Anthropometrical characteristics of Cuban sporting population: Reference data from a high performance national teams, 1992–2014

Physical structures in Cuban sporting population have changed according to secular trend, sport morphological adaptation, more qualified international championship and changes within the game. The purpose of this study was to provide new anthropometrical references data for many sporting disciplines in a form that may be readily utilized to practice the medical management of athletic training. Primary information source was the Anthropological Project database “Morphological Evolution of Cuban Sporting Population, 1970–2014”, available through the Sports Medicine Institute's Kinanthropometry Department. Forty subjects were selected for each team sport, while 10 subjects were selected for each individual sport or positions and roles within sports. Using all the data, a set of references tables have been obtained based on Whithers et al. equation to estimate percentage body fat, Heath-Carter somatotyping, the sum of six skinfolds, and Fat Free Mass Index. This knowledge offers support to practice the medical management of athletic training, can also offer practical assistance to coaches in the suitable selection for the correct sporting modalities and physical development of elite athletes, by means of diet and training, in accordance with the model anthropomeric characteristics of an elite sporting population. On the other hand, we estimated Whiters et al. six-site skinfold equations, which were derived from high-performance athletes data set.