Pulmonary Function and Trunk Muscle Performance in Wrestlers

August 29, 2026 updated by: Şensu Dinçer, Istanbul University

Relationship Between Pulmonary Function, Aerobic and Anaerobic Performance, and Isokinetic Trunk Muscle Performance in Wrestlers

This study aims to investigate the relationships among pulmonary function, aerobic performance, anaerobic performance, and isokinetic trunk muscle performance in professional male wrestlers. Wrestling requires a combination of high muscular strength, repeated high-intensity efforts, aerobic capacity, anaerobic performance, and effective trunk muscle function. However, the relationships among these physiological and muscular performance characteristics have not been fully established in professional wrestlers.

This single-center, analytical, cross-sectional observational study will include approximately 28 professional male wrestlers aged 18-35 years who have been actively participating in licensed wrestling for at least 5 years and who meet the predefined eligibility criteria. Participants will undergo anthropometric assessment, pulmonary function testing by spirometry, cardiopulmonary exercise testing with respiratory gas analysis, Wingate anaerobic testing, and isokinetic assessment of trunk muscle performance.

Pulmonary function parameters will be obtained from spirometry. Aerobic capacity will be evaluated using maximal oxygen consumption (VO₂max) obtained during cardiopulmonary exercise testing. Anaerobic performance will be assessed using the Wingate test, while trunk flexor and extensor muscle performance will be evaluated using isokinetic dynamometry. The study will primarily examine the relationship between pulmonary function parameters and isokinetic trunk muscle performance. Secondary analyses will evaluate the relationships of pulmonary function and trunk muscle performance with VO₂max and Wingate-derived anaerobic performance parameters.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

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.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Observational

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
28

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Locations

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

The study population will consist of professional male wrestlers aged 18-35 years who have been actively participating in licensed wrestling for at least 5 years, currently compete at the professional level, and follow a regular training program. Participants will undergo standardized assessments of pulmonary function, aerobic capacity, anaerobic performance, and isokinetic trunk muscle performance. A total of 28 eligible professional male wrestlers are planned to be included in the study.

Description

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

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort

Group / Cohort

A group or subgroup of participants in an observational study that is assessed for biomedical or health outcomes.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Professional Male Wrestlers
Other: No intervention
No intervention will be administered. Participants will undergo standardized assessments including spirometry, cardiopulmonary exercise testing with gas analysis for VO₂max, Wingate anaerobic test, and isokinetic trunk muscle performance testing. These assessments are performed for data collection purposes and do not constitute a therapeutic intervention.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Forced Vital Capacity (FVC)
Time Frame: Baseline
Forced vital capacity (FVC) is the maximum volume of air that can be forcibly exhaled after a maximal inspiration. It will be assessed by spirometry and reported in liters (L), with values approximately 80-120% of the predicted value considered within the normal range.
Baseline
Forced Expiratory Volume in 1 Second (FEV₁)
Time Frame: Baseline
Forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV₁) is the volume of air that can be forcibly exhaled during the first second following maximal inspiration. It will be assessed by spirometry and reported in liters (L), with values approximately 80-120% of the predicted value considered within the normal range.
Baseline
FEV₁/FVC Ratio
Time Frame: Baseline
The FEV₁/FVC ratio represents the proportion of the forced vital capacity exhaled during the first second of forced expiration. It will be assessed by spirometry and reported as a percentage (%), with values ≥70% generally considered within the normal range in adults.
Baseline
Peak Expiratory Flow (PEF)
Time Frame: Baseline
Peak expiratory flow (PEF) is the maximum flow rate achieved during a forced expiration following maximal inspiration. It will be assessed by spirometry and reported in liters per second (L/s), with values interpreted according to age, sex, height, and predicted reference values.
Baseline
Maximum Voluntary Ventilation (MVV)
Time Frame: Baseline
Maximum voluntary ventilation (MVV) is the maximum volume of air that can be inhaled and exhaled voluntarily over a specified period of time. It will be assessed by spirometry and reported in liters per minute (L/min), with values approximately 80-120% of the predicted value considered within the normal range.
Baseline
Trunk Flexion Peak Torque at 60°/s
Time Frame: Baseline
Trunk flexion peak torque represents the maximum torque generated by the trunk flexor muscles during isokinetic contraction. It will be assessed using a HUMAC/NORM isokinetic dynamometer at an angular velocity of 60°/s and reported in Newton-meters (Nm).
Baseline
Trunk Extension Peak Torque at 60°/s
Time Frame: Baseline
Trunk extension peak torque represents the maximum torque generated by the trunk extensor muscles during isokinetic contraction. It will be assessed using a HUMAC/NORM isokinetic dynamometer at an angular velocity of 60°/s and reported in Newton-meters (Nm).
Baseline
Trunk Flexion Total Work at 90°/s
Time Frame: Baseline
Trunk flexion total work represents the cumulative mechanical work performed by the trunk flexor muscles during repeated isokinetic contractions. It will be assessed using a HUMAC/NORM isokinetic dynamometer at an angular velocity of 90°/s and reported in Joules (J).
Baseline
Trunk Extension Total Work at 90°/s
Time Frame: Baseline
Trunk extension total work represents the cumulative mechanical work performed by the trunk extensor muscles during repeated isokinetic contractions. It will be assessed using a HUMAC/NORM isokinetic dynamometer at an angular velocity of 90°/s and reported in Joules (J).
Baseline

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Maximal Oxygen Consumption (VO₂max)
Time Frame: Baseline
Maximal aerobic capacity will be assessed by cardiopulmonary exercise testing performed on a treadmill using the Bruce protocol with breath-by-breath respiratory gas analysis. VO₂max will be determined from the highest oxygen consumption achieved during the test when predefined criteria for maximal effort are met. If these criteria are not met, the highest oxygen consumption value achieved will be recorded as VO₂peak. Values will be recorded as both absolute oxygen consumption (L/min) and relative to body mass (mL/kg/min).
Baseline
Peak Power During the Wingate Anaerobic Test
Time Frame: Baseline
Peak power represents the highest mechanical power output achieved during the Wingate anaerobic test. Anaerobic performance will be assessed using a standardized Wingate test performed on a cycle ergometer. Peak power will be recorded in watts (W).
Baseline
Mean Power During the Wingate Anaerobic Test
Time Frame: Baseline
Mean power represents the average mechanical power output maintained throughout the Wingate anaerobic test. It will be assessed using a standardized Wingate test performed on a cycle ergometer and reported in watts (W).
Baseline
Fatigue Index During the Wingate Anaerobic Test
Time Frame: Baseline
Fatigue index represents the decline in power output during the Wingate anaerobic test and will be calculated from the change between peak and minimum power output during the test. It will be reported as a percentage (%).
Baseline

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Istanbul University

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
September 7, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
October 1, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
October 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
August 13, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
August 25, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
August 28, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
September 1, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
August 29, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
August 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • WREST-PULM-TRUNK-26

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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