Effects of 16 weeks of Muay Thai training on the body composition of overweight/obese adolescents

Background. To analyze the effects of 16 weeks of Muay Thai training on the body composition of overweight/obese adolescents. Problem and Aim. The objective of study is to analyze the effects of 16 weeks of Muay Thai training on the body composition (fat mass, lean mass, and bone mass) of overweight/obese adolescents. Methods. Thirty-three overweight / obese adolescents, aged between 10 and 17 participated in the study, being allocated to the training (n=18) and control (n=15) groups. Anthropometric measurements and body composition were measured using dual energy X-ray absorptiometry, in which the variables of body mass, body fat, fat mass, lean mass, density, and bone mineral content, were collected by total and by segment. Results. After 16 weeks of training with MT, the effect on a significant group, with changes in body mass was observed (Delta MT = 0.79; Delta Control = -0.21), body fat percentage (Delta MT = -2.89; Delta Control = -0.67), total fat mass (Delta MT = -1.78; Delta Control = -0.6), fat mass of the arms (Delta MT = -0.38; Delta Control = -0.01), trunk fat (Delta MT = -2.74; Delta Control = -0.16) and android fat (Delta MT = -2.8; Delta Control = -0.62). The mean total lean mass (MM) (Delta MT = 2.81; Delta Control = 0.27) and the MM of the legs (Delta MT = 1.2; Delta Control = 0.1). Conclusions. Training with MT caused significant increases MM in total and in the legs.