Pulmonary Function and Trunk Muscle Performance in Wrestlers

Wrestling is a physically demanding combat sport that requires athletes to perform repeated high-intensity efforts while maintaining strength, power, postural control, and technical performance. The physiological demands of wrestling involve multiple interacting components, including pulmonary function, aerobic capacity, anaerobic performance, and trunk muscle strength and endurance. Trunk musculature plays an important role in maintaining body position, transferring force between the upper and lower extremities, and performing wrestling-specific movements. Pulmonary and cardiovascular capacity may also contribute to the ability to sustain repeated efforts and recover between high-intensity bouts. Despite the importance of these components, the relationships among pulmonary function, aerobic and anaerobic performance, and isokinetic trunk muscle performance in professional wrestlers have not been fully characterized.

The primary aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between pulmonary function parameters and isokinetic trunk muscle performance in professional male wrestlers. Specifically, the study will examine the associations between pulmonary function parameters obtained from spirometry and the performance of the trunk flexor and extensor muscles assessed using isokinetic dynamometry.

The secondary aim is to evaluate the relationships of pulmonary function parameters and isokinetic trunk muscle performance with aerobic and anaerobic performance. Aerobic capacity will be represented by maximal oxygen consumption (VO₂max) obtained during cardiopulmonary exercise testing with respiratory gas analysis. Anaerobic performance will be evaluated using the Wingate test and its relevant performance parameters. In this way, the study aims to provide a comprehensive assessment of the relationships among pulmonary function, aerobic capacity, anaerobic performance, and trunk muscle performance in professional wrestlers.

This is a single-center, analytical, cross-sectional observational study. The study population will consist of professional male wrestlers evaluated at the Department of Sports Medicine, Istanbul Faculty of Medicine, Istanbul University. Approximately 28 professional male wrestlers who meet the eligibility criteria will be included. Eligible participants will be between 18 and 35 years of age, will have been actively participating in licensed wrestling for at least 5 years, and will be actively competing at the professional level while maintaining a regular training program. Participants will be evaluated after providing written informed consent.

No therapeutic intervention or exercise training program will be administered as part of the study. Each participant will undergo anthropometric assessment and a series of physiological and muscular performance evaluations. Participant characteristics, including age, height, body weight, body mass index, wrestling style, weight category, years of licensed wrestling participation, duration of professional athletic participation, weekly training frequency and duration, smoking status, known medical conditions, regular medication use, previous surgical procedures, and recent musculoskeletal injuries will be recorded.

Pulmonary function will be assessed using spirometry according to standardized testing procedures. Participants will perform forced respiratory maneuvers after receiving standardized instructions. The pulmonary function parameters obtained from spirometry will include forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV₁), FEV₁/FVC ratio, peak expiratory flow (PEF), and maximal voluntary ventilation (MVV), as available from the spirometry assessment.

Isokinetic trunk muscle performance will be assessed using an isokinetic dynamometer. Trunk flexion and extension performance will be evaluated at angular velocities of 60°/s and 90°/s within a 0-45° range of motion. Participants will perform maximal trunk flexion and extension contractions according to the predefined testing protocol. Peak torque, body-weight-normalized peak torque, total work, and body-weight-normalized total work values will be recorded for trunk flexion and extension.

Aerobic capacity will be evaluated using a cardiopulmonary exercise test performed on a treadmill according to the Bruce protocol. Respiratory gases will be analyzed breath-by-breath using a gas analysis system. Resting heart rate and systolic and diastolic blood pressure will be measured before the test. Exercise intensity will be progressively increased according to the selected protocol, and the test will continue until voluntary exhaustion or the occurrence of a clinical indication for termination. The primary variable obtained from the cardiopulmonary exercise test will be maximal oxygen consumption. VO₂max will be recorded when the predefined criteria for maximal oxygen consumption are achieved; otherwise, the highest oxygen consumption reached during the test will be recorded as VO₂peak. Values will be recorded both in absolute terms and relative to body mass.

Anaerobic performance will be assessed using the Wingate test. The test will be performed according to the standardized testing procedure used at the study center. Relevant anaerobic performance parameters obtained from the test will be recorded and used in the secondary analyses examining the relationship between anaerobic performance and pulmonary function, aerobic capacity, and isokinetic trunk muscle performance.

The collected data will be analyzed to determine the strength and direction of the relationships among the study variables. The primary analysis will focus on the association between pulmonary function parameters and isokinetic trunk muscle performance. Secondary analyses will examine the associations of pulmonary function and isokinetic trunk muscle performance with VO₂max and Wingate-derived anaerobic performance parameters. Because the study has a cross-sectional observational design, the findings will be interpreted as associations between variables and will not establish causal relationships.

Inclusion criteria

• Male participants aged 18-35 years
• At least 5 years of active participation in licensed wrestling
• Currently competing at the professional level and following a regular training program
• No upper respiratory tract infection within the previous 4 weeks, or no signs of active infection on the day of assessment
• Able to safely complete pulmonary function testing, cardiopulmonary exercise testing, the Wingate test, and isokinetic assessment
• Willingness to participate and ability to provide written informed consent

Exclusion criteria

• Any chronic respiratory disease, including asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), bronchiectasis, or other chronic respiratory system disorders
• Any cardiovascular, neurological, or systemic disease that may affect the study measurements
• Surgery involving the trunk or spine within the previous 6 months
• A musculoskeletal injury within the previous 3 months affecting the lower back, back, or abdominal muscles and resulting in absence from training or competition
• Acute low back or back pain at the time of assessment
• Any clinical condition that may preclude maximal exercise during cardiopulmonary exercise testing or the Wingate test
• Any condition that prevents the participant from safely completing pulmonary function testing, cardiopulmonary exercise testing, the Wingate test, or isokinetic assessment