Is muscle typology in young talented track and field athletes a predictor for adult success?

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Is muscle typology in young talented track and field athletes a predictor for adult success?

Freek Van de Casteele, Eline Lievens, Kim Van Vossel, Tine Bex, Audrey Baguet, Wim Derave

Department of Movement and Sports Sciences, Ghent University, Belgium

HYPOTHESIS

INTRODUCTION

When young talented athletes practice a discipline that suits their muscle typology, they are more successful at the adult age.

Elite long distance runners have a high proportion of slow muscle fibers, whereas elite sprinters possess a large share of

fast muscle fibers In which discipline

can I excel the most?

45%

15%

40%

Genetic variance

Sampling and technical variance

Environmental variance

Muscle typology is largely genetically determined

Adapted from

Simoneau & Bouchard, 1995 Costill et al., 1976

Fast-twitch fiber Slow-twitch fiber

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METHODS

Muscle carnosine content was measured in gastrocnemius via ¹H-MRS spectroscopy

y = 0.1139x + 0.1926 R² = 0.5036 0

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65

[carnosine] (mM)

% area type II

Baguet et al., 2011 3-T whole body MRI scanner (Siemens Trio)

61 elite athletes

• IAAF-score > 1050

Positive correlation between muscle carnosine concentration and %type II muscle fiber area

Carnosine expressed as Z-score based on

reference population (163 men, 112 women) The individual best performances were tracked

for 10 years via standardized IAAF-scores

Population Muscle typology estimation

Performance tracking Matching muscle typology?

38 young athletes

• Topsportschool

• > 14 years

• > 12 years

-2 0 2

Discipline

Gastrocnemius carnosine Z-score Elite athlete

-2 0 2 4

100/200m 400m High jump 800m Decathlon/heptathlon 1500m 3000/5000m 10000m Marathon

Gastrocnemius carnosine Z-score

Mean Z-score elite Match

Match Mismatch 750

800 850 900 950 1000 1050 1100 1150 1200

IAAF-score

p = 0.352

800 850 900 950 1000 1050 1100 1150 1200

IAAF-score

p = 0.352

Mismatch

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RESULTS

CONCLUSION

31 (82%) matches and 7 (18%) mismatches

When young talented track and field athletes possess a muscle typology that matches their discipline, they seem to reach the elite level more frequently.

11/31 (36%) matches and 1/7 (14%) mismatches reached the elite level

-2 0 2 4

Gastrocnemius carnosine Z-score

Mismatch Match Elite athlete Mean Z-score elite

-2 0 2 4

Gastrocnemius carnosine Z-score Match Mismatch

750 800 850 900 950 1000 1050 1100 1150 1200

IAAF-score

p = 0.352

800 850 900 950 1000 1050 1100 1150 1200

IAAF-score

p = 0.352

Elite level

800 850 900 950 1000 1050 1100 1150 1200

IAAF-score

p = 0.352

Mismatch

N = 7

Elite level (IAAF > 1050) Non-elite level (IAAF < 1050) Match

N = 31 11 (36%)

20 (64%)

Mismatch

N = 7

Elite level (IAAF > 1050) Non-elite level (IAAF < 1050) 1

(14%)

6 (86%)

800 850 900 950 1000 1050 1100 1150 1200

IAAF-score

p = 0.352

800 850 900 950 1000 1050 1100 1150 1200

IAAF-score

p = 0.352 No significant difference in best IAAF-

score between matches and mismatches

freek.vandecasteele@ugent.be CasteeleFreek

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