AEROBIC CAPACITY OF JUDO PLAYERS SCALED FOR DIFFERENCES IN BODY SIZE

Abstract

The aerobic capacity is considered to be a prerequisite for high training and competitive performance in judo. However, it is not clear how the differences in the body composition of judokas affect their aerobic performance. The present study was aimed at comparing the body composition variables and aerobic capacity among judo players from different weight categories and examining the best method for scaling the VO2 max for differences in body mass. The subjects were 109 male and 108 female judokas 15-26 years old, grouped in three weight categories for each sex. Percentage of body fat (%BF) was predicted by skinfold equations. Fat mass, fat-free mass (FFM) and BMI were also calculated. The maximal oxygen uptake (VO2 max) was measured during a graded maximal bicycle ergometer test. The correlations between VO2 max, normalized by different methods, and body size variables were tested by Pearson’s product-moment correlations. The %BF and body composition variables significantly differed among weight categories and were with the highest values in the heaviest athletes. The average V̇O2 max.BM-1 of the entire groups of male and female judokas were respectively 48.4±4.7 ml.kg-1.min-1 and 39.7±4.0 ml.kg-1.min-1. The lightweight classes demonstrated the highest relative to BM values of VO2 max. When VO2 max was adjusted to BM with derived allometric exponents (0.77 for males and 0.69 for females) the results for the three weight categories of male and female judokas were similar, regardless of the differences in their body composition. The interpretation of the between-weight categories differences in aerobic capacity in judokas is dependent on the method of expression of VO2 max. The VO2 max, normalized for BM or FFM, did not remove the effect of body size and still correlated with body composition variables in both sexes. The power function expression of VO2 max produced size-free variables, which did not correlate with body size in judokas.

Keywords

• judo
• aerobic capacity
• VO2 max
• body composition