Background We investigate the association between different muscle strength (MS) indices with cardiometabolic variables in adolescents.Methods Cross-sectional study comprising 351 adolescents (male 44.4％,age 16.6± 1.0 years) from Brazil.MS was assessed by handgrip strength and analyzed in five different ways:absolute MS and MS normalized for body weight,body mass index(BMI),height,and fat mass,respectively.Cardiometabolic variables investigated as outcomes were systolic and diastolic blood pressure (DBP),waist circumference (WC),high-sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP),lipid and glucose metabolism markers.Multiple linear regression models adjusted for confounding factors were used.Results Absolute MS and/or MS normalized for height was directly associated with WC[up to 32.8 cm,standard error(SE) =4.7]and DBP (up to 8.8 mmHg,SE =0.8),and inversely associated with high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (up to-8.0 mg/dL,SE=14.1).MS normalized for body weight,BMI or fat mass was inversely associated with WC (up to-17.5 cm,SE =2.2).According to sex,MS normalized for fat mass was inversely associated with triglycerides (male:0.02 times lower,SE =0.01;female:0.05 times lower,SE =0.01) and homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance (male:0.02 times lower,SE =0.01;female:0.06 times lower,SE =0.01),and inversely associated with hs-CRP only among male (0.03 times lower,SE =0.01).Conclusion When normalized for body weight,BMI or fat mass,MS was superior to absolute MS or MS normalized for height in representing adequately cardiometabolic variables among adolescents.