[Sports anthropology investigation on female participants of the German Sports-Aerobic-Masters compared to non-sports participating young females].

This investigation is based on the sports anthropology of 50 female participants of the German championships of Sport Aerobics (age range 16-35 years), whose constitutional body build parameters were compared to 50 female physical education students (age range 18-30 years) and 40 women (age range 18-35), who did not engage in sportive activities at all. Somatotyping and other sports anthropological techniques were performed according to Parnell (1958). Heath & Carter (1967), Conrad (1963) and Knussmann (1961a, 1961b) as well as proportion figures and phantom stratagem. In the North-American somatocharts the aerobic athletes were classified as ectomesomorph, whereas the physical education female students were found in the ectoendomorph area according to Parnell and the non-sportive subjects remained on the mesoendomorph part. In the Heath-Carter somatochart, the physical education students and the non-sportive women were registered in the mesoendomorph and ectoendomorph areas. In the German systems the young women were placed in the leptomorph direction and mesoplastic in the Conrad typology. According to Knussmann, all the investigated groups were classified as ultramacrosom and superleptomorph. Some morphological differences can be detected by means of proportion figures and phantom stratagem. The aerobic athletes display a more athletic somatotype with an accentuated radio-ulnar breath. The aerobic group is also characterised by the smallest body fat percentage, whereas the non-exercising group shows the opposite. This is also proven by the body mass index.