Abstract

Understanding the direct relationship between skeletal muscle mass and strength in athletes is paramount for optimizing performance. Such a relationship has been poorly investigated in soccer players. In this work, a large number (n = 225) of elite soccer players aged 14–37 years had whole-body (WB) and regional skeletal muscle mass (SMM) estimated from Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scans, together with maximal isokinetic strength of several muscle groups. Results showed a statistically significant (p < 0.001) correlation between limb SMM or muscle strength and body mass (r = 0.84–0.86; r = 0.61–0.97, respectively) and stature (r = 0.58–0.64; r = 0.61–0.93, respectively), whereas the relationship with age was much more variable. A statistically significant (p < 0.001) correlation was found between SMM and muscle strength across all muscle groups (r = 0.55–0.80). Linear regression showed that SMM explained 30% to 64% of the variance in muscle strength. ANOVA showed that playing position had a statistically significant effect (p < 0.001) on all SMM and muscle strength values. Playing position had a significant effect on relative (normalized per-limb SMM) muscle strength during knee and ankle flexion. This work showed that DXA-measured skeletal muscle mass is associated with the strength of several limb muscle groups in soccer players. This association is of variable strength across muscle groups and is partially modulated by playing position.

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