Research Article | Open Access
Relationships between body composition and strength of physically active women - a systematic review
Ana Lilić , Marko Joksimović, Emilija Petković
Pages: 3120-3131
Abstract
The aim of this study was to determine whether there is a connection between body composition and strength in
physically active women and whether the parameters of body composition are reliable enough when it comes to
muscle strength? The following scientific databases were used to search the literature: PubMed, MEDLINE, Google
Scholar in the period from 2001 to 2018. Studies have been included if they have shown values of strength and body
composition parameters and studies showing an association between body composition and strength in physically
active women. The total number of studies included in the systematization is 20, and they also refer to the
connection between body composition and muscle strength in physically active women. The results indicate that
BMI (body mass index) is not a good enough indicator of the state of muscle strength and in most studies BMI is not
statistically significantly associated with strength in physically active women. The results of other parameters of
body composition: F% (percentage of body fat), MM (muscle mass in kg) and LBM (lean body mass) show a higher
statistically significant correlation with strength, especially variables MM and LBM that are directly correlated with
muscle strength. Only works that included and measured a number of body composition parameters showed a
certain statistical correlation with strength in physically active women and based on a number of body composition
variables can be said and can be sufficiently reliable and relevant when it comes to muscle strength.
Keywords
Body composition, health, women, exercise, power