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THE ROLE OF BODY HABITUS ON AEROBIC FITNESS IN NCAA BASKETBALL PLAYERS

Abstract

This study was designed to determine whether body habitus affects aerobic fitness in male and female basketball players. Body types range from endomorph to ectomorph, and while most basketball players tend to be of a mesomorph body type (with well-developed musculature), we view guards, in general, to tend more to the ectomorphic side of the scale and post players to be more aligned with the endomorphic side. Our hypothesis is that an athlete’s body type (which may also reflect his/her team position) will affect the level of an individual’s overall aerobic fitness. For the fitness tests, participants were fitted with a heart monitor and a filtered breathing face mask and asked to perform a modified stress test; i.e. a series of exercises of increasing intensity (increased height and pace of steps used in basketball training) followed by a period of recovery. The test was continued until the subject reached volitional exhaustion or his/her maximum heart rate (standardly determined as the subject’s age subtracted from 220). Heart rates and respiratory exchange ratios (RER= ratio of VCO2/VO2) were measured using an iWORX TA system. Statistical analysis of the data is ongoing.

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