Assessment of Maximum Voluntary Contraction Grip Strength among Malaysian College Students: A Cross-sectional Study

Abstract

Background: Maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) grip strength is a practical indicator of muscle force capacity and can assist in interpreting muscle performance under static contraction. This cross-sectional study assessed MVC grip strength and endurance time among Malaysian college students. Method: The study involved 80 voluntary college students, comprising 40 males and 40 females aged 18-23 years. Grip strength was assessed using a dynamometer. Force exertion and muscle endurance time were recorded at four MVC levels: 100%, 50%, 15%, and 10%. The collected data were compared with the theoretical relationship between exerted force and endurance time, in which higher force is expected to correspond with shorter endurance. The plotted data were statistically verified using R-squared values. Results: The plotted force-endurance curves showed close agreement with the theoretical model for both sexes. The R-squared values were 0.98 for male students and 0.97 for female students, indicating a strong fit between the observed data and the expected trend. Average force values were higher among male students than female students at all MVC levels. At 100% MVC, the average force was 37.57 kg for males and 18.44 kg for females. At lower MVC levels, male students also showed longer endurance times, particularly at 15% MVC and 10% MVC. The only exception was observed at 100% MVC, where female students recorded a slightly longer mean endurance time than male students. Conclusion: The findings indicate that male students demonstrated higher grip strength than female students in this sample, while endurance time generally increased as contraction intensity decreased. The study supports the usefulness of dynamometer-based MVC assessment for describing grip strength patterns among college students.