The current system of high-level athletes training is associated with many factors that let them achieve high performance and effective flow of recovery processes during intense muscular activity. One of the leading factors that can affect the performance in sport activities is athletes’ body composition, which changes in the training process. It is known that body fat increasing can adversely affect the maximum capacity and aerobic capacity of athletes, which is manifested in the reduction of maximum oxygen consumption and maximum capacity of athletes. An important problem for athletes, especially in sports where weight is essential, is maintaining an optimal body weight. Therefore, it is of particular interest to study the main factors that may affect the athletes’ body composition and the ways of its correction to maintain the effectiveness of training and competitive activities. The purpose of research was to evaluate the composite athletes’ body composition and their diets to substantiate the possibility of its correction with a rational and balanced diet. Material and methods. The athletes specializing in judo with the qualification of candidates for masters of sports of Ukraine, I-II category (18-23 years) participated in the studies. Results and discussion. The obtained results showed that 57% of the surveyed judo athletes had an excess of body fat. Our assessment of the qualitative and quantitative content of individual diets of athletes of both groups according to the results of a weekly survey showed that the actual nutrition of athletes did not differ significantly from the recommended norms for energy value. However, qualitative and quantitative analysis of athletes' diets showed a failure to observe the principles of rational and balanced nutrition, which reflected the deviation of individual components of the body composition from the norm (high fat content) and led to a decrease in the effectiveness of training and competitive activities. Carbohydrate content in the diet of athletes of both groups met the recommended standards. However, preference was given to simple carbohydrates in the form of sweets, carbonated drinks with high carbohydrate content and the like. We found out that daily athletes’ nutrition was not balanced by the main nutritional components. There was an insufficient amount of proteins, some vitamins (B6, E and C) and an important trace element (Fe), as well as excess fat. This indicates that no attention is paid to providing high-quality athletes with nutrition in accordance with training programs. Conclusion. The diet of athletes with normal body fat content was almost in line with the recommended standards, however, the individual intake of essential nutrients and the energy value of the diet varied widely. Practical recommendations are offered to optimize and correct the athletes' body composition with the help of rational and balanced nutrition.
Keywords: athletes, fat mass, body composition, judo
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