To examine changes in area-specific lean mass and body fat among female, division I college basketball players before and after preseason training. METHODS: Body composition was measured pre-and-post preseason training using a dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (iDXA) scan. Total and area-specific (arms, trunk, legs, android, and gynoid) lean mass and body fat were analyzed. Preseason lasted 1 month and consisted of 8 hours/week. RESULTS: Female athletes (N=11) completed this study. Total body mass increased (p = .001) after preseason from 152.8 to 155.6 lbs. Total and area-specific fat mass did not significantly change after preseason. Total lean mass increased (p = .004) from 109.6 to 112.0 lbs. However, for area-specific lean mass, only the trunk (p = .01) and android region (p = .013) significantly increased from 51.2 to 52.3 lbs. and 6.8 to 6.9 lbs., respectively. Individual lean mass responses to training varied widely. Specifically, changes in total lean mass ranged from +.02 to +7.9 lbs. Changes in total fat mass also varied widely, ranging from a loss of 2.2 lbs. to a gain of 3.5 lbs. CONCLUSIONS: Because of significant increases in total body mass and lean mass but not body fat, it is important to directly measure body composition to examine effects of training. These data demonstrate athletes’ responses to training can vary widely, thus highlighting potential uses of individualized programs.
