Effects of core training on physical fitness in trained adolescent athletes: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Abstract
Core training is widely used to support youth athletic development, yet its effects in trained adolescent athletes remain uncertain. This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated whether core-focused interventions improve physical fitness in athletes aged 10–19 years classified as McKay Tier 2 or above. PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Embase, and Scopus were searched for controlled trials, including randomized and non-randomized designs. Random-effects models were used to pool standardized mean differences with Hedges’ g. Thirty-one studies involving 818 athletes were included. Compared with control conditions, core training was associated with significant improvements in countermovement jump, standing long jump, ≥ 20-m sprint, change of direction, dynamic balance, static balance, core stability, dynamic core endurance, and isometric core endurance. The evidence for ≤ 10-m sprint performance was inconclusive. The certainty of evidence ranged from moderate to very low. Overall, benefits appeared more consistent for balance and core-related outcomes than for jumping, sprinting, and change-of-direction performance. These findings suggest that core-focused exercises may serve as a supplementary component of regular training, particularly for improving postural control, core stability, and core endurance, while indicating that transfer to jumping, sprinting, and change-of-direction performance may be more limited. PROSPERO registration: CRD420261379288.
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BibTeX
@article{zhang2026effects,
title = {{Effects of core training on physical fitness in trained adolescent athletes: a systematic review and meta-analysis}},
author = {Fengming Zhang and Chengzhi Ji and Hanpeng Wang and Cheng Li and Oleksandr Yeremenko and Zengjing Liu},
journal = {Scientific Reports},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1038/s41598-026-72536-5},
url = {https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-026-72536-5},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Effects of core training on physical fitness in trained adolescent athletes: a systematic review and meta-analysis
AU - Fengming Zhang
AU - Chengzhi Ji
AU - Hanpeng Wang
AU - Cheng Li
AU - Oleksandr Yeremenko
AU - Zengjing Liu
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/15
JO - Scientific Reports
DO - 10.1038/s41598-026-72536-5
UR - https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-026-72536-5
AB - Core training is widely used to support youth athletic development, yet its effects in trained adolescent athletes remain uncertain. This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated whether core-focused interventions improve physical fitness in athletes aged 10–19 years classified as McKay Tier 2 or above. PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Embase, and Scopus were searched for controlled trials, including randomized and non-randomized designs. Random-effects models were used to pool standardized mean differences with Hedges’ g. Thirty-one studies involving 818 athletes were included. Compared with control conditions, core training was associated with significant improvements in countermovement jump, standing long jump, ≥ 20-m sprint, change of direction, dynamic balance, static balance, core stability, dynamic core endurance, and isometric core endurance. The evidence for ≤ 10-m sprint performance was inconclusive. The certainty of evidence ranged from moderate to very low. Overall, benefits appeared more consistent for balance and core-related outcomes than for jumping, sprinting, and change-of-direction performance. These findings suggest that core-focused exercises may serve as a supplementary component of regular training, particularly for improving postural control, core stability, and core endurance, while indicating that transfer to jumping, sprinting, and change-of-direction performance may be more limited. PROSPERO registration: CRD420261379288.
SN - 2045-2322
ER -