Variability in professional athletes: secular changes in the anthropometry of elite handball players.

Compared to previous surveys, the current model of elite-level athlete is significantly different. The aim of this work was to examine the secular trends in the body dimensions of professional handball players using cohorts from 1977 and 2012. A range of anthropometric data was considered, including skinfold-, height-, length-, breadth-, and girth-based measures. We computed various body indices and the endomorphy, mesomorphy, and ectomorphy components. Above-average height was exhibited by both cohorts, and the trends observed in body height and the other height-related variables are in line with those reported for the general population. Remaining anthropometric differences between the two cohorts can be attributed to morphological optimization, as changes in handball regulations between 1977 and 2012 modified game play dynamics and therefore motor requirements. The changes in trunk and lower extremity proportions have resulted in a contemporary handball player with a lower center of mass and enhanced biomechanical conditions of movements that can translate into improved speed, change-of-direction ability, jumping, and balance skills. Additionally, an increase in upper body dimensions may be advantageous in handball due to the close contact nature of the game. Increases in bone breadths and segment girths as well as a reduction in subcutaneous fat tissue appear to be the result of systematic strength training.