P-4 Body components and body fluids in karate athletes before and after preparatory period

IntroductionIn sports which are weight classified and where the athletes attempt to reach certain weight limitations it is very important to monitor the body composition and body fluids. Relatively little is known regarding the physical changes during the preparatory period of karate athletes. The aim of the study was to compare anthropometrical and physiological variables in male karate Macedonian National Team before and after preparatory period.MethodsEleven national level Macedonian male athletes from different weight categories were evaluated at baseline, before preparatory period and after three months, 1-5 days before competition. Body composition was assessed by bioelectrical impendence analyzer (BIA), In Body 720. Body weight, height, fat-free mass (FFM), fat mass (FM), fat percentage (BF%), body mass index (BMI), extracellular (ECT), intracellular (ICT) and total water (TW) were analysed.Abstract P-4 Table 1Body fluid and body components variables of karate athletes before (1) and after (2) ten-week preparatory periodBody fluid and body componentsMeanStandard deviationStd. error meanPaired differencesICW1ICW232.234.331.300.341r = 0.99532.374.551.37P = 0.000ECW1ECW219.042.820.850.540r = 0.99319.22.790.84P = 0.000TBW1TBW251.277.132.150.389r = 0.99551.487.332.21P = 0.000FFM 1FFM269.879.652.910.238r = 0.99570.259.392.83P = 0.000Soft Lean Mass 1Soft Lean Mass 266.039.122.750.328r = 0.99566.339.392.83P = 0.000Skeletal mass 1Skeletal mass 240.035.641.700.276r = 0.99640.555.961.80P = 0.000ResultsMean values of all analysed parameters before and after preparatory period were as follow: height = 181.95 cm vs. 181.36 cm; weight = 80.21 kg vs. 81.05 kg; ICW = 32.23 kg vs. 32.37 kg; ECW = 19.05 kg vs. 19.11 kg; TW = 51.27 kg vs. 51.48 kg; FFM = 69.87 kg vs. 70.25 kg; BF = 10.34 kg vs. 10.75 kg; BMI: 24.21 vs. 24.55; BF%: 12.73% vs. 13.22%. Statistically significant differences were found only for height, weight and BMI (p < 0.05).DiscussionKarate athletes usually try to maximise skeletal muscle mass and to minimise fat mass. The body fat percentage range of top level male karate athletes extends from approximately 7.5% for Japanese to 16.8% for Polish elite-level karate athletes (Imamura et al., 1997; Sterkowitch-Przbycien, 2010). Body fat percentage in our karate athletes was between 6% and 21%, with average value around 13%. The body weight was significantly higher at the end of the preparatory period. Nine athletes were found to increase and only 3 athlete