Isometric Strength, Joint Mobility, and Muscle Strength Ratios Among Female Artistic Swimmers from the Spanish National Artistic Swimming Team: A Cross-Sectional Study Across Age Categories

Background and Objectives: Artistic swimming demands high levels of strength, joint mobility, and body control; however, the physical profiles of elite athletes in this sport remain insufficiently characterized. This study aimed to characterize and compare isometric strength, joint mobility, inter-limb differences, and muscle strength ratios across the Youth, Junior, and Senior age categories of the Spanish National Artistic Swimming Team.

Methods

This cross-sectional observational study included 36 elite female artistic swimmers, defined by their selection for the Spanish National Artistic Swimming Team: 11 Youth, 12 Junior, and 13 Senior athletes. Anthropometric characteristics, shoulder and hip ranges of motion assessed using photographic goniometry, upper- and lower-limb isometric strength, handgrip strength, and countermovement jump height were evaluated. Age categories were compared using the Kruskal–Wallis test, followed by Dunn’s post hoc comparisons with Holm correction. Inter-limb differences were analyzed using the Wilcoxon test.