Bicycle Touring 480 km in Seven Days: Effects on Body Composition and Physical Fitness—A Case Study

David Zúñiga-Moreno, Francisco J. Amaro-Gahete and Palma Chillón
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David Zúñiga-Moreno: PROFITH “PROmoting FITness and Health through Physical Activity” Research Group, Department of Physical Education and Sport, Faculty of Sport Sciences, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain
Francisco J. Amaro-Gahete: PROFITH “PROmoting FITness and Health through Physical Activity” Research Group, Department of Physical Education and Sport, Faculty of Sport Sciences, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain
Palma Chillón: PROFITH “PROmoting FITness and Health through Physical Activity” Research Group, Department of Physical Education and Sport, Faculty of Sport Sciences, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 5, 1-13

Abstract: Bicycle touring as a modality of physical activity that involves whole-body cardiorespiratory and metabolic functions could be a potential strategy to improve body composition and cardiorespiratory fitness. Therefore, the aim of the current study was to investigate the effects of 7-days bicycle touring activity on body composition and physical fitness. A total of 13 individuals (three women) participated in this quasi-experimental study. The participants were evaluated at baseline and were tracked for up to 12 days after the intervention. The intervention consisted of a 480 km bicycle touring route performed over 8 days. Body weight and body composition (i.e., fat mass and lean mass) were assessed using a bioelectrical impedance analyser. Physical fitness was measured using the International Fitness Scale questionnaire. We conducted a repeated-measures analysis of variance to determine changes in body weight and body composition and paired sample t -tests to analyse changes in physical fitness. Significant differences in fat mass were observed between the baseline and both post-intervention ( p = 0.003) and re-test values ( p = 0.031). Significant differences were also noted in lean mass between the baseline and post-intervention values ( p = 0.003), whereas no significant changes were observed when compared the baseline and re-test values ( p = 0.178). Significant differences were obtained in cardiorespiratory fitness when comparing the baseline with the post-intervention values ( p = 0.016), whereas no significant differences were noted in general fitness, muscular strength, speed/agility, and flexibility (all p > 0.05). In conclusion, a 7-day bicycle touring intervention can significantly reduce fat mass and increase lean mass and cardiorespiratory fitness in healthy individuals.

Keywords: bicycle touring; body composition; fat mass; lean mass; physical fitness; cardiorespiratory fitness (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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