Biology of Sport
eISSN: 2083-1862
ISSN: 0860-021X
Biology of Sport
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abstract:
Review paper

Changes in physical fitness and body composition of athletes after the COVID-19 lockdown: a systematic review, meta-analysis, and meta-regression, with assessment of the certainty of evidence

Jad Adrian Washif
1
,
Khaled Trabelsi
2, 3
,
Jeffrey Pagaduan
4
,
Marie Stella Louise Perreras
5
,
Imen Moussa-Chamari
6
,
Narimen Yousfi
7, 8
,
David B. Pyne
9
,
Karim Chamari
10, 11

  1. High Performance Branch, Sports Performance Division, National Sports Institute of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
  2. High Institute of Sport and Physical Education of Sfax, University of Sfax, Sfax, Tunisia
  3. Department of Movement Sciences and Sports Training, School of Sport Science, The University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan
  4. Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
  5. Department of Sports Medicine and Science Graduate School, Konkuk University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
  6. Sport Coaching Department; College of Sport Sciences, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar
  7. Research Unit “Sport Sciences, Health and Movement”, Higher Institute of Sports and Physical Education of Kef, University of Jendouba, Kef, Tunisia
  8. Tunisian Research Laboratory “Sport Performance Optimisation”, National Center of Medicine and Science in Sport, Tunis, Tunisia
  9. Research Institute for Sport and Exercise, University of Canberra, Canberra, Australia
  10. Research Office, Naufar, Wellness and Recovery Center, Doha, Qatar
  11. Higher institute of Sport and Physical Education, ISSEP Ksar Saïd, Manouba University, Tunis, Tunisia
Biol Sport. 2026;43:463–488
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5114/biolsport.2026.153307
Online publish date: 2025/10/01
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This systematic review with meta-analysis analysed the effects of COVID-19 lockdowns on physical fitness and body composition in athletes. A comprehensive search was conducted in three databases (PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus) up to January 2025 (included). Studies were included based on PICO criteria, involving adult athletes, original articles, and any quantitative assessment of physical fitness and/or body composition conducted within one month before and two weeks after the lockdown. The Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal Checklist was used to assess the risk of bias, while the Cochrane Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) approach evaluated the certainty of evidence. A total of 14 studies (261 athletes) with a low risk of bias met the inclusion criteria. Narrative synthesis revealed that the effects of lockdowns on athletes’ physical fitness and body composition were varied, with consistent impairments (e.g., endurance-related fitness), relative stability (e.g., body mass, CMJ height, maximal strength), and mixed results (e.g., sprinting). A meta-analysis of 11 studies indicated a non-significant effect of lockdown on body mass (effect size [ES]=−0.115, 95% confidence interval [CI] −0.214 to 0.164, P=0.797). Similarly, 10 studies showed a variable, non-significant reduction in CMJ height (ES=−0.303, 95% CI −0.655 to 0.045, P=0.097). However, CMJ relative peak power (six studies) demonstrated a trivial-small negative effect (ES=−0.199, 95% CI −0.341 to −0.058, P=0.019). These findings should be interpreted with caution as the certainty of evidence was very low. While evidence remains limited, targeted and individualised training might help mitigate some of the detraining effects observed during a lockdown, particularly in endurance-related f itness outcomes.
keywords:

Athletic performance, Body fat, Detraining, Modified exercise, Home training, Isolation, Resistance training, SARS CoV 2

  
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