Hydration characteristics of elite male climbers

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Significant scientific evidence documents the deleterious effects of reduced total body water (TBW) on endurance exercise performance, however, the influence of hypohydration on muscular strength, power and high-intensity endurance is poorly understood due to the inconsistent results produced by previous investigations. Trained athletes have relatively high TBW by virtue of having a high muscle mass. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to show the relationship between TBW and performance in elite climbers. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Twenty-three elite climbers (14 males and 9 females) participate in a World Cup-2004 of International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC). All athletes completed a fasting body composition assessment. TBW, body fat (Segal) and skeletal muscle mass (SMM), (Janssen) was estimated by bioelectrical impedance analysis (Sanocare, Madrid). Performance was estimated by ranking (Rk) of IFSC. Descriptive statistics were calculated for all variables and Pearson correlation coefficients were used to test the main hypotheses. The level of significance for statistical test was 0.05 RESULTS: Significant correlation coefficients were found in males between Rk and TBW (r=0,51; P< 0.001), Rk and Fat (r=0,57; P< 0.05) and finally SMM and TBW (r=0,57; P< 0.05). In females was found a relationship between Rk and TBW (r=0,92; P< 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: A strong association was found between TBW and performance in climbers of both sexes. These relationships are related to body composition particularly mediated by SMM.