Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Cross-country athletes often prioritize endurance training, which, while crucial for performance, can lead to overlooked aspects of athletic development such as muscular strength, mobility, and bone health. Resistance training (RT) is a recognized strategy to address these potential deficits and enhance overall athletic performance. PURPOSE: The study aimed to evaluate the effects of incorporating RT on body fat percentage (%BF), bone mineral density (BMD), and dynamic performance metrics in NCAA Division I cross-country athletes. METHODS: Thirteen collegiate athletes (11 males/2 females; mean age = 19.6 yrs) participated in this pilot study. Pre-season (August) and in-season (November) assessments included dual energy x-ray absorptiometry scans (DEXA, Hologic) to measure %BF and BMD, as well as DARI®motion analysis to evaluate dynamic performance metrics such as shoulder mobility, rotational mobility, single-leg squats, squat depth, vertical jump, and balance. Athletes completed twice-weekly resistance training (RT) sessions focused on compound movements performed at 65–80% of 1RM, including exercises like squats, trap bar deadlifts, and hip thrusts. Sessions also incorporated mobility work to enhance movement quality and progressed to muscle endurance exercises as the competitive season approached. During the in-season phase, a deload phase was implemented prior to competition to prioritize recovery and ensure peak performance. Due to the demands of the competitive season, no control group was included. Paired t-tests were used to analyze changes in from pre- to in-season measures. RESULTS: No significant difference was observed in motion analysis scores (644 ± 234 vs 686 ± 114, t(11) = 0.88, p = 0.396). Changes in BMD were also not significant (1.20 ± 0.10 vs 1.21 ± 0.11, t(11) = -0.48, p = 0.644); variability ranged from -1.1% to +2.9%, with most athletes maintaining or improving their BMD. Similarly, changes in %BF were not significant (14.1 ± 2.7 vs 14.8 ± 2.9, t(11) = -1.64, p = 0.131); %BF changes ranged from -0.5% to +3.7%. CONCLUSION: Resistance training may support athletic performance and bone health in endurance athletes, though changes in DARI® scores, BMD, and %BF were not statistically significant. Training adherence, fatigue, and individual variability likely impacted these results. Future research with larger samples, control groups, and detailed monitoring is needed to better understand resistance training’s effects on performance, body composition, and bone health in cross-country athletes.
Recommended Citation
Bakcha, Ouays; Martinez, Cheyenne; Byun, Chaehyun; Tousant, Marshall; Jones, Brian; Kramarenko, Veronika; McClain, Joseph; Bernhardt, Vipa; and OLDHAM, MICHAEL D.
(2025)
"Pilot Study: Effects of Resistance Training on DEXA and DARI Metrics in NCAA Division I Cross-Country Athletes,"
International Journal of Exercise Science: Conference Proceedings: Vol. 2:
Iss.
17, Article 48.
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/ijesab/vol2/iss17/48
