Why is Peak Weight Velocity important for athletic performance?
Physical performance is commonly measured as the outcome of motor task requiring speed, agility, strength and power [3, 9]. However, the rapid increases in body dimensions and muscle hypertrophy during adolescence suggest that movement proficiency may be affected as athletes negotiate with fluctuating levels of co-ordination (i.e. the sudden increase in body size is likely to affect co-ordination) .
As a result of the physical changes that accompany adolescence, both males and females may struggle to perform simple motor task such as balancing, running and change of direction task . Coaches must be mindful of this and allow athletes to develop new strategies and solutions in essentially a ‘new’ body .
In the absence of muscle hypertrophy, high force activities such as landing, change of direction task or heavy strength training could predispose children to poor force-attenuating capabilities, limit physical performance, and increase the relative risk of injury . However, alterations in bone mineral content, muscle size and tendon strength will occur as a result of peak weight velocity, which inevitably lead to an increase in muscle strength, power, reactive strength index and stretch shortening cycle function over time .
Like peak height velocity, exercise programmes must be monitored and supervised by a qualified practitioner during peak weight velocity to ensure that health and safety is maintained. This is more important with a vulnerable population, where the coach, scientist, or teacher has a legal, ethical, and moral responsibility for maintaining and promoting well-being .
How to measure Peak Weight Velocity?
Monitoring peak weight velocity is an active intervention that should be conducted approximately every six months to ensure that this phase is not missed . This can be achieved by plotting the athlete’s mass on a simple excel template over time, or dividing mass by time (e.g. kilograms per year [kg/yr]) to produce a comparable output.
Some practitioners prefer to monitor peak weight velocity more frequently (e.g. every 3-4 months), as to not miss this stage of development. Peak weight velocity measures are similar to peak height velocity, but must be plotted after peak height velocity to ensure that mass is continually tracked after peak height velocity in both males and females.