The Impact of 12 Weeks of Training on Body Composition and Blood Pressure in NCAA football players Division II

Abstract

Football is one of the most popular sports in North America. Because of different position-specific demands, football players require a different skill set highly dependent on their anthropometric characteristics and body composition. Therefore, the goal of the study was to identify the impact of an off-season training program among NCAA football players Division II of different positions on body mass index (BMI), percentage of muscle, and fat. Football players (N=68) were tested at the beginning of the off-season training and at the end of this training period. Percentage of fat and muscle mass, and BMI of players from eight positions (quarterback, running back, wide receiver, tight end, offensive line, defensive line, linebacker, and defensive back) were assessed. At the beginning of the off-season, BMI of the offensive line and the defensive line was higher than all other positions; however, only the offensive line had a higher body fat percentage and lower muscle mass percentage when compared to the other positions, except the defensive line (p<0.05). There was an increase in the percentage of muscle mass overall (p<0.05) and no difference in the percentage of fat (p=0.053) at the end of the off-season when compared to the beginning. When stratified in positions, the percentage of muscle increased in quarterback, wide receiver, linebacker, and defensive back, whereas the percentage of fat decreased in running back, wide receiver, linebacker, and defensive back (p<0.05). Thus, the training program applied during the off-season improves body composition and reflects on the performance enhancement of NCAA football players Division II.