Assessment of Body Composition and Sport Performance of Brazilian Paralympic Swim Team Athletes

Context:Body-composition assessments of high-performance athletes are very important for identifying physical performance potential. Although the relationship between the kinanthropometric characteristics and performance abilities of Olympic swimmers is extremely important, this subject is not completely understood for Paralympic swimmers. Objective:To investigate the relationship between body composition and sport performance in Brazilian Paralympic swimmers 6 mo after training. Design:Experimental pre/posttest design. Setting:Research laboratory and field evaluations of swimming were conducted to verify the 50-m freestyle time of each athlete. Participants:17 Brazilian Paralympic swim team athletes (12 men, 5 women). Main Outcome Measures:Body-composition assessments were performed using a BOD POD, and swimming performance was assessed using the 50-m freestyle, which was performed twice: before and after 6 mo of training. Results:Increased lean mass and significantly reduced relative fat mass and swimmi...