Hierarchical differences in body composition of professional Sumo wrestlers

Abstract

The body composition of 36 professional Sumo wrestlers and 39 collegiate male students were assessed densitometrically. The means of body weight, BMI and % fat for Sumo wrestlers were 117.1kg, 36.5 and 26.2%, extraordinarily large compared with untrainedmen (p < 0.001). Results of the analysis of variance of divisions of Sumo wrestlers revealed significant differences in body weight, fat-free mass, fat mass, BMI, fat-free mass index (FFM/height2) and fat mass index (FM/height2). For the visual expression of the hierarchical differences of body composition, fat mass index and fat-free mass index of the wrestlers in various leagues were plotted on a body composition chart. Wrestlers in the Sekitori division had significantly larger fat-free mass index scores in comparison with wrestlers from the lower divisions who share a common area of the chart. The cut-off point of fat-free mass index which divided Sekitori wrestlers from other wrestlers is approximately 30 and this value may be one of the anthropometrical indications of whether or not a Sumo wrestler is destined to be successful.