Physique, Body Composition, and Psychological Characteristics of Competitive Female Body Builders

Abstract

In brief: Body composition and psychological characteristics of ten competitive female body builders were examined. The evaluation included measurements of percentage of body fat and lean body mass (underwater weighing), bone diameters, girths, and fatfolds. Subjects also completed a battery of five psychological inventories. The mean percent fat was 13.2%, and lean body mass was 46.63 kg. Somatographic analysis revealed much larger upper trunk circumferences than the Behnke reference woman and a control sample of 57 active women. The female body builders scored within the normal range on state and trait anxiety, extraversion, and neuroticism, and were highly self-motivated.