Background Running is a very popular activity and muscle strength imbalance has been treated with caution to prevent injuries. Aim The present study aimed to compare and correlate knee flexion and extension strength imbalance based on peak torque (PT) and total work (TW) in running athletes. Methods Thirty-eight male amateur running athletes (38 ± 6years; 80.6 ± 8.3kg; 177 ± 7cm; 7.8 ± 8.4years of training; 3.5 ± 0.9 training sessions a week; 33.5 ± 13.4km of training per week) took part in the present study. Knee flexion eccentric and concentric PT and TW, as well as concentric knee extension PT and TW were assessed. PT- and TW-based hamstring-to-quadriceps ratios (H:Q), as well as PT and TW contralateral imbalance were quantified. Results A significant correlation was observed between TW and PT concentric knee flexion contralateral deficits (r = 0.52, p < 0.001). No further correlations were found among TW- and PT-based muscle strength imbalance variables (p > 0.05). All mean comparisons of H:Q and contralateral imbalances using TW or PT were significantly different (p < 0.05). Conclusions Our results showed that TW and PT muscle strength imbalance were unrelated, and the H:Q and contralateral imbalance profile of endurance runners may differ based on the isokinetic variable analyzed.
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