RESUMEN
Objectives: CrossFit® is a high-intensity sport characterized by various workouts that require strength, speed, endurance, or agility, impacting participants' body composition. This observational study aimed to determine the morphological (anthropometrical and bioelectrical) profile of CrossFit® athletes and to compare them with other athletic populations. Methods: Anthropometrical measurements and bioelectrical vector analysis (classic and specific approaches) were performed on 145 CrossFit® practitioners (107 men aged 30.7 ± 8.4 years and 38 women aged 28.1 ± 6.7 years). Each participant's relative somatotype was calculated and compared between sexes and with a Spanish CrossFit® athletes' group. Resistance-reactance graphs and Hotelling's T2 test were applied to characterize the sample, compare them with an athletes' reference population, and identify differences between somatotype groups. Results: The most represented somatotype in both groups was the balanced mesomorph (male 3.5-5.2 - 1.7 and female 4.4-4.5 - 1.8). Compared with Spanish CrossFit® athletes, significant differences were denoted for men but not women (SAD = 2.3). The bioelectrical graphs indicated that the distribution of CrossFit® athletes is quite heterogeneous and within average values for the athlete's reference. The mesomorphic and endomorphic components were associated with a higher phase angle. Conclusions: CrossFit® practitioners predominantly present a mesomorphic component and show a body type like other power athletes, although with less pronounced characteristics. The somatotype may influence the vector's position in the RXc graphs. This study provided the bioelectrical tolerance ellipses for CrossFit® practitioners in classic and specific approaches for the first time.
RESUMEN
This study aimed to assess the physical characteristics of elite international soccer referees, compare them with other referee populations in the literature, and establish reference tolerance ellipses for the bioelectrical impedance vector analysis (BIVA) point graph. Forty-one elite international soccer referees (age 38.8 ± 3.6 years) participated in the study. The participants underwent body composition assessments, including dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, BIVA, and somatotype. The Somatotype Attitudinal Distance (SAD), the two-sample Hotelling's T2 test and the Mahalanobis test were used to determine somatotype and bioelectrical vector differences with the literature. The average somatotype of the referees was a balanced mesomorph (2.8, 6.5, 2.8). Elite international referees significantly differed from other samples in the literature (SAD = 2.1, 2.6, 2.9 with respect to Zimbabwean, Brazilian, and South African referees, respectively). The bioelectrical vector was significantly different from the general population (T2 ≤ 76.6; F = 38.8; D = 1.44; p < 0.001) and athletes (T2 ≤ 25.3; F = 12.6; D = 0.8; p < 0.001). Somatotype values and tolerance ellipses from this study may be useful as a reference for developing training programs and improving the selection process of referees in soccer.
RESUMEN
Team handball is a highly dynamic sport where physical demands differ between categories and roles. Thus, physical characteristics are fundamental for the final performance. This study aims to (a) characterize a sample of young male and female elite team handball players with a non-athletic reference population; (b) to generate their 50%, 75%, and 95% percentiles of the bioelectrical variables. The study included 55 young elite team handball players (Males, n = 37, age = 17.0 ± 1.2 yrs, height = 185.8 ± 7.3 cm, weight = 82.0 ± 11.0 kg, body mass index (BMI) = 23.7 ± 2.5; Females, n = 18, age = 17.8 ± 0.9 yrs, height = 171.2 ± 6.4 cm, weight = 67.4 ± 7.2 kg, BMI = 23.0 ± 2.0). Height and bioelectrical variables were assessed in a state of euhydration and standard conditions. Bioelectrical impedance vector analysis (BIVA) was used to characterize the bioelectrical vector (BIA vector) distribution pattern for each group. Compared to the reference values, BIA vector showed statistically significant differences in males U17 (n = 19, T2 = 51.0, p < 0.0001), males U19 (n = 18, T2 = 82.0, p < 0.0001) and females U19 (n = 18, T2 = 85.8, p < 0.0001). Male groups were also bioelectrically different (T2 = 13.7, p = 0.0036). BIVA showed specific bioelectrical characteristics in young male and female elite handball players. This study provides an original data set of bioelectrical impedance reference values of young male and female elite team handball players. Our result might help to interpret individual bioimpedance vectors and define target regions for young handball players.
