Segmental balance of the lean body mass of athletes – representatives of symmetrical sports

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Ignatieva L.E.
Mordovian State Pedagogical Institute named after M.E. Evseviev (Saransk).
Email: ignatjeva.l.e@yandex.ru
Shubina O.S.
Mordovian State Pedagogical Institute named after M.E. Evseviev (Saransk).
Kagramanova R.I.
National Research Ogarev Mordovia State University (Saransk).

No. 11, pp. 40–42

Received: 20.09.2026 | Published: 23.10.2026

CC BY 4.0

Abstract

Objective of the study is the analysis of the balance of the lean body mass in athletes – representatives of cyclic sports with a predominant symmetry of motor actions. Methods and structure of the study. The scientific work was conducted on the premises of the Rehabilitation Centre of the State Autonomous Institution of Additional Education of the Republic of Mordovia ‘Sports School of the Olympic Reserve for Winter Sports’ (Saransk), the Innovation Centre of the Olympic Committee of Russia ‘Rekordika’ (Sochi), and the Olympic Committee of Russia (Moscow) in 2024-2026. 44 biathletes (25 young men, 19 young women) and 31 race walkers (17 young men, 14 young women) took part in it. In the course of the study, the LBM of the athletes was analysed by segments by the method of bioimpedance measurement with the help of the InBody body composition analyser. Results and conclusions. It was revealed that the frequency of the imbalance of the lean mass in track-and-field walkers (a highly symmetrical sport) and biathletes (a symmetrical sport with asymmetrical elements) is high and comparable (present in 7 out of 10 athletes in both sports). At the same time, it is of a segmentally specific character and reflects the specificity of the motor activity in these sports.

KEYWORDS

cyclic (symmetrical) sports, biathlon, race walking, bioimpedance, lean body mass (LBM), segmental analysis, InBody analyser, functional asymmetry of the brain, musculoskeletal system (MSS), injuries, prevention.

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