A Comparison of Body Composition, Upper-Body, and Hand Grip Strength among Royal Thai Army Cadets with Different Pull-Up Performance

Abstract

Pramkratok W, Prajongjai V, Songsupap T. A Comparison of Body Composition, Upper-Body, and Hand Grip Strength among Royal Thai Army Cadets with Different Pull-Up Performance. JEPonline 2024;27(2):19-27. This study compared body composition, upper-body strength, and hand grip strength (HGS) among Royal Thai Army cadets (RTACs) with different levels of pull-up performance (PUP). Twenty-six male RTACs who performed pull-ups either lower than or equal to 12 times (LPG, n = 13) and higher than 12 times (HPG, n = 13) volunteered to participate in this study. In a cross-sectional experimental design, measurements included PUP, body composition, relative one-repetition maximum lat pull (1RM Lat Pull·BW-1), repetitions to failure in lat pull at body weight load (Lat Pull at BW-load), and HGS test. An independent sample t-test was used to determine the mean difference between the groups with statistical significance set at P < 0.05. The results indicated that HPG demonstrated significantly greater performance in PUP, dominant HGS, non-dominant HGS, 1RM Lat Pull·BW-1, and Lat Pull at BW-load compared to LPG, while HPG exhibited significantly lower percentage body fat PBF compared to LPG (all, P < 0.001). These findings suggest that training programs focused on reducing fat, strengthening pulling muscles, and improving grip strength may enhance PUP.