkov: KhNMU publ., 2010, 149 p.
4. Posokhov A.V., Nikulin I.N., Kadutskaya L.A., Malakhov V.A. Analiz antropometricheskikh pokazateley armrestlerov razlichnykh vesovykh kategoriy kak faktora uspeshnosti vystupleniya na vserossiyskikh sorevnovaniyakh [Armwrestlers’ anthropometric analysis in different weight classes for success in national competitions]. Teoriya i praktika fiz. kultury. 2018. No. 7. pp. 69-71. 
5. Akpina S., Zileli R., Senyüzlü Е. et al. Anthropological and Perceptual Predictors Affecting the Ranking in Arm Wrestling Competition Predictores Antropológicos y Perceptuales que Afectan la Clasificación en la Competencia de Fuerza. International Journal of Morphology. 2013;31(3):832-838.
6. Podrihalo О.О., Podrigalo L.V., Bezkorovainyi D.O., Halashko O.I., Nikulin I.N., Kadutskaya L.A., Jagiello М. The analysis of handgrip strength and somatotype features in arm wrestling athletes with different skill levels. (2020) Physical education of students, 2020;24(2):64–70. https://doi.org/10.15561/20755279.2020.0201.