Study aim: Understanding the morphological determinants of performance is important for talent identification and optimiza­tion of training programs. The aim of this study was to examine the morphological characteristics of male and female cadet judokas considering the sex-related differences and athletic achievements. Material and methods: Seventy-four (30 female and 44 male) cadet judokas from the Bulgarian National Team underwent an anthropometric assessment of height, weight, lengths, circumferences, and 8 skinfolds. Body fat percentage (%BF) was calcu­lated using Slaughter et al. skinfold equations. Absolute and relative muscle mass, and arm and thigh muscle circumferences were also evaluated. Results: Except for the lower limb circumferences and thigh muscle circumference, a significant difference in most body dimensions was observed between the sexes. Male cadets had lower body fatness, but greater muscle mass as compared to female cadets. Medal winners from both sexes had lower %BF as compared to non-medalists. Male judokas with higher athletic achievements were significantly taller and had a larger arm span than their counterparts who are non-medalists (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Identified apparent sex-specific differences in almost all anthropometric variables and body composition param­eters in adolescent judo cadets followed the pattern typical for adult athletes. Both male and female medal-winner cadets had lower %BF compared to the less successful athletes, but did not differ from them in the absolute and relative muscle mass and limb muscle circumferences. Our results suggest that maintenance of low body fat rather than higher muscle mass is essential for the competitive success of judo players.

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The aerobic capacity is considered to be a prerequisite for high training and competitive performance in judo. However, it is not clear how the differences in the body composition of judokas affect their aerobic performance. The present study was aimed at comparing the body composition variables and aerobic capacity among judo players from different weight categories and examining the best method for scaling the VO 2 max for differences in body mass. The subjects were 109 male and 108 female judokas 15-26 years old, grouped in three weight categories for each sex. Percentage of body fat (%BF) was predicted by skinfold equations. Fat mass, fat-free mass (FFM) and BMI were also calculated. The maximal oxygen uptake (VO 2 max) was measured during a graded maximal bicycle ergometer test. The correlations between VO 2 max, normalized by different methods, and body size variables were tested by Pearson's productmoment correlations. The %BF and body composition variables significantly differed among weight categories and were with the highest values in the heaviest athletes. The average VȮ 2 max.BM-1 of the entire groups of male and female judokas were respectively 48.4±4.7 ml.kg-1 .min-1 and 39.7±4.0 ml.kg-1 .min-1. The lightweight classes demonstrated the highest relative to BM values of V̇O 2 max. When VO 2 max was adjusted to BM with derived allometric exponents (0.77 for males and 0.69 for females) the results for the three weight categories of male and female judokas were similar, regardless of the differences in their body composition. The interpretation of the between-weight categories differences in aerobic capacity in judokas is dependent on the method of expression of VO 2 max. The VO 2 max, normalized for BM or FFM, did not remove the effect of body size and still correlated with body composition variables in both sexes. The power function expression of VO 2 max produced size-free variables, which did not correlate with body size in judokas.

Introduction: There is still conflicting information about the prevalence of EDs with female athletes. The results for different countries and subpopulations of athletes also show large variations due to various reasons including intercultural differences, eating habits and behaviors. Purpose: The aim of this first for Bulgaria study was to examine the prevalence of eating disorder attitudes and behaviors among Bulgarian female athletes and to estimate how eating disorders vary across the nature of the sport and level of proficiency. Methods: A total of 363 female athletes, aged between 12-25 years participated in the study. All participants completed an anonymous paper-based EDE-Q and provided information about their age, sports experience, participation in competitions and competitive level. The subjects were divided into groups according to the type of sport (aesthetic and non-aesthetic) and level of participation (non-competitive, low and high competitive level). Results: There were no differences between the athletes in the subgroups with respect to any of the EDE-Q subscales. On the basis of pre-established cutoff score of 4 on EDE-Q scales and the presence of pathological eating behavior we found the same prevalence rate of eating disorder with female athletes in both aesthetic sports (33.3%) and non-aesthetic sports (31.8%). Although the tendency of increasing the incidents with DE was observed, the statistical analysis showed no significant differences between the three groups with respect to the level of participation. Conclusion: This study found a relatively high prevalence of abnormal eating patterns with Bulgarian female athletes, as measured by EDE-Q. Eating disorder behavior is a prerequisite for increased risk of mental eating disorders and serious health problems.