Estimating Muscle Fiber-Type Composition in Elite Athletes: A Survey on Current Practices and Perceived Merit

Area of Science:

• Sports Science
• Exercise Physiology
• Human Performance

Background:

• Muscle fiber-type composition (MFTC) influences athletic performance.
• Accurate MFTC assessment is crucial for optimizing training strategies.
• Understanding expert practices regarding MFTC estimation is vital for sports science advancement.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the practices and perceptions of high-performance experts concerning their athletes' MFTC.
• To explore how experts estimate MFTC and its perceived importance for performance optimization.
• To identify differences in MFTC assessment practices between individual and team sports.

Main Methods:

• A questionnaire was administered to 446 coaches and sport-science/sports-medicine staff.
• The survey assessed methods for estimating MFTC (noninvasive vs. invasive) and its perceived value.
• Statistical analysis, including chi-square tests, was used to compare sport types.

Main Results:

• 40% of experts utilize MFTC assessment; 50% wish to implement it but lack means.
• Experts predominantly rely on experience (65%) or jump tests (56%) to estimate MFTC.
• MFTC assessment is primarily used to individualize training volume (87%) and intensity (84%).

Conclusions:

• Experts recognize the value of MFTC for personalized training but favor noninvasive estimation methods.
• Reliance on experience and potentially unvalidated noninvasive techniques is common.
• There is a clear need for enhanced education and research regarding valid MFTC assessment methods.