(43) HOW DO THE INTRACOMPETITION STRATEGIES DIFFER BETWEEN PARA-POWERLIFTING WINNERS AND OTHER MEDAL WINNING ATHLETES?

Introduction: Para-powerlifting (PPL) has gained popularity since it was introduced at the 1984 Paralympic games. PPL only includes the bench press and involves athletes with a physical or neurological condition that meet PPL criteria. Limited research exists on competition strategies in PPL, but evidence in able-bodied PL suggests that successful athletes can accurately estimate their 1 repetition maximum (1RM) and lift closer to it during competition, which increases their lift success and subsequent chances of winning.

Purpose: The aim of the study is to determine whether PPL athletes who lift closer to their 1RM have better competition outcomes than those who do not, and quantify the odds of success based on their relative lift success.

Methods: Data was sourced from the openpowerlifting.org database ranging from November 1964 to September 2021. Athletes who competed in at least one World Para-Powerlifting event, placed in the top three, and had complete records of age, sex, body weight, body weight category, and competitive lifts attempts were extracted for the analysis. Athletes were classified as Gold Medallists (GM: 1^st place) or Silver and Bronze Medallists (SBM: 2^nd or 3^rd place) and given a score based on successful lift attempts. Relative lift intensity was calculated by dividing the athletes greatest successful lift by each lift attempt. A one-way ANOVA was used to determine the significance of differences between groups. Binary logistic regression was used to determine the efficacy of these variables as predictors of competitive success. Approval for this project was granted by the Edith Cowan University Human Research Ethics Committee (approval no.2021-02737-LATELLA).

Results: Overall, 2,774 individual results were included in the analysis. Within the male category, a difference was observed in the mean best lift achieved (p< 0.001) by GM compared to SBM athletes, but not for mean age (p=0.290) or mean body weight (p=0.555). A similar difference was observed in the female category with respect to their mean best lift (p< 0.001), but not for mean age (p=0.059) or mean body weight (p=0.986). Relative attempt weight was significantly lower for each lift in the GM group (1^st attempt: GM=95.5% vs SBM=96.1%; p< 0.001, 2^nd attempt: GM=99.2% vs SBM=100.0%; p< 0.001, 3^rd attempt: GM=101.9% vs SBM=102.9%; p< 0.001). The odds of achieving a GM tended to increase with each successful lift attempt, regardless of sex or weight class. The largest odds were associated with the open female category, who increase their odds of achieving a GM by a factor of 9.62 when successfully completing all three competition lifts. Similarly, males competing in the open body weight category increase their odds of achieving a GM by a factor of 7.87 when successfully completing all three competition lifts.

Discussion: On average, athletes who achieve a GM attempted each lift at a more conservative percentage of their actual competition 1RM than SBMs. This makes them more likely to complete three successful lift attempts, which increases their odds of competitive success.

Practical Applications: PPL athletes should participate in training activities that best prepare them to estimate competition day 1RM. Preferencing a slightly conservative, cumulative attempt approach may increase the likelihood of competitive success.

Acknowledgements: None