Changes In Body Composition Following A Competitive Season In Division I Collegiate Female Gymnastics Athletes

Abstract

A large muscle mass to total body mass ratio benefits power athletes such as gymnasts. While collegiate gymnastics athletes train strength and power in the pre-season but reduce training during the competitive season, the degree to which body composition changes during the competitive season is not known. PURPOSE: This study examined changes in body composition in a team of female Division I collegiate gymnastics athletes before and after their competition season. It was hypothesized that percent body fat (%BF), total fat mass (TFM), and bone mineral content (BMC) would remain unchanged from pre- to post-season. METHODS: Fifteen female collegiate gymnasts (age = 19 ± 1 year, ht = 1.62 ± 0.05 m, wt = 62.7 ± 7.2 kg) volunteered to undergo measures of body composition assessment before and after their spring competitive season. During pre-season (PRE), participants were instructed to arrive to the laboratory in a euhydrated state. Following written informed consent, participants provided a mid-stream urine sample which was used to screen for pregnancy and to determine urine specific gravity (USG) using a handheld digital refractometer. Participants then performed a dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scan to determine TFM, %BF, and BMC. Immediately after the competitive season, participants returned to the laboratory and repeated all procedures (POST). Data were analyzed using paired-samples t-tests with significance set at p < 0.05. RESULTS: BMC significantly increased across the season (6.422 ± 0.206 g PRE vs. 6.485 ± 0.203 g POST; p < 0.05). While there was a downward trend in both TFM (34.158 ± 2.211 kg PRE vs. 32.905 ± 2.335 kg POST; p < 0.1) and %BF (25.68 ± 1.16 % PRE vs. 24.99 ± 1.23 % POST; p < 0.1), these were not significantly different at the a priori p < 0.05 level. There was no change in body weight. CONCLUSION: The significant increase in BMC, combined with the downward trend in TFM and %BF, with no change in body weight, suggests athletes maintained body composition in a favorable manner during the competitive season. The increase in BMC further suggests that stimuli during the competitive season were strong enough to elicit favorable changes in bone remodeling during in-season competition.