HOW TO MEASURE GYMNAST UPPER BODY RELATIVE STRENGTH ON STILL RINGS WITH A PAIR OF STRAIN GAUGES

Tom Lecocq; Arnaud Gouelle; Nicolas Tordi

doi:10.52165/sgj.17.2.233-241

Authors

Tom Lecocq Fédération Française de Gymnastique, Paris, France.
Arnaud Gouelle Laboratoire Performance, Santé, Métrologie, Société (PSMS), UFR STAPS, Reims, France
Nicolas Tordi Fédération Française de Gymnastique, Paris, France.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.52165/sgj.17.2.233-241

Keywords:

Artistic Gymnastics, Evaluation, Tool, Asymmetry, Force Plates

Abstract

Over the last few decades, the development of the Code of Points, which defines the values for each gymnastic skill as well as possible errors, has brought with it the ubiquitous need for strength and hold elements (Group II) and Swing to strength hold elements (Group III) in order to be competitive on the still rings. This apparatus will be crucial in the upcoming Olympic cycle, therefor it's important to keep a close eye on gymnasts’ progress. Despite being the gold standard, force plates are a costly and unwieldy piece of equipment for a federation interested in measuring strength. The purpose of this article is to determine how accurately the vertical component of the force produced by the gymnast (vForce) can be estimated using two strain gauges placed in the cables. 16 recreational gymnasts (32±11 years old, 74±7 kg, 173±6 cm) performed one maximal isometric contraction in the iron cross position. The tension in the cables were measured with a pair of strain gauges, while the vertical ground reaction force (vGRF) was recorded synchronously with a pair of force plates placed under the gymnast. The residuals of the tension are strongly correlated with the cable angle (R = 0.84), while the calculated vForce is completely uncorrelated with the cable angle (R = -0.09) and has a smaller systematic and random error (Bias ± LOA Range: -4.8N ± 13.3N). Strain gauges are valid instruments for measuring and monitoring the relative upper body force of gymnasts, provided that the cable angle is known and does not change during contraction.

Metrics

Metrics Loading ...

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Bango, B., Navandar, A., Grande, I., & Sillero-Quintana, M. (2017). Evaluation of isometric force production in L-sit cross in still rings among elite male artistic gymnasts. Journal of Human Sport and Exercise, 12(2). https://doi.org/10.14198/jhse.2017.122.02

Bango, B., Sillero-Quintana, M., & Grande, I. (2013). New tool to assess the force production in the swallow. Science of Gymnastics Journal, 5(3), 47 58.

Bradshaw, E. J., Hume, P. A., & Aisbett, B. (2012). Performance score variation between days at Australian national and Olympic women’s artistic gymnastics competition. Journal of Sports Sciences, 30(2), 191 199. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2011.633927

Carrara, P., Amadio, A. C., Serrão, J. C., Irwin, G., & Mochizuki, L. (2016). The cross on rings performed by an Olympic champion. Revista Brasileira de Educação Física e Esporte, 30(1), 71 77. https://doi.org/10.1590/1807-55092016000100071

Code of Points. (2025). Code of Points.

Dunlavy, J. K., Sands, W. A., McNeal, J. R., Stone, M. H., Smith, S. L., Jemni, M., & Haff, G. G. (2007). Strength performance assessment in a simulated men’s gymnastics still rings cross. J Sports Sci Med. 2007 Mar 1;6(1):93-7. PMID: 24149230; PMCID: PMC3778705.

Fujihara, T. (2023). Real-time video and force analysis feedback system for learning strength skills on rings in men’s artistic gymnastics. Sports Biomechanics, 22(2), 186 194. https://doi.org/10.1080/14763141.2021.2024873

Hübner, K., & Schärer, C. (2015). Relationship between swallow, support scale and iron cross on rings and their specific preconditioning strengthening exercises. Science of Gymnastics Journal, 7(3), 59-68.

Lecocq, T., Mochizuki, L., Gouelle, A., & Tordi, N. (2025). Validity and Reliability of two Strain Gauges to Measure Upper-Body Relative Strength in Gymnastics Still Rings. Science of Gymnastics Journal, 17(1), 139 151. https://doi.org/10.52165/sgj.17.1.139-151

Lehmann, T., Winter, A., Seemann-Sinn, A., & Naundorf, F. (2021). Use of objective methods to determine the holding time of hold elements on still rings. Science of Gymnastics Journal, 13(2), 181 189. https://doi.org/10.52165/sgj.13.2.181-189

Malíř, R., Chrudimský, J., Šteffl, M., & Stastny, P. (2023). A Systematic Review of Dynamic, Kinematic, and Muscle Activity during Gymnastic Still Rings Elements. Sports, 11(3), 50. https://doi.org/10.3390/sports11030050

Merz, C., Aarts, M., Lehmann, T., Seemann-Sinn, A., Pluk, A., & Naundorf, F. (2023). Force requirement profiles for swing to strength hold elements on still rings in men´s artistic gymnastics. Sports Biomechanics, 1 15. https://doi.org/10.1080/14763141.2023.2185162

Thornton, H. R., Delaney, J. A., Duthie, G. M., & Dascombe, B. J. (2019). Developing Athlete Monitoring Systems in Team Sports : Data Analysis and Visualization. International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, 14(6), 698 705. https://doi.org/10.1123/ijspp.2018-0169

Warneke, K., Wagner, C.-M., Keiner, M., Hillebrecht, M., Schiemann, S., Behm, D. G., Wallot, S., & Wirth, K. (2023). Maximal strength measurement : A critical evaluation of common methods—a narrative review. Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, 5, 1105201. https://doi.org/10.3389/fspor.2023.1105201

Wickham, H., Averick, M., Bryan, J., Chang, W., McGowan, L., François, R., Grolemund, G., Hayes, A., Henry, L., Hester, J., Kuhn, M., Pedersen, T., Miller, E., Bache, S., Müller, K., Ooms, J., Robinson, D., Seidel, D., Spinu, V., … Yutani, H. (2019). Welcome to the Tidyverse. Journal of Open Source Software, 4(43), 1686. https://doi.org/10.21105/joss.01686