Abstract

There is abundance of research on peak performance, as there is a demand to understand how to make athletes perform at their very best. It is known that body composition plays a large role in how successful athletes are, especially since most would consider athletic fitness its own category. In more recent years, mental health of athletes has been discussed as a potential influencer with more holistic lifestyle changes being more desirable. This research aimed to examine how body composition and mental health affect performance, an area where research does lack. Over the course of one full school year, a NCAA Division I Track and Field and Cross-Country team in North Carolina was studied with the use of DEXA technology and multiple written mental health assessments. Moreover, a vertical jump test was used to assess the performance of participants. Participants were examined four times throughout their season, relative to the demands of the body particular to each season: pre-season training (September), pre-indoor season (November), pre-outdoor season (March), and the closing of the season (May). At the closing of May 2019, the study was concluded. The following school year was dedicated to data analysis. Using regression analysis, researchers found that body composition was not a predictor of performance within their sample as previous research has suggested. Moreover, within this sample mental health played a role in body composition potentially impacting performance.

How to Cite