Body composition and human movement: from experimental approaches to interventional benefits

Animal species evolved in response to environmental features. Humans need to move to interact with world space and the time interaction reveals the body's requirements. Body composition is globed within human physiology and its study took great interest during the last two centuries. Although it applies to many fields such as anthropometry, ergonomy, epidemiology, medicine and others, sports sciences and human performance need daily upgrades to lead to success. Several methods have been explored to detect body composition, from the more sophisticated ones that request advanced laboratories, staff and high costs, to simpler ones based on different assumptions decreasing in estimation reliability. This escalates if investigators do not account for specific people characteristics, sports demands, exercise responses and adaptations. So, the following thesis aims to interweave study design methodologies to provide new approaches and details that extoll the body composition knowledge in sporty samples. Four cross-sectional, one observational (two years) and two interventional (eight weeks) studies have been conducted. Football adolescents ( 10-14 years; n= 240) and adults (18-30 years; n= 23) have been mainly investigated, but pieces of evidence were highlighted also in Padel (16-40 years; n= 15), Volleyball (11-14 years; n= 94) and mixed (18-30 years; n=18). Many laboratory and field methods have been assessed to evaluate both body composition and physical performance. Maturity status and gender differences have been considered. Coaches and trainers may always consider human variability related to age, sex, sports and maturation before evaluating athletes, and searching for specific methods. In addition, selecting and monitoring training periodizations depends on exercise types and modalities, which lead to appropriate stimulation only with rational plans. Many sports lack specific approaches to assess body composition and several training methodologies need more attention. Exercise physiologists and kinesiologists should walk in this direction to contribute to developing sports sciences.