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Technical Director Italian Beach Handball Federation
Background: Beach handball (BH) is a sport in which sporting performance is influenced, together with team interaction, by individual performance in terms of strength. Body composition is one of the main factors for sports performance and eating habits can condition this variable. The Mediterranean diet (MD) can significantly reduce the risk of mortality or cardiovascular disease. In addition, the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment carries out different campaigns to promote it among young athletes, establishing it as a suitable diet for sports. Objectives: The main aims of the study are to assess body composition, physical activity and adherence to the MD of beach handball players. It also aims to evaluate age group differences in male and female players, as well as studying the possible relationship between MD, body composition and performance variables. Methods: A total of 59 Spanish BH players were recruited in the national championship of BH in the province of Alicante. Thirty-eight male (14 junior; 17.0 ± 0.1 years and 24 seniors; 25.5 ± 4.7 years) and twenty-one female (7 junior; 16.1 ± 1.46 years and 14 seniors; 23.2 ± 2.0 years) BH players participated in this study. The questionnaire to evaluate eating habits was Mediterranean diet adherence (KIDMED). Body composition was measured with electrical bioimpedance. Strength was evaluated by means of a maximum isometric handgrip test of the dominant hand with handgrip and height of jump by counter-jump on contact platform. In the statistical analysis, descriptions and correlations between the study variables were made. Results: In females, when the adherence to the MD is lower, the weight is higher, the lean body mass is lower and worse results are observed in performance tests. As for males, there are differences in weight and lean body mass according to category. Conclusions: Adequate eating habits are related to the weight of beach handball athletes. In addition, specifically with junior players, it has been observed that adherence to the MD correlates with weight.
Alejandro Martínez-Rodríguez; María Martínez-Olcina; María Hernández-García; Jacobo Rubio-Arias; Javier Sánchez-Sánchez; Daniel Lara-Cobos; Manuel Vicente-Martínez; Maria Carvalho; Juan Sánchez-Sáez. Mediterranean Diet Adherence, Body Composition and Performance in Beach Handball Players: A Cross Sectional Study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 2021, 18, 2837 .
AMA StyleAlejandro Martínez-Rodríguez, María Martínez-Olcina, María Hernández-García, Jacobo Rubio-Arias, Javier Sánchez-Sánchez, Daniel Lara-Cobos, Manuel Vicente-Martínez, Maria Carvalho, Juan Sánchez-Sáez. Mediterranean Diet Adherence, Body Composition and Performance in Beach Handball Players: A Cross Sectional Study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2021; 18 (6):2837.
Chicago/Turabian StyleAlejandro Martínez-Rodríguez; María Martínez-Olcina; María Hernández-García; Jacobo Rubio-Arias; Javier Sánchez-Sánchez; Daniel Lara-Cobos; Manuel Vicente-Martínez; Maria Carvalho; Juan Sánchez-Sáez. 2021. "Mediterranean Diet Adherence, Body Composition and Performance in Beach Handball Players: A Cross Sectional Study." International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 18, no. 6: 2837.
This cross-sectional study aims to analyze the physical demands of elite beach handball players during an official competition. Nine elite female (mean age: 24.6 ± 4.0 years; body weight: 62.4 ± 4.6 kg; body height: 1.68 ± 0.059 m; training experience: 5 years; training: 6 h/week) beach handball players of the Spanish National Team were recruited for this study. A Global Positioning System was incorporated on each player’s back to analyze their movement patterns. Speed and distance were recorded at a sampling frequency of 15 Hz, whereas acceleration was recorded at 100 Hz by means of a built-in triaxial accelerometer. The main finding of the study is that 53% of the distance travelled is done at speeds between 1.5 and 5 km/h and 30% of the distance is between 9 and 13 km/h (83% of the total distance covered), which shows the intermittent efforts that beach handball involves at high intensity, as reflected in the analysis of the internal load with 62.82 ± 14.73% of the game time above 80% of the maximum heart rate. These data help to orientate training objectives to the physical demands required by the competition in order to optimize the players’ performance.
Juan Sánchez-Sáez; Javier Sánchez-Sánchez; Alejandro Martínez-Rodríguez; José Felipe; Jorge García-Unanue; Daniel Lara-Cobos. Global Positioning System Analysis of Physical Demands in Elite Women’s Beach Handball Players in an Official Spanish Championship. Sensors 2021, 21, 850 .
AMA StyleJuan Sánchez-Sáez, Javier Sánchez-Sánchez, Alejandro Martínez-Rodríguez, José Felipe, Jorge García-Unanue, Daniel Lara-Cobos. Global Positioning System Analysis of Physical Demands in Elite Women’s Beach Handball Players in an Official Spanish Championship. Sensors. 2021; 21 (3):850.
Chicago/Turabian StyleJuan Sánchez-Sáez; Javier Sánchez-Sánchez; Alejandro Martínez-Rodríguez; José Felipe; Jorge García-Unanue; Daniel Lara-Cobos. 2021. "Global Positioning System Analysis of Physical Demands in Elite Women’s Beach Handball Players in an Official Spanish Championship." Sensors 21, no. 3: 850.