Abstract

Fifty-one male judo athletes, aged 18-22 years, were studied. The subjects weighing less than 71, 71-86, and more than 86 kg were defined as light-weight (n=12), middleweight (n=17), or heavywqeight class (n=22), respectively. Radiography for cardiac silhouettes was performed from dorso-ventral and lateral directions at a distance of 2.0 meters between the light source and the film. The area of cardiac silhouettes was measured with a planimeter and the heart volume was computed by the Rohrer-Kahlstrof formula. (1) The mean heart volumes were 671.4 +/- 103.7, 768.9 +/- 121,4, and 868.2 +/- 120.6 ml in the lightweight, middleweight and heavyweight classes, respectively. (2) The average heart volumes per kilogram body weight were 10.1 +/- 1.5, 9.8 +/- 1.7, and 8.4 +/- 1.3 ml/kg in the lightweight, middleweight and heavyweight classes, respectively. (3) The heart volume was significantly correlated to body weight, with a correlation coefficient of 0.55. (4) When the heart volume was normalized by body weight, its magnitude significantly decreased in the heavyweight class. Furthermore, 1500 m running time and the Harvard Step Test score were also inferior in this class. (5) These results indicate that excellent heavyweight judoists may not necessarily be superior in physical endurance. Verf.-Referat