Ashley N. Peart, Danielle D. Wadsworth, Jessica K. Washington, Gretchen D. Oliver
The purpose of this study was to record changes in total body mass, lean body mass (LBM), fat mass (FM), and body fat percentage (BF%) in female National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level softball athletes over a multiyear time frame using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (iDXA). Forty-two (20.36 +/- 1.59 years) NCAA Division I collegiate softball athletes volunteered over 2 years. Subjects tested 3 times throughout the season (pre-season, mid-season, and post-season) in 2015-2017. Total and regional LBM, FM, and BF% were measured by the iDXA. A mixed-design analysis of variance was performed to examine LBM, FM, BF%, and player position interaction over time. Where appropriate, post hoc tests were used to determine statistically different variables (p <= 0.05). Lean body mass decreased significantly (p = 0.048) from mid-season (50.02 +/- 0.28) to post season (49.67 +/- 0.37). Fat mass and BF% decreased significantly for all playing positions over the season except for pitchers, who showed significantly (p < 0.000) higher levels of FM (26.56 +/- 1.74) and BF% (31.77 +/- 1.14) than all other positions. The current study revealed that all athletes decreased in LBM during the competitive season. Pitchers from this study consistently maintain a higher FM and BF% than the catchers, infielders, and outfielders. These data reveal that more emphasis of training and conditioning for optimal performance should be focused on the pitching position to maintain a healthy body composition.
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