Body Build and Anthropometric Growth Patterns of 7 to 18-Year Old Wrestlers.

This study examined the age-related growth patterns for body build and anthropometric characteristics of wrestlers between 7 and 18 yrs of age. Three hundred and thirty-one male wrestlers (age = 13.5 ± 3.2 yrs; height (HT) = 157.2 ± 17.3 cm; and body mass (BM) = 51.2 ± 16.3 kg) participated in this study. The relationships for age versus body build (somatotype ratings) and anthropometric characteristics (HT, BM, diameters, circumferences, and ratios) were analyzed. Across age, the wrestlers exhibited increases in HT, BM, and body mass index (BMI), maintained a mesomorphic body build, and demonstrated greater rates of increases in upper than lower body anthropometric ratios associated with frame size and fat-free mass. Thus, the findings indicate that the young wrestlers had a unique physique characterized by pronounced muscularity, a triangular upper body frame, and greater rates of development in the upper body segments than in the lower body segments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]