Objectives: To determine if the changes in specific skinfold sites induced by intense athletic conditioning over a three year period were associated with changes in running performance in high level athletes. Methods: Thirty seven top class runners (eight male and five female sprint trained, 16 male and eight female endurance trained) volunteered to participate in the study. The athletes were divided into class A (n  =  18) and class B (n  =  17), with class A having the best performance. Biceps, triceps, subscapular, pectoral, iliac crest, abdominal, front thigh, and medial calf skinfold thickness and the best running performance were recorded at the beginning and after one, two, and three years of training. A one way analysis of variance and a linear regression analysis were conducted to determine changes and association between performance and skinfold thicknesses. Analyses were controlled for sex, sprint event or endurance event, and class. Results: Training resulted in a significant increase in performance and decreases in sum of six skinfolds, abdominal, front thigh, and medial calf skinfolds, and the ratio of extremity to trunk skinfolds (E/T, ∑triceps, front thigh, medial calf/∑subscapular, iliac crest, abdominal). There were no significant differences in body weight. Except for the abdominal skinfold, there was no significant difference in trunk skinfolds. Significant differences in these changes were observed by sex for E/T, which decreased and increased in male and female runners respectively, and by class. Class B runners significantly improved performance, with decreased skinfold thicknesses in the lower limb. There were no significant changes in performance or skinfold thicknesses in class A runners. Improvements in performance were consistently associated with a decrease in the lower limb skinfolds. Conclusions: On the basis of these findings, anthropometric assessment of top class athletes should include an evaluation of all skinfolds. The loss of body fat appears to be specific to the muscular groups used during training. The lower limb skinfolds may be particularly useful predictors of running performance.

https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/bjsports/39/11/851.full.pdf

Changes in performance, skinfold thicknesses, and fat patterning after three years of intense athletic conditioning in high level runners

It has been postulated that additional adiposity has a negative effect on performance in heterogeneous groups of runners. Previous studies have not tested this hypothesis in homogeneous groups of elite runners. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the sum of skinfold thicknesses and specific single skinfold sites were related to competitive running performance in homogeneous groups of male and female elite athletes. In total, 184 top-class runners (130 males and 54 females) volunteered to participate in the study. Skinfolds were measured at the following sites: biceps, triceps, subscapular, pectoral, iliac crest, abdominal, front thigh and medial calf. Runners were classified into groups in accordance with their best performance times. Correlation analysis and partial correlation coefficients that controlled for age and weight were applied to each single skinfold, the sum of six skinfolds (excluding biceps) and the extremity (sum of triceps, front thigh, medial calf) to trunk (sum o...

Skinfold thicknesses associated with distance running performance in highly trained runners

Objective: To investigate the association of anthropometric parameters to race performance in ultra-endurance runners in a multistage ultra-endurance run. Design: Descriptive field study. Setting: The Deutschlandlauf 2006 race in Germany, where athletes had to run 1200 km within 17 consecutive days. There were no interventions. Subjects: In total, there were 19 male Caucasian ultra-endurancerunners (mean (SD) 46.2 (9.6) years, 71.8 (5.2) kg, 179 (6) cm, BMI 22.5 (1.9) kg/m 2 ). Main outcome measurements: Determination of body mass, body height, length of lower limbs, skin-fold thicknesses, circumference of limbs, body mass index (BMI), percentage skeletal muscle mass (%SM), and percentage body fat (%BF) in 19 successful finishers in order to correlate anthropometric parameters with running performance. Results: A significant association of upper arm circumference with the total running time was found (p 0.05). Furthermore, no significant association was observed between the running time and the calculated parameters BMI, %BF, and %SM (p>0.05). Conclusions: In an ultra-endurance run over 1200 km within 17 consecutive days, circumference of the upper arm was the only factor associated with performance in well-experienced ultra-endurance runners. Body mass, BMI, body height, length of limbs, skin-fold thicknesses, circumference of limbs and the calculated percentage body composition of skeletal muscle mass and body fat showed no association with running performance.

/pdf/upper-arm-circumference-is-associated-with-race-performance-1u5qskza0g.pdf

Upper arm circumference is associated with race performance in ultra-endurance runners

In the present study, we investigated the association of anthropometric parameters with race performance in ultraendurance runners in a multistage ultraendurance run, in which athletes had to run 338 km within 5 consecutive days. In 17 male successful finishers, calculations of body mass, body height, skinfold thicknesses, extremity circumference, skeletal muscle mass (SM), and percentage body fat (%BF) were performed before the race to correlate anthropometric parameters with race performance. A positive association was shown between total running time and both body mass (r2 = .29, p .05). We concluded that in a multistage ultraendurance run, body mass and upper arm circumference were negatively associated with race performance in well experienced ultraendurance runners. In contrast, body height, skinfold thicknesses,...

Body Mass and Circumference of Upper Arm Are Associated with Race Performance in Ultraendurance Runners in a Multistage Race-The Isarrun 2006

Anthropometry and body composition were investigated in 43 female handball players from the Italian championships, grouped according to their competitive level (elite vs. sub-elite) or their playing position [goalkeeper (n = 7), back (n = 14), wing (n = 18), or pivot (n = 4)]. The anthropometry consisted of several circumferences, lengths, widths, and skinfold measurement at six sites; the regional and total body compositions were assessed by means of dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). One-way ANOVA was used for statistical analysis, with a Bonferroni post-hoc test where needed. The results showed that elite players have significantly lower percentages of fat and higher bone mineral content than sub-elite as well as a clear tendency to accrue more lean mass, especially in upper limbs. Overall, the physical characteristics and body composition of handball players in Italy compared unfavourably with those in other countries, suggesting a need for improved selection and training. When playing p...

Anthropometry and body composition of female handball players according to competitive level or the playing position

The purpose of the study is: (a) to determine the relationships between body composition and physical peformance and related items; and (b) to determine whether or not certain physical performance and related items might be useful in estimating body composition in terms of total lean body mass and percent lean body mass as measured by potassium-40 determinations in adult men. Data on 19 physical performance items were obtained from 40 subjects between 21 and 57 years of age. The results are of value to researchers in general and researchers in physical education in particular for estimating gross body composition using certain physical performance items.

H. E. Leedy

Papers

Relationships between physical performance items and body composition.