Hip Adduction and Abduction Strength Reference Values of Gaelic Football and Rugby Union Players: A Cross-Sectional Study

PURPOSE: The purpose of this research was to report isometric hip adduction and abduction strength reference values of men's and women's Gaelic football and rugby union players and compare values between sexes and between sports.

METHODS: This cross-sectional cohort study consisted of 331 club-level athletes. Maximum isometric hip adduction squeeze and abduction press strength values were measured with a ForceFrame across several testing positions.

RESULTS: Hip adduction squeeze and abduction press strength reference values for men's and women's Gaelic and rugby union footballers were provided with mean and 1 SD. A 2-way analysis of variance demonstrated significant sport × sex interaction main effects for hip adduction squeeze (η2 = .159-.228), abduction press (η2 = .099-.144), and adduction:abduction ratio (η2 = .120). Men demonstrated significantly greater relative (Newtons per kilogram) maximum isometric hip adduction squeeze (15.5%-26.4%, 0.48-1.00 N/kg) and hip abduction press (9.6%-19.6%, 0.20-0.67 N/kg) strength across all testing positions when compared with women of the same sport. Male Gaelic football players demonstrated significantly greater hip adduction (8.7%-14.0%, 0.30-0.52 N/kg) and abduction (6.1%-8.6%, 0.16-0.31 N/kg) strength (Newtons per kilogram) than their rugby counterparts, while no significant between-sports differences in strength were observed between female athletes.

CONCLUSION: Reference values are provided with mean and 1 SD. Sport and sex interaction had significant main effects for hip adduction, abduction, and adduction:abduction ratio, with medium to large effect sizes. Male athletes demonstrate significantly greater hip strength than female athletes of the same sport, and male Gaelic players demonstrate greater hip strength than male rugby players.