A comparative study of power lifting performance levels between sighted lifters and lifters with visual impairments at the elite level.Introduction The Paralympic Games Par·a·lym·pic Games pl.n. An international competition for athletes with disabilities. [para-1 + (O)lympic. afford athletes with visual impairments Visual Impairment Definition Total blindness is the inability to tell light from dark, or the total inability to see. Visual impairment or low vision is a severe reduction in vision that cannot be corrected with standard glasses or contact lenses and and other physical challenges opportunities to compete at the international level in an Olympic-style competition. The world's second largest sporting event, the 1996 Paralympic Games in Atlanta, consisted of 3,500 athletes from 127 countries competing in 17 events and 2 demonstration sports. These events included track and field, swimming, table tennis, shooting, and weight lifting weight lifting, international sport, also a training technique for athletes in other sports. From the earliest times men have lifted weights as a test of strength. . The focus of this study was the event of power lifting and U.S. Iifters with visual impairments competing at the elite level in preparation for the next Paralympic Games. Power lifting involves the lifting of maximal max·i·mal adj. 1. Of, relating to, or consisting of a maximum. 2. Being the greatest or highest possible. poundages in three specific lifts: squat, bench press, and dead lift. With the complex levels of kinesthetic kin·es·the·sia n. The sense that detects bodily position, weight, or movement of the muscles, tendons, and joints. [Greek k awareness involved in the successful performance of these lifts, there is some question as to how visual impairment might affect the lifter's ability to perform in comparison to an elite level, sighted athlete. It is not known if previous studies have compared athletes with visual impairments with sighted athletes in this particular event. The Study Subjects The study involved five males and three females, all with visual impairments, competing at the U.S. National Championships U.S. National Championships may refer to:
altitude sickness or mountain sickness Acute reaction to a change from low altitudes to altitudes above 8,000 ft (2,400 m). . Each participant gave verbal consent to participate in this study. Training volume leading up to the competition consisted of 3-5 days per week at high intensity. Mean Subject Characteristics For the male athletes participating in this study, subject characteristics were as follows: age--17.5 with a range of 23-48 years; height--55.4"; weight--235.75 pounds; body composition was not estimated. Subject characteristics for the female athletes in this study: age--30.6 with a range of 17-38 years; height--64.3"; weight--156.67 pounds; body composition was not estimated. Testing Procedures Each athlete was weighed in. The athletes were verbally interviewed by a member of the research staff and the information gained was recorded on paper. Each athlete participated in the three lifts previously mentioned, with both individual and cumulative poundage POUNDAGE, practice. The amount allowed to the sheriff, or other officer, for commissions on, the money made by virtue of an execution. This allowance varies in different states, and to different officers. being recorded. Results There are several delimitations related to the outcome of this study. The athletes were tested on one occasion only. The singular test results make it difficult to ascertain the degree of validity of the statistical outcome. Also, the altitude altitude, vertical distance of an object above some datum plane, such as mean sea level or a reference point on the earth's surface. It is usually measured by the reduction in atmospheric pressure with height, as shown on a barometer or altimeter. of the testing facility may have had a detrimental det·ri·men·tal adj. Causing damage or harm; injurious. det  ri·men effect on the level of performance.
In addition to the above factors, several elements related to quality of training may have skewed skewed curve of a usually unimodal distribution with one tail drawn out more than the other and the median will lie above or below the mean. skewed Epidemiology adjective Referring to an asymmetrical distribution of a population or of data the test results. These elements included: training age, accessibility to and quality of training facilities, training protocol, and availability of professional coaching. Implications The results from this study showed that there were significant differences between performance levels of both sighted power lifters and lifters with visual impairments. Implications from this research show that athletes with visual impairments and their coaches must make some modifications to the training programs they are using. Factors of major concern in training programs for power lifters with visual impairments include: Training Many of the athletes surveyed did not follow a daily periodized workout Workout Informal repayment or loan forgiveness arrangement between a borrower and creditors. workout 1. The process of a debtor's meeting a loan commitment by satisfying altered repayment terms. schedule, nor was it evident that many had an understanding of proper nutrition proper nutrition, n in Tibetan medicine, a therapeutic concept that begins with a digestive formulation because it is believed that a medical condition is primarily the result of a nutritional dysfunction or disturbance in the process of delivering nutrients. during training. To compete at the elite level, it is imperative that these training principles be followed. Periodization Periodization is the attempt to categorize or divide time into discrete named blocks. The result is a descriptive abstraction that provides a useful handle on periods of time with relatively stable characteristics. is extremely important in order for the athlete to develop maximum strength and reach a peak at the appropriate time. An excellent resource for setting up a periodized training regime is, Theory and Methodology of Training by Todor Bompa. Coaching A lack of qualified coaches willing to work with athletes who are blind or visually impaired needs to be addressed. Aside from the national coach, many of the lifters did not have a qualified coach working with them on a regular basis. Many of the training problems would be cured if a knowledgeable coach were available to work with the athletes on a daily basis. The solution to this problem lies in recruiting and educating more coaches, then encouraging them to work with and train students and athletes who are visually impaired. Accessibility Training facilities, coaching, and quality equipment are not always easily accessible to those with disabilities. Accessibility was a problem for the lifters in this study. Many athletes had difficulty both finding a place to train that had proper equipment and arranging transportation to get to the facility. Accessibility was the largest problem these athletes faced and is one of the most difficult to solve because it involves not only changing people's ideas regarding individuals with disabilities, but it also involves a considerable amount of money. Many athletes are on very tight budgets and cannot afford to spend large amounts of their own money on power lifting--equipment, coaching, and facility memberships. Grants and sponsorships are the only ways many of these athletes would be able to afford to train at the level necessary to be competitive internationally. Complete Details Monique Berry, Rebecca Ballinger, Terri Booth, Chris Emmons, Randall Longoria, Steve Knight Steve, Steven or Stephen Knight is the name of:
Adams State College is a small state-supported liberal arts college in Alamosa, Colorado, U.S., in Colorado's San Luis Valley. Adams State was founded in 1921 as a teacher's college but now offers a variety of programs including masters degrees in many fields. , Alamosa, CO 81102.
A comparison of male participants' total poundages compared to
national records for sighted athletes produced the following
results:
Name Wt Bench Squat Dead Total National
Class (lbs) (lbs) Lift (lbs) Class
(lbs) Ranking
Garland 319 451 572 451 1474 Class I
(National record
for sighted
athletes) 633.75 854.25 821 2166.02
Cody 242 401.5 533.5 528 1490.5 Class I
(National record
for sighted
athletes) 545.5 832 788 2155
Steve 220 401.5 462 517 1380.5 Class I
(National record
for sighted
athletes) 512 760 793 2000.5
Nick 198 231 313.5 528 1072.5 Class III
(National record
for sighted
athletes) 507 799 782 1912
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