Table 1.

Anthropometric characteristics of participants according to their age group (9–10 years old; 14–15 years old; and 20–22 years old) and their sex

		Body mass (kg)	Body fat percentage (%)	Height (cm)	Sitting height (cm)	LLL: Lower limb length (cm)	MV:Muscle volume (L)
9–10 years	Males	34.63 ± 7.26	19.11 ± 2.89	139.67 ± 8.07	72.30 ± 4.47	67.37 ± 5.06	3.71 ± 0.53
	Females	33.96 ± 7.82	16.99 ± 5.67	140.93 ± 6.98	72.63 ± 4.60	68.30 ± 5.53	3.26 ± 0.40
	Dif %	− 1.97	− 12.48	+ 0.89	+ 0.45	+ 1.46	− 13.80*
14–15 years	Males	55.66 ± 12.27	11.48 ± 5.54	169.43 ± 7.59	81.70 ± 4.09	87.77 ± 4.92	6.05 ± 0.84
	Females	54.27 ± 8.19	22.67 ± 5.56	161.80 ± 6.27	81.80 ± 4.21	79.10 ± 6.81	4.57 ± 0.19
	Dif %	− 2.56	+ 49.36***	− 4.71***	+ 0.12	− 10.96***	− 32.38***
20–22 years (young adults)	Males	69.13 ± 11.95	18.59 ± 7.53	175.10 ± 5.28	86 ± 5.16	89.27 ± 6.08	8.38 ± 0.51
	Females	59.44 ± 10.37	26.81 ± 4.96	163.20 ± 7.26	77.63 ± 7.18	85.73 ± 6.62	6.36 ± 0.33
	Dif %	− 16.30***	+ 30.66***	-7.29***	-10.65***	-4.71	− 31.76***

Data are presented as the means ± SD. Dif %: differences between male and female participants of the same age group expressed in female participant value percentage. LLL: lower limb length (in cm); MV: lower limb muscle volume in litre (L); * (P < 0. 05) and *** (P < 0.001): significant differences between both sexes for each age group