Changes in Body Composition among Female College Basketball Players Pre and Post-Preseason Training

Abstract

PURPOSE: To examine changes in area-specific lean mass and body fat among female, division I college basketball players before and after preseason training. METHODS: Body composition was measured before and after preseason training using a dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (iDXA) scan. Total and area-specific (arms, trunk, legs, android, and gynoid) lean mass and body fat were analyzed. Preseason training lasted 1 month and consisted of 8 hours per week of a combination of weight training, high-intensity interval sprint training, and skill workouts. Paired-sample t-tests were used to examine change pre- and post-intervention. Pearson correlations were conducted to examine potential associations among variables. RESULTS: Female athletes (N=11) completed this study. Total body mass significantly increased (p = .001) after preseason training from 152.8 to 155.6 lbs. Total and area-specific fat mass did not significantly change after preseason training. Total lean mass significantly increased (p = .004) from 109.6 to 112.0 lbs. However, for area-specific lean mass, only lean mass in the trunk (p = .01) and in the android region (p = .013) significantly increased from 51.2 to 52.3 lbs. and from 6.8 to 6.9 lbs., respectively. Individual lean mass responses to training varied widely. Specifically, changes in total lean mass ranged from +.02 to +7.9 lbs. Changes in total fat mass also varied widely between individuals, ranging from a loss of 2.2 lbs. to a gain of 3.5 lbs. Change in total lean mass was not significantly correlated with baseline total lean mass, age, year in school, or position played. Change in total body fat was negatively correlated (r = -.82, p = .001) but not significantly correlated with age, year in school, or position played. One athlete experienced an ACL tear midway through the season. Although her data was not included in pre-post analysis, her iDXA scan indicated a loss of 11.3 lbs. in lean mass, with the majority of this reduction seen in the legs (-6.4 lbs.). CONCLUSIONS: Because there were significant increases in total body mass and lean mass but not body fat, it is important to directly measure body composition to examine effects of training. In addition, these data demonstrate that athletes’ responses to training can vary widely thus highlighting the potential use of individualized training programs.