Fat-free mass and maturity status are determinants of physical fitness performance in schoolchildren and adolescents

Objectives: The objective of the study was to verify whether (FFM), maturity status (MS) and chronological age (CA) are determinants of physical fitness performance, and to analyze FFM and physical performance aligned by CA and MS in children and adolescents. Methods: A descriptive correlational study was carried out in 863 schoolchildren. Weight, height, and waist circumference (WC) were evaluated. Body mass index (BMI), FFM, fat mass (FM), MS (Age at peak height velocity, APHV) were calculated. The physical tests of velocity 20 m, agility 5 m × 10rep, and horizontal jump (HJ) were evaluated. Results: The APHV was estimated in boys at 14.0 ± 0.36APHV and in girls at 11.96 ± 0.49APHV. The relationships between CA and APHV with FFM was r = 0.80 in boys and r = 0.44 to 0.45 in girls. The relationships between FFM and physical tests in boys were [HJ (r = 0.70), agility 5m × 10rep (r = -0.68), velocity (r = -0.61)] and in girls [HJ (r = 0.42), agility 5m × 10rep (r = -0.52), velocity (r = -0.20)]. The differences in FFM and physical fitness tests were more pronounced when aligned by APHV than by CA. Conclusion: It was verified that both FFM, CA, and APHV are determinants of physical fitness performance. In addition, the APHV should be introduced in physical education as a means of ranking physical performance among schoolchildren.