Abstract des Autors

Eighteen female (X = 13.32 yrs.) and 17 male (X = 12.50 yrs.) gymnasts from local training centers, and equal numbers of girls and boys of the same age not participating in competitive athletics served as the experimental and control groups for the study. Standard anthropometric measurements, including those required for the Heath-Carter somatotype, were obtained. Body composition was assessed by hydrostatic weighing. Control subjects were taller than the gymnasts but the difference in height was statistically significant only for females. Female and male gymnasts were significantly more mesomorphic and less endomorphic than the controls, and had smaller amounts of fat mass, both in an absolute sense and in proportion to total body weight. Differences between gymnasts and controls were more pronounced for females than males. In proportion to body height, the female gymnasts had significantly larger upper arm girth and humerus width, broader shoulders and narrower hips than their non-athletic peers. These observations tended to confirm previous research findings concercing adult gymnasts. Verf.-Referat