Assessment of hydration status by urinary analysis of elite junior taekwon-do athletes in preparing for competition

Abstract The aim of this study was to assess over time the hydration status of taekwon-do athletes during a preparatory camp. Measures of urine osmolality, conductivity, specific gravity and colour were made on the first urine sample passed by the participants (n = 32) in the morning before breakfast. The urinary measurements were made on samples collected at the beginning of the camp, 5 days later and one day before competition. Body mass was also measured at the same instants. Body mass (mean ± s) was essentially the same on each of the measurement days (62.6 ± 12.2, 62.7 ± 12.3 and 62.2 ± 12.6 kg, respectively). Mean urine osmolality at the beginning of the camp was relatively high (998 ± 171 mOsmol · kg−1), suggesting that a significant number of the athletes were already hypohydrated. However, no significant differences were detected in urine osmolality at the three time points during the study. There were no significant differences in any of the four methods of urine analysis during the study (P > 0...