Body composition and aerobic capacity of youth of both sexes

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Abstract
A review of recent papers reveals that as compared with non-athletes, athletes of both sexes have n greater blood volume, a greater red cell volume and an even greater plasma volume. Implicit in these facts their total hemoglobin is greater but their hemoglobin concentration is lower. Two groups of high school girls, mean age about 161/2 yr, had about 22% body fat. This is virtually the same as others have reported for three groups of college girls in the U.S. and Canada. Aerobic capacity as well as body composition were estimated in 10 high school girls (one of the above groups) and 11 boys of high school age. No outstanding athletes were included. Aerobic capacity measured on the bicycle ergometer by maxVo2 in ml/min.kg was 45.2 in the boys and 35.0 in the girls. Even when related to lean body weight maxVo2 was 15% greater in the boys. Taking in account the difference in body size, responses of the heart rate and of the respiratory frequency in the all-out test were about the same in the two sexes. At the end of the test pulmonary ventilation per unit of oxygen used was about 12% greater in the girls than in the boys. At the same time the respiratory exchange ratio reached 1.21 in the girls and 1.20 in the boys indicating that the two sexes reached the same physiological endpoint.

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