The effect of somatotype characters on selected physical performance parameters

Abstract

Background and Study Aim: The physical structure is considered as one of the elements for sporting success. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of somatotype characters on selected physical performance parameters. Material and Methods: This study was included 150 males (age: 22.10±2.46 years) participants who do not have habit of regular exercise. The somatotype characters of participants were determined and physical performance tests (30 m sprint, vertical jump, anaerobic power, aerobic capacity, and flexibility) were measured as an experimental design. Results: As a result of the research, 9 different somatotype subgroups were identified. In this study, the statistically significant was found between groups in terms of explosive force, aerobic and anaerobic power output (p<0.05). We found no significant between groups in terms of flexibility (p=0.670), relative anaerobic peak (p=0.560) and mean power output (p=0.077). The results were obtained in favor of mesomorph-endomorph structure in terms of absolute peak and mean power, while mesomorph and ectomorph component contributed positively to explosive force and aerobic capacity scores.Conclusion: Our study highlighted the fact that the subgroups of somatotype have an effect on performance parameters. The body-performance relationship can be examined in detail with more participants representing each somatotype group.