| Combat
Sports Special Issue Research article |
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COMPARISON OF NORMALIZED MAXIMUM AEROBIC CAPACITY AND BODY COMPOSITION
OF SUMO WRESTLERS TO ATHLETES IN COMBAT AND OTHER SPORTS
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Matthew
D. Beekley1 ,
Takashi Abe2, Masakatsu Kondo3, Taishi Midorikawa2
and Taro Yamauchi4 |
1United States Military Academy, West Point, Department of Physical Education,
West Point, NY, USA
2Tokyo Metropolitan University, Department of Exercise and Sport Science,
Tokyo, Japan
3Nihon University, Department of Exercise Physiology, Tokyo, Japan
4The University of Tokyo, Department of Human Ecology, Tokyo, Japan
©
Journal of Sports Science and Medicine (2006) 5 (CSSI), 13
- 20
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| ABSTRACT |
| Sumo
wrestling is unique in combat sport, and in all of sport. We examined
the maximum aerobic capacity and body composition of sumo wrestlers
and compared them to untrained controls. We also compared "aerobic
muscle quality", meaning VO2max normalized to predicted
skeletal muscle mass (SMM) (VO2max /SMM), between sumo
wrestlers and controls and among previously published data for male
athletes from combat, aerobic, and power sports. Sumo wrestlers, compared
to untrained controls, had greater (p < 0.05) body mass (mean ±
SD; 117.0 ± 4.9 vs. 56.1 ± 9.8 kg), percent fat (24.0 ± 1.4 vs. 13.3
± 4.5), fat-free mass (88.9 ± 4.2 vs. 48.4 ± 6.8 kg), predicted SMM
(48.2 ± 2.9 vs. 20.6 ± 4.7 kg) and absolute VO2max (3.6
± 1.3 vs. 2.5 ± 0.7 L·min-1). Mean VO2max /SMM
(ml·kg SMM-1·min-1) was significantly different (p <
0.05) among aerobic athletes (164.8 ± 18.3), combat athletes (which
was not different from untrained controls; 131.4 ± 9.3 and 128.6 ±
13.6, respectively), power athletes (96.5 ± 5.3), and sumo wrestlers
(71.4 ± 5.3). There was a strong negative correlation (r = - 0.75)
between percent body fat and VO2max /SMM (p < 0.05).
We conclude that sumo wrestlers have some of the largest percent body
fat and fat-free mass and the lowest "aerobic muscle quality"
(VO2max /SMM), both in combat sport and compared to aerobic
and power sport athletes. Additionally, it appears from analysis of
the relationship between SMM and absolute VO2max for all
sports that there is a "ceiling" at which increases in SMM
do not result in additional increases in absolute VO2max.
KEY
WORDS: Oxygen uptake, skeletal muscle mass, fat-free mass, fat
mass.
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