The Importance of Muscular Strength in Athletic Performance
Key Findings (abstract)
Higher muscular strength is strongly linked to better force-time characteristics, and these feed into an athlete's overall performance
Much research supports that greater strength enhances general sport skills — jumping, sprinting and change-of-direction tasks; stronger athletes also produce superior performances in sport-specific tasks
More strength lets an individual potentiate sooner and to a larger degree, and it lowers the risk of injury
Strength can be monitored with isometric, dynamic and reactive strength tests; relative strength can be classified into strength-deficit, strength-association and strength-reserve phases — the phase an individual is in may directly affect performance level and training emphasis
The authors: there appears to be "no substitute for greater muscular strength" for improving performance across general and sport-specific skills while reducing injury risk — hence long-term training strategies that promote the greatest strength within each sport's context
Weightlifting derivatives (snatch/clean variations) as efficient power/RFD tools are discussed in the full text (full text; not checked against the abstract)
Practical Application
Narrative review (Suchomel, Nimphius, Stone): greater maximal strength is strongly associated with better force-time characteristics, better jumping/sprinting/change-of-direction and sport-specific performance, earlier and larger potentiation, and lower injury risk; the authors find no substitute for it. For an endurance masters athlete: strength is the base layer under power, economy (REF-078) and injury resilience
Heavy compound strength work (squat/deadlift/press). Not from this paper; the base's own practice: loads around ≥85% 1RM for strength/RFD without obligatory hypertrophy — dose and frequency per REF-513/514
First a base of strength → then plyometrics (REF-518) converts it into power; the abstract's "potentiate earlier and to a greater extent" is the mechanism
Where you sit on the strength-deficit / strength-association / strength-reserve continuum decides the emphasis: a weak athlete gains most from getting stronger, a strong one from specific power. Inference from the abstract's phase model
Weightlifting derivatives are optional (technique is complex); basic lifts suffice for most masters. Not from this paper; the base's own practice
Limitations
Narrative review; the optimal strength "dose" for an endurance athlete vs a strength athlete differs and is not given here
In an endurance masters athlete, strength competes for recovery resources with endurance (interference, REF-512)
The abstract carries no numbers
How this entry was checked and changed
Why this level
regraded 2026-09-27 from A: narrative review without systematic method (leading strength-science group)
Content correction 2026-09-27
"≥85% 1RM" labelled as the base's own practice; "weightlifting derivatives develop power/RFD efficiently" labelled as full text
Added the abstract's potentiation, injury-risk and strength-phase (deficit/association/reserve) content
Level A -> B+ (narrative review); Sport line "strength, sprint" -> "strength, general"