Physique in Athletes
Performance Factor, Not Identity
In athletics, body shape and size are often discussed quietly, indirectly, or sometimes far too casually.
A thrower may be spoken about differently to a distance runner. A sprinter may be praised for looking “powerful.” A middle-distance athlete may hear comments about being “lean.” A jumper may be told they look “light.”
These comments can seem harmless, or even performance-focused, but the way we talk about physique in sport matters.
Body composition can be relevant to performance in some athletics events. But it is never the whole story. More importantly, an athlete’s body is not a public project, a coaching tool, or a measure of commitment.
Current research and Australian sport guidance are increasingly clear: conversations about body composition, nutrition, and physique must be handled with care, appropriate expertise, consent, confidentiality, and a strong “first do no harm” approach.
This is especially important in athletics, where event demands vary widely and where pressure around body size, leanness, and power-to-weight can influence athlete health, performance, and long-term participation.
Athletics does not have ONE body
One of the strengths of athletics is the diversity of the sport.
Sprinters, throwers, jumpers, endurance runners, race walkers, para athletes, and combined eventers all require different physical qualities. Some events reward maximum speed and power. Others require repeated endurance, rhythm, economy, technical control, or explosive force.
Even within the same event group, successful athletes can look different from one another.
This matters because the phrase “athletic body” is often used as though it means one thing.
It does not.
In athletics, performance is shaped by a wide range of factors, including:
Training history
Event demands
Strength
Power
Speed
Technical skill
Recovery
Energy availability
Bone health
Psychological wellbeing
Coaching environment
Body composition may sit somewhere within that picture, but it should never be treated as the picture itself.
A 2023 British Journal of Sports Medicine review on body composition in sport concluded that while body composition can influence performance in some contexts, there is no universal body composition target that guarantees performance improvement. Attempts to manipulate body composition can also carry meaningful health and performance risks if poorly managed [1].
What are we seeing globally?
Globally, sport is shifting away from simplistic messages like:
“Lighter is better.”
“Leaner is faster.”
“Race weight equals performance.”
The better conversation is about whether athletes are fuelled, healthy, supported, and able to adapt to training.
The 2023 International Olympic Committee consensus statement on Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport, commonly known as REDs, describes REDs as a syndrome of impaired physiological and/or psychological functioning experienced by athletes exposed to problematic low energy availability [2].
This global shift is important because body composition goals are often framed as performance goals.
But when the process used to pursue those goals leads to under-fuelling, poor recovery, menstrual disturbance, hormonal changes, impaired bone health, mood changes, illness, injury, or disordered eating, the athlete is not moving closer to sustainable performance.
They are moving further away from it.
Low Energy Availability: The Hidden Performance Problem
Low energy availability occurs when an athlete does not have enough energy remaining after exercise to support normal physiological function [2,3].
This can happen intentionally, such as when an athlete restricts food to try to change body composition. But it can also happen unintentionally.
High training loads, poor knowledge of nutrition, low appetite, travel, school or work stress, financial limitations, gastrointestinal issues, or simply not understanding how much fuel is required can all contribute.
In athletics, this is especially relevant.
A 2019 review focused on track and field athletes reported that low energy availability in male and female athletes ranged from 18% to 58%, with the highest prevalence reported among endurance and jump athletes [3].
The performance consequences are not minor.
A 2025 systematic review and meta-analysis found that low energy availability and REDs were associated with poorer run performance, endurance performance, training response, coordination, concentration, judgement, explosive power, and agility compared with normal energy availability [5].
This is one of the key messages for coaches and athletes:
Under-fuelling might sometimes be mistaken for discipline, but over time, it can reduce the very qualities athletes are trying to improve.
Disordered Eating Exists on a Spectrum
Disordered eating is not always obvious.
It does not always look like a clinical eating disorder, and it is not always visible from the outside.
The AIS and National Eating Disorders Collaboration position statement describes eating behaviours across a spectrum:
Optimised nutrition →Disordered eating →Eating disorder
Disordered eating may include disturbed or unhealthy eating patterns that do not meet the criteria for a clinical eating disorder, but still carry health and performance consequences [4].
Australian Athletics’ Disordered Eating Guidelines use the same spectrum approach and recognise that athletes across all athletics disciplines can be at risk of disordered eating and eating disorders [6].
This is why coaches should be careful not to rely on appearance as an indicator of health.
An athlete can be under-fuelled without looking visibly unwell.
An athlete can be performing well in the short term while health markers are declining.
An athlete can be struggling with food, body image, or compulsive exercise while still appearing committed, disciplined, and successful.
A 2024 systematic review and meta-analysis of more than 70,000 athletes found that approximately one in five athletes reported self-reported disordered eating, highlighting that this is not a rare or isolated issue in sport [7].
The Risk is Not Assessment. It is Culture
Body composition assessment is sometimes discussed as though the main issue is the measurement itself.
But the larger issue is culture.
The risk increases when the physique becomes:
Public
Constant
Appearance-based
Comparison-based
Linked to selection
Used as motivation
Discussed outside professional scope
Framed as proof of discipline or commitment
A comment like “you look lean” might be intended as a compliment. But for some athletes, it can reinforce the idea that looking a certain way earns approval.
A comment like “you look stronger” may also land differently depending on the athlete’s history, event, age, body image, injury background, or relationship with food.
This does not mean coaches can never talk about nutrition, fuelling, or performance.
It means the language needs to shift.
Instead of asking: “How do we get this athlete lighter?”
Ask: “What does this athlete need to train, recover, adapt, and perform well?”
Instead of saying: “You look fit.”
Ask: “How is your energy across the week?”
Instead of saying: “Race weight.”
Focus on: “Are you fuelling enough to support the work?”
What is the Coach’s Role?
Australian Athletics’ Disordered Eating Guidelines recognise that coaches and support personnel have a responsibility to identify athletes who may be at risk of disordered eating or eating disorders [6].
The key point is simple:
Coaches do not need to diagnose.
But they do need to notice, respond, and refer.
Early identification matters because disordered eating can affect an athlete’s health, well-being, quality of life, and performance [6].
When concerns arise, athletes should be referred to appropriate support, which may include a GP or sports physician, psychologist, and dietitian or sports dietitian [6].
What Coaches Can Do Day-to-Day
Coaches are not expected to be dietitians, psychologists, or doctors.
But they are part of the athlete’s environment — and that environment matters.
Coaches can reduce risk by avoiding:
Body-focused comments
Public comparisons
Group weigh-ins
Food jokes
Appearance-based praise
Assumptions that “lighter” or “leaner” is always better
Instead, focus conversations on:
Fuelling
Recovery
Energy levels
Training adaptation
Injury risk
Confidence
Long-term athlete development
Useful coach language might include:
“How is your energy across the week?”
“How are you recovering from the current load?”
“Are you fuelling enough around key sessions?”
“Do we need to involve a sports dietitian?”
“Let’s focus on fuelling the work, not chasing a look.”
Warning Signs Coaches Should Notice
Coaches should not diagnose, but they should notice concerning patterns.
Warning signs may include changes in:
Eating behaviours
Preoccupation with food, weight, shape, or exercise
Mood or anxiety
Social withdrawal
Sleep
Concentration
Training compulsions
Recurring injuries
Dizziness or fatigue
Gastrointestinal issues
Menstrual function
Unexplained weight change
Not every sign means an athlete has an eating disorder.
But patterns matter.
Changes matter.
Gut instinct matters.
Key Takeaways
Physique may be one part of athletic performance, but it should never come before an athlete's health.
For coaches, the priority is not to create athletes who look a certain way. The priority is to support athletes who can train consistently, recover well, adapt positively, stay healthy, compete with confidence, and remain in sport long-term.
If a coach is concerned about an athlete, the next step is not to confront them about weight, food, or appearance in a blunt or public way.
The next step is:
A calm conversation.
A private setting.
A supportive tone.
A referral to appropriate care.
The aim is not to diagnose the athlete.
The aim is to help them access the right support early.
For some athletes, body composition may be one part of performance planning. But it should never be pursued without support, used as motivation, or become the athlete’s identity.
The better question is not: “What should this athlete look like?”
The better question is: “What does this athlete need to be healthy enough to perform?”
In athletics, body composition may be a performance factor.
But the athlete is always more than their physique.
References
Mathisen TF, Ackland T, Burke LM, Constantini N, Haudum J, Macnaughton LS, et al. Best practice recommendations for body composition considerations in sport to reduce health and performance risks: a critical review, original survey and expert opinion by a subgroup of the IOC consensus on Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (REDs). Br J Sports Med. 2023;57(17):1148-1160. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2023-106812. Available from: https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/57/17/1148
Mountjoy M, Ackerman KE, Bailey DM, Burke LM, Constantini N, Hackney AC, et al. 2023 International Olympic Committee’s consensus statement on Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (REDs). Br J Sports Med. 2023;57(17):1073-1097. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2023-106994. Available from: https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/57/17/1073
Melin AK, Heikura IA, Tenforde A, Mountjoy M. Energy availability in athletics: health, performance, and physique. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2019;29(2):152-164. doi:10.1123/ijsnem.2018-0201. Available from: https://journals.humankinetics.com/view/journals/ijsnem/29/2/article-p152.xml
Wells KR, Jeacocke NA, Appaneal R, Smith HD, Vlahovich N, Burke LM, et al. The Australian Institute of Sport and National Eating Disorders Collaboration position statement on disordered eating in high performance sport. Br J Sports Med. 2020;54(21):1247-1258. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2019-101813. Available from: https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/54/21/1247
Gallant TL, Arciero PJ, Toriola AT, Meyer NL. Low energy availability and Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Sports Med. 2025;55:289-315. doi:10.1007/s40279-024-02130-0. Available from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39485653/
Australian Athletics. Disordered Eating Guidelines: Community Referral and Triage Network [Internet]. Australian Athletics; 2025 [cited 2026 May 26]. Available from: https://www.athletics.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Disordered-Eating-Guidelines-Community-Referral-and-Triage-Network.pdf
Ghazzawi HA, Nimer LS, Haddad AJ, Alhaj OA, Amawi AT, Pandi-Perumal SR, et al. A systematic review, meta-analysis, and meta-regression of the prevalence of self-reported disordered eating and associated factors among athletes worldwide. J Eat Disord. 2024;12:24. doi:10.1186/s40337-024-00982-5. Available from: https://jeatdisord.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40337-024-00982-5
Butterfly Foundation. Butterfly National Helpline [Internet]. Butterfly Foundation; [cited 2026 May 26]. Available from: https://butterfly.org.au/get-support/helpline/