Body composition in international sprint swimmers : are there any relations with performance?

Dopsaj, Milivoj (author), Zuoziene, Ilona Judita (author), Milić, Radoje (author), Cherepov, Evgeni (author), Erlikh, Vadim (author), Masiulis, Nerijus (author), Nino, Andrea di (author), Vodičar, Janez (author)

The paper addresses relations between the characteristics of body composition in international sprint swimmers and sprint performance. The research included 82 swimmers of international level (N = 46 male and N = 36 female athletes) from 8 countries. We measured body composition using multifrequency bioelectrical impedance methods with “InBody 720” device. In the case of male swimmers, it was established that the most important statistically significant correlation with sprint performance is seen in variables, which define the quantitative relationship between their fat and muscle with the contractile potential of the body (Protein-Fat Index, r = 0.392, p = 0.007; Index of Body Composition, r = 0.392, p = 0.007; Percent of Skeletal Muscle Mass, r = 0.392, p = 0.016). In the case of female athletes, statistically significant relations with sprint performance were established for variables that define the absolute and relative amount of a contractile component in the body, but also with the variables that define the structure of body fat characteristics (Percent of Skeletal Muscle Mass, r = 0.732, p = 0.000; Free Fat Mass, r = 0.702, p = 0.000; Fat Mass Index, r = −0.642, p = 0.000; Percent of Body Fat, r = −0.621, p = 0.000). Using Multiple Regression Analysis, we managed to predict swimming performance of sprint swimmers with the help of body composition variables, where the models defined explained 35.1 and 75.1% of the mutual variability of performance, for male and female swimmers, respectively. This data clearly demonstrate the importance of body composition control in sprint swimmers as a valuable method for monitoring the efficiency of body adaptation to training process in order to optimize competitive performance.

• Language: English
• Keywords: sport, swimmers, sprint swimmers, body composition, result prediction, body fat, skeletal muscle mass
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FŠ - Faculty of Sport
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2020
• Number of pages: 14 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 17, iss. 24, art. 9464
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-134671
• UDC: 797.21
• ISSN on article: 1660-4601
• DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17249464
• COBISS.SI-ID: 43302915
• Publication date in RUL: 25.01.2022

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: International journal of environmental research and public health
• Shortened title: Int. j. environ. res. public health
• Publisher: MDPI
• ISSN: 1660-4601
• COBISS.SI-ID: 1818965

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.
• Licensing start date: 17.12.2020

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: šport, plavanje, šprint, plavalci, telesne značilnosti, predvidevanje rezultata, telesna sestava, kostno mišična masa

Projects

• Funder: MESTD - Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of Republic of Serbia
• Funding programme: Integrated and Interdisciplinary Research (IIR or III)
• Project number: 47015
• Name: Effects of the Applied Physical Activity to Locomotor, Metabolic, Psycho-Social and Educational Status of the Population of the Republic of Serbia