Identifying and understanding changes in the body composition of rugby players during the competitive season is important from both performance and health perspectives. We investigated three-compartment body composition across one competitive season in professional male rugby union players using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Thirty-five players from one English Premiership team (forwards: n=20, age: 25.5±4.7 years; backs: n=15, age: 26.1±4.5 years) received a total-body DXA scan at preseason (August), midseason (January) and endseason (May), enabling quantification of body mass, total and regional fat mass, lean mass, percentage tissue fat mass (%TFM) and bone mineral content (BMC).
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