Rate of force development, lean body mass and throwing performance in female shot-put athletes

Aim of the study was to investigate the relationship between lower body rate of force development and lean body mass, with competitive shot-put throwing performance in female shot-putters using the linear style. Seven female shot-put athletes (age: 24.4 ± 4.2yrs, body height: 172.8 ± 5.2cm, body mass: 93.3 ± 10.5kg, 4.4 ± 2.0 years of competition experience), who qualified for the final of the shot-put event of the national indoor championship, participated in the study. Three days after the national event, they visited the laboratory to perform maximal isometric leg press for the measurement of the rate of force development (RFD), and maximal countermovement jumps (CMJ), while body composition (dual x-ray absorptiometry) was also evaluated. Shot-put performance was recorded from the official results during the national event. Close correlations were found between shot-put performance during competition and RFD between 100-250ms, maximum leg press isometric force, and CMJ power (r: 0.766-0.913, p < 0.05). Close correlations were also found between shot-put performance and total (r: 0.932, p < 0.005) and trunk (r: 0.885, p < 0.005) lean body mass (LBM). Lower extremities’ LBM was correlated with CMJ max power and RFD between 0-250ms from the onset of muscle contraction (r: 0.834-0.905, p < 0.05). These results suggest that monitoring leg press rate of force development, lean body mass and countermovement jumping power may provide important information about performance in female shot-putters who compete with the lineal style.