Regional Bioelectrical Phase Angle Is More Informative than Whole-Body Phase Angle for Monitoring Neuromuscular Performance: A Pilot Study in Elite Young Soccer Players

• Main Authors: Tindaro Bongiovanni (Author), Alessio Rossi (Author), Athos Trecroci (Author), Giulia Martera (Author), F. Marcello Iaia (Author), Giampietro Alberti (Author), Giulio Pasta (Author), Mathieu Lacome (Author)
• Format: Book
• Published: MDPI AG, 2022-04-01T00:00:00Z.
• Subjects: article
• Online Access: Connect to this object online.
• Notes: 10.3390/sports10050066; 2075-4663
• Keywords: soccer; youth sport; body composition; Sports; GV557-1198.995
• Source: Sports, Vol 10, Iss 5, p 66 (2022)

Background: The objective of this study was to investigate the association between regional and total phase angle (PhA) with lower-body neuromuscular performance in young elite soccer players. Methods: Sixteen elite male soccer players (14.3 ± 1.0 years) participated in this study. Lower (LPhA)- and upper (UPhA)-hemisome PhA together with whole-body PhA (WBPhA) were measured by a bioelectrical-impedance analysis (BIA), while appendicular arm and leg lean soft tissue (ALST and LLST, respectively) were estimated. Urine osmolarity (UOsm) and urine-specific gravity (USG) were also considered. Sprints over 10 m and 20 m and countermovement jump (CMJ) tests were employed to evaluate neuromuscular performance. Results: LPhA (<i>p</i> = 0.003) and UOsm (<i>p</i> = 0.012) explained 62% of the variance in the 10 m sprint. UOsm (<i>p</i> = 0.001) and both LPhA (<i>p</i> < 0.001) and WBPhA (<i>p</i> = 0.024) explained 81% of the total variance in the 20 m sprint. The CMJ height was affected by LPhA (<i>p</i> < 0.001) and UOsm (<i>p</i> = 0.024), which overall explained 68% of its variance (<i>p</i> < 0.05), while 93% of the CMJ power variance was explained by LPhA (<i>p</i> < 0.001), ALST (<i>p</i> < 0.001), and WBPhA (<i>p</i> = 0.011). Conclusions: Regional PhA is a relevant and non-invasive tool to monitor lower-body neuromuscular performance in elite youth soccer. Specifically, LPhA may be favored over WBPhA as more informative.