Differences in muscle mass and fat mass accumulation in youth female athletes

A. Dimitrova

Резюме: Body weight, Body height, Body mass High-performance sport demands the development of a variety of morphological and motor abilities. Childhood and adolescence are the main periods for the progress of these skills and the selection of highly qualified athletes. This study aims to identify and compare the body composition profile of growing female athletes to support their sports preparation and selection. The sample includes 72 (27 rhythmic gymnasts /RG/ and 45 tennis players /TP/) adolescent female athletes, divided into two experimental groups according to their age. Body height for each subject is measured using standard anthropometric tools and techniques. The body composition profile was determined by multi-frequency bioelectrical impedance measurements (InBody 170 analyzer). Statistical analysis is made by SPSS 16.00. The independent samples t-test (p≤0.05) is applied to assess the differences in anthropometric variables between TP and RG. The differences in body composition components between RG and TP are well expressed in both age groups. Through all assessed age periods TP are higher and heavier than the RG at the same age. Analysis of the segmental distribution of body composition components showed that TP has significantly higher lean body mass and fat mass values than RG, excluding fat mass (%) on the upper extremities.

Series on Biomechanics, Vol.37, No.4 (2023), 3-8

Ключови думи: adolescence; Body composition; rhythmic gymnasts; talent identification; tennis players

DOI: 10.7546/SB.01.04.2023

Дата на публикуване: 2023-11-28