Track and Field & BIVA
Description
The current research lines with bioimpedance involve the study of the impedance vector and, therefore, is named bioelectrical impedance vector analysis (BIVA). The BIVA approach only uses raw bioelectrical data; impedance (Z) is defined by the relationship between resistance (R) and reactance (Xc), where R plays a prominent role. R represents the opposition to current flow, while Xc is the current delay caused by cell membrane capacitance. The main derived parameter is phase angle (PhA), which is defined as the arctangent of Xc/R × 180◦/π and it typically ranges from 1° to 12° in the human body and represents cellular membrane integrity and function. An additional and recently proposed parameter that uses raw bioelectrical data to evaluate muscle mass in the sports population is the Levi Muscle Index (LMI, defined as PhA/(R/height)). The association between whole body and segmental BIVA and sports performance still needs to be examined in many other sports disciplines. Therefore, this study aims to extend the knowledge about the relationship between raw bioelectrical data and physical performance in male and female track and field athletes. In detail, the strength and speed performance of the athletes' lower limbs will be evaluated and correlated to whole body and segmental R, Xc, PhA, and LMI values. Furthermore, whether the two sexes differ in the relationship between raw bioelectrical data and physical performance will be verified.
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Steps to reproduce
The sample was composed of 31 female athletes and 30 male athletes. The inclusion criteria were: 1) age between 18 and 35, 2) registered with the track and field Italian federation for the current season, 3) having practiced track and field at a competitive level for at least ten years, 4) being classified as at least tier 3 athletes: Highly Trained/National Level 18 5) has had no injuries or surgery that could affect participation in sports activity in the previous three months, 6) not taking any medications. The recruitment and evaluation of the participants were conducted during the in-season phase. Therefore, the athletes have their optimal body composition (i.e., the lowest and highest fat-free mass). The body composition assessments were carried out before the performance tests. Bioelectrical measurements were obtained using the BIA 101 Anniversary Sport Edition analyzer (Akern, Florence, Italy) that emitted a 400 mA alternating sinusoidal current at 50 kHz (± 0.1%). Calibration was performed with a known impedance circuit provided by the manufacturer (R = 383 ± 10 Ω, Xc = 45 ± 5 Ω). After skin preparation, eight electrodes (Biatrodes Akern Srl, Florence, Italy) were placed according to protocols. The assessment included the whole body (hand to foot right side) and the lower hemisome (foot to foot). The same trained investigator consistently performed all BIA measurements to minimize inter-observer errors, ensuring data accuracy and reliability. R and Xc were standardized for the subject height to remove the effect of conductor length (R/H, Xc/H). Performance tests On the same day and after the body composition assessment, the athletes performed their usual 15-minute warm-up. Performance tests were subsequently conducted to evaluate the speed and lower limb strength performances of the athletes through: - Sprint on 5 and 10 m. - Standing long jump. - Triple Jump. - Squat Jump. - Counter Movement Jump. - Stiffness Jump test. All tests were conducted under standardized conditions to ensure accuracy and consistency in the results; vertical jumps were performed while wearing a wearable inertial device, the BTS G-Walk sensor 2 (BTS Bioengineering, Milan, Italy). All data were transmitted by Bluetooth to a notebook and processed using the BTS G-Studio software (BTS Bioengineering, Italy). Three measurements were performed for each test, and the mean was used for data analysis. This tool, in addition to the height of the jump, provided parameters relating to take-off force (kN), landing force (kW), maximum concentric power (kW), average speed concentric phase (m/s), peak speed (m/s), take-off speed (m/s).
Institutions
- Universita degli Studi di Firenze