Morphological evolution of Cuban super heavyweight boxers, 1976-2014

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the morphological changes of Cuban super heavyweight boxers, more and less successful, through the period 1976-2014. Material and method: Thirty super heavy boxers, who were members of the Cuban national teams in the period 1976-2014, were compared; The strategy consisted of separating the group in the periods 1976-1989, 1990-1999, 2000-2009 and 2010-2014. Sixteen anthropometric dimensions were recorded (weight, height, sitting height, six skinfold thickness, five girths and two breadths), from which the body composition and the somatotype were obtained. The data were analyzed applying the Analysis of variance (ANOVA). The conglomerate analysis based on the Euclidean distance was used in order to evaluate the correspondence between physical development and sports performance. A discriminant analysis was carried out in order to analyze the contribution of the anthropometrical variables to the variance of different clusters. Results: Most of the anthropometric dimensions and indicators showed significant differences, having an impact on the increase in adiposity, body fat and endomorphy (p <0.05), as well as the decrease in the indicators dependent on height (p <0.05). The analysis by conglomerates, as well as the study of the Migratory Distances of the somatotype, showed that the Olympic medalist boxers differed in terms of the characteristics of body composition and in terms of the intensity of the somatotype changes in the period 1976-2014. Conclusions: The Cuban boxer of the super heavyweight category showed a wide range of morphological demands, but these were framed within the international trends of professional boxers. The morphological attributes of the Olympic medalists differed from each other, and from the rest of the boxers investigated over time. These results provide anthropometric data of high scientific value, both for selection and for medical control of training.