Single and Especially Multisport Participation May Increase Physical Fitness in Younger Americans

We sought to examine the associations between sports participation and physical fitness in younger Americans.

The analytic sample included 1108 Americans aged 6-15 years. Muscular fitness assessments included handgrip strength, leg extension strength, and plank position. Cardiorespiratory fitness was examined with graded treadmill tests.

Youth participating in any sports had increased physical fitness performance for each marker: 1.63 kg (CI: 0.91-2.35) for handgrip strength, 6.23 kg (CI: 3.15-9.32) for leg extension strength, 9.41 lbs. (CI: 4.51-14.31) for plank position held, and 3.02 mL/kg/min (CI: 1.23-4.80) for estimated maximal oxygen uptake. Participants engaging in a single sport had increased performance for most fitness markers: 1.52 kg (CI: 0.67-2.38) for handgrip strength, 5.16 kg (CI: 1.50-8.82) for leg extension strength, 5.98 s (CI: 0.17-11.78) for plank position held, and 2.67 mL/kg/min (CI: 0.58-4.77) for estimated maximal oxygen uptake. Youth engaging in multiple sports exhibited even steeper trends: 1.77 kg (CI: 0.83-2.70) for handgrip strength, 7.63 kg (CI: 3.62-11.65) for leg extension strength, 13.89 s (CI: 7.52-20.27) for plank position held, and 3.50 mL/kg/min (CI: 1.15-5.85) for estimated maximal oxygen uptake.

Any sports participation, including single and multiple sports, is linked to increased physical fitness in American youth.