Changes in Anthropometric Characteristics and Isokinetic Muscle Strength in Elite Team Sport Players during an Annual Training Cycle
Evangelia Papaevangelou,
Zacharoula Papadopoulou,
Athanasios Mandroukas,
Yiannis Michaildis,
Pantelis T. Nikolaidis,
Nikos V. Margaritelis,
Thomas I. Metaxas
Affiliations
Evangelia Papaevangelou
Laboratory of Evaluation of Human Biological Performance, Department of Physical Education and Sports Science, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 57001 Thessaloniki, Greece
Zacharoula Papadopoulou
Laboratory of Evaluation of Human Biological Performance, Department of Physical Education and Sports Science, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 57001 Thessaloniki, Greece
Athanasios Mandroukas
Laboratory of Evaluation of Human Biological Performance, Department of Physical Education and Sports Science, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 57001 Thessaloniki, Greece
Yiannis Michaildis
Laboratory of Evaluation of Human Biological Performance, Department of Physical Education and Sports Science, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 57001 Thessaloniki, Greece
Pantelis T. Nikolaidis
School of Health and Caring Sciences, University of West Attica, 12243 Athens, Greece
Nikos V. Margaritelis
Laboratory of Exercise Physiology & Biochemistry, Department of Physical Education and Sports Science at Serres, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 62122 Serres, Greece
Thomas I. Metaxas
Laboratory of Evaluation of Human Biological Performance, Department of Physical Education and Sports Science, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 57001 Thessaloniki, Greece
The aim of the present research was to investigate the variation in the anthropometric characteristics and the isokinetic muscle strength of elite female team sport players during a season (29–36 weeks). Three groups of female athletes that consisted of soccer (n = 19; age, 23.2 ± 4.3 years), basketball (n = 26, 21.1 ± 5.4 years) and handball players (n = 26, 21.1 ± 4.2 years) underwent anthropometric and isokinetic measurements at the beginning of the preparation period, in the middle and at the end of the competitive season. Isokinetic peak torque values of the hamstrings (H) and quadriceps (Q), as well as the conventional strength ratios of H:Q, were tested on an isokinetic dynamometer at angular velocities of 60, 180 and 300°·s−1. Body weight, lean body mass and body fat of all groups decreased from the first to the third testing session (p p p −1. The improvement observed for all athletes can be attributed to the training programs that collectively characterize these team sports.
