Unit 5 Project

Unit 5 Research Project
Worthing College Sports Science
Maddy Burnage
2015

Assessment Criteria
Pages 3-17 & 27-38
• P2: carry out sport science or exercise science-
based research
• P3: collect and record data from the research
project conducted
• M2: correctly analyse collected data, describing
techniques used
• D1: correctly analyse data, explaining techniques
used
• P4: produce a full research report using a standard
scientific structure

To investigate the impact of body
composition on aerobic capacity in female
rugby union players ages 16-19 years old
at participation and performance level.
P2: Carry out / P4: Produce

Abstract
The aim of this investigation is to see the impact of body composition on aerobic
capacity in female rugby union players ages 16-19 years old at participation and
performance level and to find a relationship between the two. This will help show if
a body composition of a person/athlete will affect aspects of components of fitness.
A sample of 10 participation and performance level females from Worthing College
who ages between 16-years old completed all 3 parts to the test including; a yoyo
intermittent test, skin fold test and their BMI scores will also be taken. All results
were recorded in tables and later on converted into graphs. Results, in relation to
my hypotheses, showed that athletes who were of a higher BMI score were to have
the lowest aerobic capacity scores in testing and also for athletes with the lowest
skin fold results to have lower skin fold results to have better aerobic capacity scores
when completing the yoyo intermittent test, having covered the most amount of
meters. These results show that overall the body composition of a person will have
an affect on their aerobic capacity levels.

Contents: General
Page 3 - Aim
Page 4 - Abstract
Page 5 - Contents - General
Page 6 - Contents - Appendices
Page 7 - Figures and Tables
Page 8 - Acknowledgements
Page 9 - Introduction
Page 10 - Literature Review and References
Page 11 - Hypotheses
Page 12 - Method
Page 13 - Data Collection
Page 14 - Data Analysis
Page 15 - Results
Page 16 - Discussion
Page 17 - Conclusion
Page 18 - Assessment Criteria
Page 19 - Review 1/3
Page 22 - Future Recommendations 1/5

Contents: Appendices
Page 27 - Appendices Introduction
Page 28 - Appendix 1 - PAR Q
Page 29 - Appendix 2 - Skinfold table example
Page 30 - Appendix 3 -YoYo Intermittent Diagram
Page 31 - Appendix 4 - BMI table example

Contents: Figures and Tables
Page 32 - Research Project Figures and Tables Introduction
Page 33 - Figures and Tables 1 - BMI results table
Page 34 - Figures and Tables 2 - BMI results graph
Page 35 - Figures and Tables 3 - Skinfold Results Table
Page 36 - Figures and Tables 4 - Skinfold Results Graph

Acknowledgements
I would like to thank the Worthing College Women’s
Rugby team for co-operating with myself throughout
the testing processes and taking part throughout over
the past weeks, as without them the project would
not be able to continue. I would also like to thank
Paul Cox for advice that has been given about my
research project and my friends Harmony Driver and
Katie Phillips for assisting me in the process of the
project.

Introduction
The aim of my project is to investigate the impact of body composition on aerobic capacity in female
rugby union players ages 16-19 years old at participation and performance level.
I chose this aim because in the further I am hoping to fulfil a career in the sport science industry
whereby they will investigate many areas of research in wall different aspects. But I mostly decided
to choose to research into this particular topic as I currently play rugby and throughout rugby there
are many different body types and teams with varied BMI’s and varied skin fold results, therefore I
wanted to see if these athletes body types affected their aerobic capacity in a game.
The timescale of the project began on 23rd January and to be completed by the 17th April. Within
the first week of starting research I had made sure PARQs were completed and consent was
gathered from each participant. By March 9th data collection of Skinfold results had been gathered.
By 16th March the yoyo intermittent results had been gathered and by 18th March for BMI results
to have been collected. Until the end date of 17th April I would've completed writing up all of the
results and explanations of the methods that were used to collect data and to use this information
to show whether my hypotheses are supported or rejected.

Literature Review and References
Here is a link for my literacy review
https://worthingsportscience.wordpress.com/20
15/02/27/unit-5-literature-review-maddy-
burnage/

Project Hypothesis
At the end of my research I expect to see participants
whose BMI is furtherest away from the optimum
score(21.75), to have the lowest aerobic capacity
scores.
At the end of my research I expect to see participants
with lower skin fold results to have better aerobic
capacity scores.

Method
To begin my research, as I am testing upon people under the age of 18 years old I have to ensure a parental consent form is
collected, I must also make sure all participants complete a PARQ (see Appendix 1) to make sure all participants will be healthy
and are allowed to take part and exercise without any health risks. Once this is completed I am able to begin testing. I will begin
with collecting BMI results of each person whereby I am using an online calculator which is suggested by the NHS to help make
sure the accurate BMI for each participant is given. The BMI is calculated by collecting the height of the participant in centimetres
and their weight in kilograms. These results have been gathered into a table. This will be completed by all 10 women’s rugby
players at worthing college from the ages 16+.
The next test that will be completed is the skin fold callipers. When doing this test I will be using 4 main areas: Bicep, Abdominals,
Inside quadriceps and Gastrocnemius.When completing the test I will use the right side only as this makes the test consistent and
results more reliable. I will pinch the skin at the selected site to raise the skin and the tissue but making sure there is not fat
within the pinched area, the callipers will help be placed 1 cm below the pinch and read in millimetres a couple of seconds after. I
will take 2 measurements and from this a mea value will be taken. This will be done for all 4 sites which I have selected. This is
completed for all 10 girls at worthing college that previously took part in the BMI test, this will be completed at the college
grounds. The results will be recorded in a table (see Appendix 2)
The final test for this research will be the yoyo intermittent test. In this test there are 3 sets of cones, between cones 1 and 2
there will be a 2.5 meter difference and between cones 1 and 3 there will be a 20 meter difference (see Appendix 3). The
participant will start behind cone 2 whereby they will begin running 20 meters when a recording from a preset player will say so.
When the participant has reached the opposing 20 meter cone they will turn and when signalled they will run back towards the 2
set of cones whereby once they have researched these cones they must walk about the 1st cone which is 2.5 meters away and
back to the 2nd cone ready for the recording to tell them when to go again. If an athlete is unable to make a timing they are
giving a warning, if this occurs for a 2nd time they are out and however many times they completed the recording, they will be
given a level and amount of meters which have been covered. This again will be completed upon al 10 participants from worthing
college, upon Their regular training grounds with all results put into a table.
P3: Collect and record / M2: Correctly analyse & describe techniques / D1: Correctly analyse & explain techniques

Data Collection
Within my research project both primary and secondary data have been used. Primary data has been shown
within all research of my own which includes my own results from the yoyo intermittent test, skin fold test
and BMI calculations, all of these results have been tested and collected by myself. But there has also been
use of secondary data whereby I have researched into similar research and articles which could replicated
the same possible results and using these to show how my test is innovative.
Throughout the data collection I have used quantitative data whereby this is completed by using numerical
results. My research consists of PARQ questionnaires to ensure safety of the athlete. But quantitative data
was continues throughout the whole process of research which includes skin fold callipers test, yoyo
intermittent test and calculating BMI. My research is field based as the yoyo intermittent test was completed
on a playing surface in which they are used too ensuring high levels of ecological validity, but the research
has some laboratory based as the BMI and skinfold calliper results were completed in an environment by
which there was no extraneous variables which could affect the results ensuring the internal validity by
controlling variables.
The research design of my research is experimental as there is an affect of an independent variable (skinfold
and BMI) upon the dependent variable (yoyo intermittent test results). The data which is collected will be
continuous data as there is a numerical value with results including numbers of decimal players which occur
throughout Skinfold results and BMI tests, there is also numerical values when including meters covered by
the athlete throughout the yoyo intermittent test.

Data Analysis
Firstly in my research looked at a table which I created to help calculate and record the results of the
skin fold results (see Appendix 1). By using this table helped me to complete my research as I was able
to clearly see individual results for each muscle groups but also an overall group.
The second lot of data I received was the BMI scores which were also placed into a table (see
Appendix 4), this helped me to clearly see the information and how to rank the order easily by results
of each participant.
These results were both compared to meters covered which were placed in similar tables as above,
they were all then put into a table (see tables 1 and 3) whereby I used Spearman’s rank order to
distinguish how strong the correlation between the two variables was. Spearman’s rank order results
were then placed into a graph to show the relationships between the results and whether there will
be a trend shown.
My data was completed by Spearman’s rank order, whereby within this results had to be ranked from
1-10 (1 being the best, 10 being the worst score), it involved many equations whereby the total
difference square, then this total difference squared was times’d by 6. Then next equation that was
worked out was N, whereby 1 was subtracted from it. The final equation was N* (N squared-1) this
will be able to give me the overall rank order of the data being able to tell me whether the correlation
was strong or not. Means will be used when creating averages of results.

Results
At the end of my research I expect to see participants whose BMI is furtherest away from the optimum
score(21.75), to have the lowest aerobic capacity scores. My results show a clear correlation between BMI levels
(see figures and tables 1 and 2). I found a 0.66 correlation between my variables of BMI and aerobic capacity
using Spearman’s rank order. This shows that there is a strong relationship between my two variables.
Participant 7 was ranked number 1 for having the closest BMI (22.2) to the optimum BMI score she was also
ranked as No.2 (1400meters) throughout the aerobic capacity test. Where participant 1 who had the furthest
BMI score (28.6) away from the optimum score and had the 9th ranked score (320 meters) — which was the
lowest distance covered. This strong link shows that my original hypothesis was correct, in stating the furthest
BMI score away from the optimum score , would have the lowest aerobic capacity score. This shows a positive
correlation.
At the end of my research I expect to see participants with lower skin fold results to have better aerobic capacity
scores (see figures and tables 3 and 4). I found a 0.75 correlation score between the next variables which was
tested ; Skinfold results and aerobic capacity. This again was using Spearman’s rank order, in ranking the lowest
skin fold scores as 1 and highest scores as up to 10. Participant 2 was shown to have the highest skin fold score
throughout their body (69 mm), but was only ranked 7.5 (400 meters covered) throughout the rankings showing
that her skin fold results may not have affected her aerobic capacity, whereas participant 6 showed the lowest
skin fold calliper results( 23 cm) therefore having the lowest about of fat on their body but also showed the
highest aerobic capacity results (1480meters covered). From Spearman’s rank order has shown to have a strong
correlation throughout results, showing that my hypothesis to be correct as it stated participants with lower skin
fold and fat on their body would have higher capacity scores therefore showing a positive correlation.

Discussion
There was a clear relationship shown between BMI and aerobic capacity. There was a noticeable outlier in the
table (see figures and tables 1 and 2) whereby the BMI in which was ranked 8th, had the 3rd best aerobic
capacity scores throughout all participants which did not fit in the positive correlation and is an outlier as it was
expected for participants with higher BMI to get lower ranked aerobic capacity scores. But other than this
outlier results, all data related to the trend that saw participants whose BMI is furtherest away from the
optimum score(21.75), to have the lowest aerobic capacity scores. There my research project being a success
and supporting my first hypothesis.
There was also a clear and strong relationship between skin fold scores and aerobic capacity whereby
participants with lower skin fold and fat on their bodies had a better aerobic capacity score. Throughout this
research there was evidence which all related to each other and were no standout anomalies to be seen. This
shows that a person who is to have lower body fat will more likely have a higher aerobic capacity score. This is
especially supported by the 2 participants with the highest aerobic capacity scores ( participant 6 - 1480 meters,
participant 7 - 1400 meters) had the lowest skin fold results (participant 6-23mm, participant 7 - 27 mm). Which
supports my hypothesis of ‘At the end of my research I expect to see participants with lower skin fold results to
have better aerobic capacity scores’ showing my results have strong relationship.
Overall my research has been a success whereby both parts of research were a success supporting both
hypothesis, whereby it has set up further research would could be conducted into aerobic capacity and body
composition.

Conclusion
When coming back to my aim ‘To investigate the impact of body composition on aerobic capacity in
female rugby union players ages 16-19 years old at participation and performance level.’ By before
looking at several abstracts of previous research which is shown throughout my literacy review meant
it was able to help create a hypothesis, as the research was similar to each research in someway
therefore the research aims and hypothesis of other research had similar results and findings of
women rugby players.
My first hypothesis was supported by my results as BMI did have an affect on aerobic capacity and the
relationship between the two was clearly seen. This means overall athletes can know if they are in
need to increasing aerobic capacity, to help this they can find ways to change their BMI scores to be at
the optimum score of 21.75. By changing their BMI means that it will consist alongside training
programmes, but when a competition is tight for example when trying to progress to next levels and
helping with team selection, having a more optimum BMI may give their aerobic capacity more of a
chance of increasing therefore likely to be selected for higher teams within the sport.
My second hypothesis was also supported by my results and discussion, as it was shown that skin fold
measurements had an affect upon aerobic capacity scores and it had shown that people with lower
fat on their bodies were known to have better aerobic capacity scores. Therefore if an athlete is
wanting to improve their aerobic capacity, they know that alongside training a way of completing this
it to try and get an optimum BMI score which will aid them in their training programmes.

Assessment Criteria Pages 19-26
• P5: carry out a review of the research project
conducted, describing strengths, areas for
improvement and future recommendations.
• M3: carry out a review of the research project,
explaining strengths, areas for improvement and
future recommendations.
• D2: carry out a review of the research project,
justifying future recommendations for further
research.

Review (1/3)
How well did project conclusions meet project aims? (include evidence and specific examples)
My conclusions for my research related very well to my aims and hypothesis as my results
concluded that there were both correlations and a strong relationship overall had been found
between aerobic capacity how it can be affected by the body composition in women rugby
union players, ages 16 - 19 years old who are currently at participation and performance
levels. As my results had shown by using the Spearman’s rank order, my results came out in
both hypothesis that the correlation was strong. I believe this finding to be true as for BMI as
in relation to VO2 max (ml/kg/min), the further this was away from the optimum score the
more body mass a person had, therefore weighing more kilograms, meaning more ml of
oxygen were needed per minute of exercises but also dependent on how well they were able
to utilise the oxygen within their bodies. Whereas by Skinfold, the more body fat a person has,
means there is also more kilograms onto their body weight so their VO2 max will be lower
therefore unable to complete as much aerobic exercise. My results were shown to be reliable
as the tests were done efficiently and correctly.
P5: Describe / M3: Explain / D2: Justify

Review (2/3)
The strengths of my research project included making sure every participants skin fold
tests were completed at the same body parts and the same side of the body as this
helps to reduce any extraneous variables which could be present such as possible
muscle imbalances within the participants body. This was a strength as it meant I would
not get any possible anomalies which would have affected a persons ranking in the
spearman rank order upon excel.
Another strength that I used was when completing the aerobic endurance, Yo Yo
intermittent test, I had an assistant who was completely aware of test and the
procedures of it and was able to ensure all rules were enforced upon the test. By doing
this I was able to collect inter rater reliability where we could compare results of each
athlete to make sure that we had the same results and so scoring of the participants
aerobic endurance test was accurate.
By these two aspects being strengths of my project meant the reliability and validity of
my test had improved as it helped to remove any possible anomalies which could be
present but also means I will have consistency throughout my results. If the test should
be replicated similar results should be found.

Review (3/3)
What were the areas for improvement of the research project? (include evidence and specific
examples
Areas for improvement were the measurements of skinfold fat, whereby the equipment used were of
a lower quality and therefore may not be an accurate measurement of body fat. For example using
higher quality skin folds means that the body fat shown on the body will be a better representation as
I have already measured in mm there is an accurate reading but it could be more reliable in the
future.
Using BMI to measure body composition can be changed as BMI only measures the height and weight
of a person and doesn't take any account for a persons muscle mass, as muscle weighs more than fat
within the body, therefore using this as a measure of body composition may not be reliable. For
example a participant who has a lot of muscle will still be shown as overweight on a scale for BMI
even though realistically they are not and are intact healthy.
Another area for improvement is to use a different method of testing aerobic capacity as the test was
completed outside therefore was affected by the weather. Also scores can be varied depending on
the persons motivation levels throughout the test, which may vary on a day to day business.
Overall these improvements have shown that for further improvements each test should be
replicated around 3 times to find averages in each results, this will help to increase the reliability and
validity of the results obtained.

Future Recommendations (1/5)
If I was to complete the research again I would change the amount of times that the YoYo
intermittent test was carried out, as completing the test more than once would give me more
reliable data and extraneous factors could take place in the original data such as; players being
fatigued, possible illness, weather conditions and injury. If I was to complete the test 3 times I
would be able to get an average for my results which would help eliminate any original
anomalies in my work.
I would also complete the aerobic capacity tests and different times of day to see whether this
had affected the results, therefore some people may perform better at different times of day.
If I were to complete the research again, I would get somebody else to take readings of skin
fold results, as I currently am not trained to taking the readings properly and possible mistakes
may have been made, by completing this again means it would help make sure I have accuracy
in my results and conclusions about the research. It may also have an affect of the Spearman’s
rank order therefore should be replicated.
The final aspect I would improve is having another method to measure aerobic capacity, to see
if a different test has an impact on aerobic capacity results.
P4: Produce / P5: Describe / M3: Explain / D2: Justify

If i were to complete the research again by increasing the amount of times the intermittent score was
completed means i can help to remove the extraneous factors of fatigue, illness, weather conditions and
others.This means i can remove the outliers from my research such as; if a person was to get 300 meters, 670
meters and 600 meters the first score can be removed to create a better average of my results which will help
to increase the reliability of my results.
If i were to complete the aerobic tests at different times it would help to remove the factors of alertness in the
participants, whereby if an athlete has had a long day throughout college, then completing an intense exercise
may mean they do not put full effort into it, even though they try it could mean they end up with a weaker
results, if the person were to do the test at 3 different times in the day, their best result can be taken which
shows their best aerobic capacity score.
If I were to get someone who was more trained than me to take the results would mean the reliability of my
results would increase and there is more chance in the skin fold results having accuracy. With the skin folds
being completed by a trained person my results will become more precise which may affect the results
increasing the strength of my research.
The final benefit of these changes is having more ways to measure aerobic capacity means I will have an
accurate way of assessing the athletes aerobic capacity as some people may find a different aerobic test easier
to complete therefore would affect the results of the test.
Overall all of the proposed changes will help to increase the reliability of my results therefore making my
research more valid.

In the future research that I would complete, it would be the same study but
completed in different sporting situations to see if body composition affects aerobic
capacity in all sports. As rugby is predominantly a sport with variety of body
compositions it will be interesting to see the effect that body composition has on
other athletes where the body composition rates are not as varied, to see if small
minority differences in body composition affects aerobic capacity. By completing
research in other sports means it will give me a variety of data which means I can then
apply to research to all variety of sport as I currently cannot apply my research to all
sports as rugby is filled with variety of body compositions which isn't replicated in all
sports for example gymnastics whereby they must all be more of a mesomorph shape
with little body fat. Also different sports may require different body shapes with
different BMIs so will be interesting to see if there are any effects. By completing this
research in other sports will also help increase the validity and reliability of the test
and it would of be replicated several times and will be looking in the future to see
whether same trends occur.

The second proposal that I would consider is having completed the same test but instead I
would change the gender to male with the same age ranges to see if there are similar
correlations and trends. Doing the same study means I can see if there was a gender differences
and whether if mens body composition is higher does it affect aerobic capacity. This may have
changes as men are more prone to put on muscle mass which would increase BMI scores which
may result in people with higher BMI having better aerobic capacity even though these people
do not have much fat on their bodies. This will help myself to generalise my research to the
whole population, as currently my research only relates to females, it cannot be extrapolated to
a large population as men and women have different body styles.This can be replicated on
males within the same environment as females to help reduce variables which may occur with
other teams as athletes who attend the same college with similar gym programmes and
coaches, helps reduce extraneous variables such as stressors at college. This could also be
completed within the same ages ranges as the college teams are of same age. Also by
completing the test on men means larger samples can be taken of different performance levels
( elite,performance, participation and foundation) as these occur throughout the academy at
worthing college. Larger samples are considered as more men take part in rugby.

The third proposal is to see if body composition affects other components of
fitness such as strength, speed or flexibility. By doing this means I will be able
see further affects of body composition and how it would affect performance in
several aspects. It could be completed upon the same test samples in the same
sporting situations. As many different sports require different aspects therefore
it can relate to all aspects throughout the game situations. By doing this would
help provide myself with more data which could support myself in my research
and give myself more information on how body composition affects the bodies
muscles and fitness components in different ways. As it has shown aerobic
capacity is affected by body composition, other components may not be
affected by body composition such as flexibility and strength as these are
complete different muscle groups used. As different components will have
different results it will be interesting to see the differences between different
components.

Appendix 2
Participant Gastrocnum
eius (mm)
Inside
quadricep(
mm)
Abdominals
(mm)
Bicep
(mm)
Total
skinfold
score.
1
2
3
4
Table used to calculate total skin fold scores. (no accurate measures)

Appendix 3
Supporting material, hyperlinks,
links to testing videos, photos of
tests etc (each appendix needs to
be ‘citation referenced’ within your
project pages 3-26). For example in
brackets you should write (see
Appendix 1) where you need to
evidence something.
You can add more appendices if
you need to. Just ensure you
update your contents pages.

Appendix 4
Participant Height (CM) Weight (KG) BMI
1
2
3
4
Table used to calculate total BMI scores. (no accurate measures)

Research Project Figures
and Tables

Figures and Tables 1
This is a table that shows, The Spearman Rank order correlation measures
the strength of association between two ranked variables. This is evidence of
BMI compared to Aerobic Capacity of all 10 participants.

0
7.25
14.5
21.75
29
36.25
0 400 800 1200 1600
Participants
This is a graph that shows, The Spearman Rank order correlation measures
BMI compared to Aerobic Capacity of all 10 participants.

This is a table that shows, The Spearman Rank order correlation measures the
strength of association between two ranked variables. This is evidence of
Skinfold scores compared to Aerobic Capacity of all 10 participants.

This is a graph that shows, The Spearman Rank order correlation measures
Skinfold scores compared to Aerobic Capacity of all 10 participants.
0
17.5
35
52.5
70
87.5
0 400 800 1200 1600
PB Rank

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