Comprehensive characterization of somatometric parameters and body composition of athletes from the Russian national teams.
Nikita Gladyshev, A. I. Kadykova, E. D. Kopylov, Д. А. Старчик, A. V. Zholinsky, R. V Deev · Morphology · 2026
Background: High-performance sport represents a unique model of morphological adaptation, but systematic studies of the anthropometric profiles of national team athletes using large samples and modern sport classifications are lacking. It remains unclear how far athletes' body parameters can deviate from general population norms while maintaining high levels of performance.
Aim: To characterize the anthropometric profiles of professional athletes of the Russian national teams and assess the degree of their deviation from the general population parameters to reflect the phenomenon of sports-related morphological adaptation.
Methods: A retrospective comparative study was conducted, including data from 15,157 athletes from Russian national teams who underwent in-depth medical examinations at Federal Medical and Biological Agency (FMBA) facilities between 2021 and 2025. Sports were divided into six Olympic clusters: cyclic, speed-strength, complex-coordination, combat sports, sports games, and combined events. Anthropometric parameters, body composition (bioimpedance), dynamometry, and integral body composition indices were analyzed. Statistical processing was performed in the R environment, calculating mean values, 95% confidence intervals, medians, and interquartile ranges.
Results: The study included 15,157 athletes (mean age 19.91 years). Significant differences were revealed between sport disciplines: maximum body weight (92.71 kg), BMI (30.38 kg/m²), skeletal muscle mass (45.72 kg) and strength indicators were recorded in speed-strength events in men; minimum ones — in complex coordination disciplines in women (body weight 56.88 kg, BMI 19.94 kg/m², body fat percentage 9.54%, skeletal muscle mass 24.99 kg). The Pigneur index ranged from -37.69 (speed-strength, men) to 24.05 (complex coordination, women). All athletes' parameters systematically differed from the NCHS/NHANES reference values: lower — for BMI, waist circumference, percentage of body fat; higher in skeletal muscle mass and strength indicators.
Conclusion: The anthropometric profile of athletes on the Russian national teams is influenced by selection at the recruitment stage and subsequent adaptation to training loads, resulting in parameters outside the general population range. The data obtained substantiate the need to use sport-specific reference values to assess athletes' physical development.