Energy Availability in Male and Female Elite Wheelchair Athletes Over Seven Consecutive Training Days

Energy Availability in Wheelchair Athletes

Low energy availability (LEA) is a major problem in sports as athletes ingest often a lower amount of energy compared to their actual needs. The availability of energy is calculated based on their daily energy intake and the energy cost of the daily training sessions in relation to their fat-free mass. Based on this calculation, it is known how much energy will available for the body (beside the fuel for training) to keep it in optimal physiological functioning. It has been shown, that LEA occurs very often in female athletes, in endurance athletes as well as athletes in weight-sensitive sports (i.e. jockeys, combat sports, gymnastics, ballet). The purpose of this study was to investigate, whether LEA is a problem in wheelchair athletes as well.

Energy availability will be assessed over 7 consecutive training days using a dietary and training record as well as the Leisure Time PHysical Activity Questionnaire for spinal cord injury. Resting Energy expenditure will be measured as well as body composition (by a DXA) before the start of data collection.

Inclusion Criteria:

• athletes from a national team in wheelchair sports

Exclusion Criteria:

• unable to follow normal training routine
• unable to record diet or training