Longitudinal Body Composition Changes in NCAA Division I College Football Players

• Autores: Eric T. Trexler, Abbie E. Smith, J. Bryan Mann, Pat A. Ivey, Katie R. Hirsch, Meredith G. Mock
• Localización: Journal of strength and conditioning research: the research journal of the NSCA, ISSN 1064-8011, Vol. 31, Nº. 1, 2017, págs. 1-8
• Idioma: inglés
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• Dialnet Métricas: 6 Citas
• Resumen

  • Many athletes seek to optimize body composition to fit the physical demands of their sport. American football requires a unique combination of size, speed, and power. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate longitudinal changes in body composition in Division I collegiate football players. For 57 players (mean ± SD, age = 19.5 ± 0.9 years, height = 186.9 ± 5.7 cm, weight = 107.7 ± 19.1 kg), body composition was assessed via dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry in the off-season (March-Pre), end of off-season (May), mid-July (Pre-Season), and the following March (March-Post). Outcome variables included weight, body fat percentage (BF%), fat mass, lean mass (LM), android and gynoid (GYN) fat, bone mineral content (BMC), and bone mineral density (BMD). For a subset of athletes (n = 13 out of 57), changes over a 4-year playing career were evaluated with measurements taken every March. Throughout a single year, favorable changes were observed for BF% ([DELTA] = -1.3 ± 2.5%), LM ([DELTA] = 2.8 ± 2.8 kg), GYN ([DELTA] = -1.5 ± 3.0%), BMC ([DELTA] = 0.06 ± 0.14 kg), and BMD ([DELTA] = 0.015 ± 0.027 g·cm-2, all p <= 0.05). Across 4 years, weight increased significantly ([DELTA] = 6.6 ± 4.1 kg) and favorable changes were observed for LM ([DELTA] = 4.3 ± 3.0 kg), BMC ([DELTA] = 0.18 ± 0.17 kg), and BMD ([DELTA] = 0.033 ± 0.039 g·cm-2, all p <= 0.05). Similar patterns in body composition changes were observed for linemen and non-linemen. Results indicate that well-trained collegiate football players at high levels of competition can achieve favorable changes in body composition, even late in the career, which may confer benefits for performance and injury prevention.