Grip Strength Represents Total Muscular Strength in a Sample of Young University Students from the City of Bogotá, Colombia

There is no conclusive evidence determining whether grip strength (GS) correctly represents total muscular strength (MS) in young university students. To determine the correlation between GS and total MS of a sample of university students from the city of Bogota, Colombia, a descriptive and cross-sectional study was carried out on 191 students from the University Foundation of the Andean area, located in Bogota, Colombia. GS was measured using a model T.K.K.540 dynamometer. The total MS was evaluated through the assessment of one-repetition maximums (1RM) in five different exercises. The five exercises were assessed in the following order: bench press, squats on the Smith Machine, military press, leg press, and pull down. Following the assessment, the results of the individual tests were summed together and divided by five in order to estimate a variable known as the general strength index. Results were evaluated for correlations between the variables using the Pearson correlation coefficient. The criteria to interpret the strength of association were as follows: small (0.1-0.3), medium (0.3-0.5), large (0.5-1.0). In women, large correlation was present between GS and general strength index (r= 0.894; p=0.001). In men, this correlation was medium (r= 0.492; p=0.001).