The effects of Olympic style weight lifting training on body composition of adolescent athletes

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of Olympic style weight lifting on body weight and percent body fat in young people. The sample consisted of 194 boys (14-17 years of age) that were divided into two groups: a) an experimental group consisting of athletes of Olympic style weight lifting (n = 90) and b) a control group consisting of high school students (n = 104). The athletes in the experimental group attended athletic facilitation classes where they exercised four times a week. The high school students attended the regular physical education classes (twice a week). Body composition was assessed prior to and at the end of a training program that lasted two years. A 2 X 2 ANOVA revealed that two years of training resulted in higher body weight (+7.3%) and a minimal change in percent body fat (+3.8%) in the experimental group. In contrary, the control group showed a minimal change in body weight (+0.3%) but a significant increase in percent body fat (+71.7%). These results suggest that Olympic style weight lifting training can significantly change the body composition of young boys resulting in an increase in body weight without a concomitant increase in percent body fat. Since obesity shows higher trends in children and adolescents, Olympic style weight lifting can be a very effective way in combating this condition that tends to become epidemic.