BODY COMPOSITION AND BIOELECTRICAL PARAMETERS IN RECREATIONAL CROSSFIT® PRACTITIONERS: AN EXPLORATORY CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

Resumo

Objective: To describe the raw bioelectrical and body composition parameters of CrossFit practitioners and to analyze the relationship between phase angle and body composition. Methods: This was a cross-sectional observational study with 45 adult CrossFit practitioners (42.2% men and 57.8% women) from a gym in Porto Alegre, RS. Individuals who had been practicing the sport for at least three months, with a minimum frequency of three times a week, and who self-reported as healthy were included. Tetrapolar bioelectrical impedance (Biodynamics 450) was used to assess resistance, reactance, impedance, phase angle (AngF), lean mass, fat mass, total body water, intracellular and extracellular water, and lean mass index. The t-test for independent samples was used in SPSS 23.0 for comparison between genders and Pearson's correlation for associations between variables. A significance level of 5% was adopted. Results: Men had higher means of lean mass, total body water, and AngF; Women presented higher values of body fat, resistance, and reactance. In the total sample, positive correlations were identified between AngF and lean mass (r=0.518; p<0.001), as well as with lean mass index (r=0.482; p=0.001). AngF also correlated inversely with body fat percentage (r=-0.454; p=0.002). Conclusion: The findings corroborate AngF as a functional marker associated with lower body fat content and higher lean mass content, reinforcing the use of BIA as a viable tool for monitoring body composition in CrossFit practitioners.