Cardiovascular parameters and body composition of professional female surfers.

Objective: To analyse the level of aerobic fitness of female surfers ranked as elite athletes through cardiovascular and body composition indicators. Design: The research was descriptive. The study included 7 elite female surfers within the top 10 rankings in Brazil, who lived in Rio de Janeiro City, Brazil. To determine the anthropometric characteristics of the sample, measurements of body mass, height and body fat percentage were taken based on the 3-site skin fold test by Jackson and Pollock. Cardiorespiratory fitness was analysed by means of the Bruce Protocol Treadmill Test using an Imbramed®. During all tests, the following variables were monitored: heart rate, systolic blood pressure (BPS), diastolic blood pressure (BPD) and subjective perceived exertion. The variables were measured before and after the test. Using these variables, we calculated the aerobic functional impairment, oxygen consumption by age and gender (VO2_P) and the Rate Pressure Product (RPP). Descriptive statistics were used. The Shapiro Wilk test was used to verify the normality of the data, and Levine's test was used to analyse the homogeneity of the sample. Results: BMI was classified as normal, and the body fat percentage (10.00 ± 3.62) corresponded to a low fat rate. Although the sample subjects were athletes, they presented a waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) mean of 0.75m ± 0.03. A low HR (63±8.72bpm) was observed at rest, and pre-test systolic and diastolic blood pressure values were normal according to the American Heart Association Guidelines. The evaluated group had excellent physical conditioning. The VO2max (46.39±12.01ml O2/kg/min) was 40% greater than the expected value and was classified as excellent for women 30-39 years old, according to the American Heart Association. The RPP of the sample (30.188.33 ± 5.936.24 mmHg.bpm) was between effort reference values. Conclusions: The present authors concluded that elite female surfers have excellent aerobic fitness and body composition, indicating that the top 10 ranking female surfers in Brazil possess good physical fitness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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