Body composition characteristics of handball players: systematic review

Abstract

Background: Handball play is complex and multifactorial, characterized by high-intensity explosive movements. Due to the high physical demands of handball, players require highly developed anthropometric and physical qualities. The evaluation of body composition (BC) is a key issue, especially the body content of fat and skeletal muscle. Purpose: The aim of this systematic review is to determine the anthropometric and BC characteristics of handball players according to different characteristics such as age categories, playing position and gender. Search strategy: The search for articles for this study was carried out in three different databases, PubMed, SPORTDiscus (EBSCO) and Web of Science. Study selection: The inclusion criteria were; Studies recruiting male and female handball players at any age category and competitive level as participants, original investigations that present and compare anthropometric characteristics between handball players of different gender, competitive levels, playing positions, and/or age categories, and articles that present anthropometric characteristics as body weight, height, % fat mass, % muscle mass or % lean body mass, skinfolds and somatotype. Results: 486 articles were identified after the searching process, 38 articles were selected and assessed for eligibility. This review presents the anthropometric characteristic of handball players, males and females of all ages. Height, body mass, BMI, fat mass, muscle mass, lean body mass and sum of skinfolds are presented and differentiate between gender, age and playing position. Conclusions: This review provides a framework to help professionals effectively prepare players for the physiological demands of handball. Although the results are not very homogeneous, since elite athletes have better characteristics, the goal of every handball player would be to present similar results and by coaches evaluate players accordingly. But due to the limitations detected in the reviewed studies it is suggested that future research should adopt a longitudinal and multidimensional perspective.