BODY WEIGHT AND ATHLETES

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BODY WEIGHT AND ATHLETES

• Michael Turnbull
• 30th October 2005

2
OVERVIEW

• Body size, build and composition play major roles
  in determining athletic success.

3
OVERVIEW

• Primary concern is an athletes fat mass and
  fat-free mass.
• The ideal body type varies with each sport.
• Athletes using diets to lose weight is common.

4
OVERVIEW

• Focus on
• Body composition and sports performance
• The significance of fat-free mass and relative
  body fat
• Achieving your optimal weight safely
• Unrealistic weight loss and medical problems.

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TECHNICAL TERMS

• Body Type
• 3 different body types

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TECHNICAL TERMS

• Somatotype
• Classification of the three body types

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TECHNICAL TERMS

• Body Size
• Height and mass (weight)
• Categorized as tall or short, large or small,
  heavy or light.
• Body Composition
• The bodys chemical composition.
• Two components fat mass and fat-free mass.

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BODY COMPOSITION AND SPORTS PERFORMANCE

• Relative Body Fat
• Studies have shown that higher body fat s
  impair performance. Leaner athletes generally
  perform better.
• Females generally have a higher percentage of
  body fat, this is thought to be a major reason
  between differences in performance.
• This is confirmed in a study comparing mf
  runners who, when matched by 24km times, did not
  differ in relative body fat.

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BODY COMPOSITION AND SPORTS PERFORMANCE

• Fat Free Mass
• Should be concerned with FFM rather than total
  body size or weight.
• To increase FFM, combine resistance training with
  CHO and protein ingestion during the recovery
  Stimulates release of anabolic hormones.
• Triathlon is an endurance sport, a too high FFM
  is an additional load that must be carried and
  can impair your performance.

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BODY COMPOSITION AND SPORTS PERFORMANCE

• How is performance impaired?
• Metabolic cost of exercise is increased
• Maximal oxygen uptake is reduced
• Time to maximal fatigue is reduced
• Lower threshold points

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ACHIEVING OPTIMAL WEIGHT LOSS

• Decrease Fat Mass and increase FFM
• A healthy diet and regular exercise is key
• A 100kcal reduction per day can lead to a 4.5kg
  loss of body weight in 1 year.
• Couple this with a regular training plan total
  weight loss can be 10 16kg.

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ACHIEVING OPTIMAL WEIGHT LOSS

• Guidelines
• Lose no more than 0.5kg 1kg per week until
  reaching the upper end of desired weight range.
• Then 0.5kg per week until goal weight is reached.
• Extreme rapid weight losses result in a loss of
  FFM
• Recommended weight loss can be accomplished by
  reducing dietary intake by 200-500 kcal per day
  when combined with a sound exercise program.

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ACHIEVING OPTIMAL WEIGHT LOSS

• Bad Dieting
• Severe (very low calorie) diets lead to weight
  loss via water, not fat.
• Fad Diets (EG Atkins)
• Severe diets also limit CHO intake, thus
  depleting CHO stores.
• Water is lost with CHO, exacerbating dehydration
• Increased reliance free fatty acids can lead to
  ketosis (acidosis of the blood caused by
  production of Ketone bodies), again increasing
  water loss.

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RISKS WITH SEVERE WEIGHT LOSS

• Dehydration
• Chronic Fatigue
• Eating Disorders
• Menstrual Dysfunction
• Bone Mineral Disorders

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CONCLUSION

• Optimizing body composition can enhance your
  sports performance
• Fat-free mass and relative body mass can affect
  your sports performance
• In order to lose fat/weight, avoid crash and fad
  diets
• Resistance training promotes fat free mass
• For fat loss, moderate resistance and endurance
  training is most effective.