A comparative analysis of the physical fitness profile of Korean women’s national amateur boxers by weight category

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the differences in specific physical fitness of the national amateur women’s boxer. The Korean women’s national amateur boxers were classified into the lightweight category (LWC, n= 21) and middleweight category (MWC, n= 13), and body composition (percentage body fat and body mass index) and specific physical fitness (maximal muscle strength, anaerobic power, isokinetic muscle strength, cardiopulmonary endurance) were measured. The Mann–Whitney <i>U</i>-test was conducted to determine the differences in the body composition and specific physical fitness in women’s boxers. The percentage body fat (<i>P</i>= 0.004) and body mass index (<i>P</i>< 0.001) were significantly higher in the LWC compared to MWC. In addition, LWC showed significantly higher isokinetic muscle strength (<i>P</i>< 0.001), upper anaerobic mean power (<i>P</i>= 0.002), maximal muscle strength (<i>P</i>= 0.003), and maximal heart rate at anaerobic threshold (<i>P</i>= 0.029), maximal oxygen consumption (<i>P</i>< 0.001) and the 20-m shuttle-run exercise (<i>P</i>= 0.004) compared to MWC. In conclusion, the body fat percentage and body mass index levels among body composition were significantly higher in the MWC than in the LWC, and the constant muscle strength, maximum muscle strength, and cardiopulmonary endurance levels were significantly higher in the LWC than in the MWC. The results of this study are expected to provide useful data for planning future strategies for efficient and scientific training programs for each weight category.