VALIDATION OF THE BODYMEDIA MINI ARMBAND TO ESTIMATE ENERGY EXPENDITURE OF FEMALE BASKETBALL PLAYERS DURING VARIABLE INTENSITY GAME-LIKE CONDITIONS

Monitoring an athlete’s energy intake and energy expenditure (EE) is an important consideration of nutritional planning for sport conditioning and peak performance. In order to provide appropriate recommendations regarding nutritional requirements and caloric needs, an accurate determination of energy requirements is necessary. By knowing an individual’s EE, a coach or trainer may be effectively able to determine training loads and volumes necessary for periodization, and seasonal planning for a particular sport. Purpose: To examine the accuracy of the BodyMedia mini armband, to assess EE in female basketball players during various-intensity game-like conditions. Methods: A cross-sectional correlation design with multiple observations was employed. This investigation required three testing sessions, an orientation session, and 2 experimental trial sections. Trials included a maximal multistage 20-m shuttle run (Trial I) and 30-minute basketball skills session (Trial II). The independent variable for this investigation was EE estimated by the Mini armband. The dependent variable was EE determined by the indirect calorimetry (IC) method. Results: EE assessed with the Mini and EE measured with the IC method was significantly correlated for both Trial I (r= 0.839) and Trial II (r= 0.833). EE calculated by the Mini was significantly underestimated in both Trial I (9.41 ± 26.1 total kcals) and Trial II (56.71 ± 14.1 total kcals). During Trial I the underestimation of EE increased with an increase in test level and intensity. Conclusion: Due to the underestimation of EE by the Mini, the development of exercise specific algorithms to improve the estimation of EE during intermittent exercise in basketball players is warranted