Fitness Performance Across Ranked Body Composition Groups Assessed by Different Methods

Abstract

Background: Body composition (BC) is a valuable indicator of performance both across and within certain sporting events. However, the specific relationship between BC and fitness performance (FP) is less understood. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between BC, assessed by different methods, and FP in a population of college students. Methods: This cross-sectional research used data from 131 college students attending a rural university. BC was assessed using five different methods: 1) body mass index (BMI), 2) percent body fat (PBF) by skinfold technique (SF), 3) PBF by circumference method (CM), 4) PBF by handheld bioelectric impedance (HH), and 5) waist circumference (WC). Fitness test outcome measures included 1) maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max) from the Queens College Step Test, 2) 1-repetition maximum bench press (BP) scores, 3) maximum repetition push-up (PU) scores, and 4) sit-and-reach (SR) flexibility scores. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to examine mean FP differences across BC tertiles. Results: In the overall analysis, VO2max was indirectly related to BC tertile in all BC measures. BP was directly related to BC tertile only in BMI and WC tests. PU was indirectly related to BC tertile only in SF, CM, HH, and WC tests. SR was not significantly different across BC tertile in any BC test. These results were not consistent across sex groups. Conclusion: Results from this study show clear differences in FP across ranked BC groups. Furthermore, these differences were not consistent across BC method and not consistent across sex groups.