Inter-sport variability of muscle volume distribution identified by segmental bioelectrical impedance analysis in four ball sports

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate and quantify differences in muscle distribution in athletes of various ball sports using segmental bioelectrical impedance analysis (SBIA). Participants were 115 male collegiate athletes from four ball sports (baseball, soccer, tennis, and lacrosse). Percent body fat (%BF) and lean body mass were measured, and SBIA was used to measure segmental muscle volume (MV) in bilateral upper arms, forearms, thighs, and lower legs. We calculated the MV ratios of dominant to nondominant, proximal to distal, and upper to lower limbs. The measurements consisted of a total of 31 variables. Cluster and factor analyses were applied to identify redundant variables. The muscle distribution was significantly different among groups, but the %BF was not. The classification procedures of the discriminant analysis could correctly distinguish 84.3% of the athletes. These results suggest that collegiate ball game athletes have adapted their physique to their sport movements very well, and the SBIA, which is an affordable, noninvasive, easy-to-operate, and fast alternative method in the field, can distinguish ball game athletes according to their specific muscle distribution within a 5-minute measurement. The SBIA could be a useful, affordable, and fast tool for identifying talents for specific sports.