The role of body composition in determining athletic performance in adolescent female cross-country skiers
Keywords:
Body composition, cross-country skiing, jumping, speed, strengthAbstract
Body composition, speed, strength and jumping ability are important factors for athletic performance. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between body composition parameters and speed, strength and jumping performance in adolescent female cross-country skiers. 13 adolescent female (age: 14.62±0.77 years) cross-country skiers participated in the study voluntarily. Body analysis measurements and 10m and 20m speed, back strength, hand grip strength and countermovement jump tests were applied to the participants. Cross-sectional relational model was used in the study. SPSS package program was used in the statistical analysis of the data. Shapiro-Wilk test was applied to determine the normality level of the data. It was determined that the data had a normal distribution. Pearson correlation test was used in the relational analysis of the data. According to the correlation test findings, negatively significant relationships were determined between fat-free mass, muscle mass, mineral mass, fluid mass and basal metabolic rate and 10m and 20m speed tests (p < 0.05). There was no significant relationship between body composition and strength and jumping performance (p > 0.05). The results showed that body composition positively affects speed. Especially high lean body mass, muscle mass and fluid mass can increase the capacity to move faster and develop speed. These parameters can support the speed of athletes by improving speed performance. While muscle mass increases the power and explosive strength required for speed, low body fat ratio enables faster movement by reducing unnecessary weight. In addition, since adolescence is a period of accelerated physical development, body composition can be optimized with proper nutrition and training. This can also help increase speed performance.
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