The 2 things that I've noticed about professional and high-level collegiate sports over time are that athletes are progressively becoming bigger, stronger, and faster. And that it's now assumed that athletes will experience a soft-tissue injury—small or large—over the course of their career.

A study conducted in 2009 suggested that in elite athletics, the fastest runners and swimmers are becoming not only faster, but also heavier and taller.(1) This same study suggested that this positive correlation of increased athletic ability and size can be expected to continue.

Increases in sheer size and athletic ability seen in these premier athletes can be attributed to increased knowledge in strength and conditioning, increased knowledge in nutrition and supplementation, and new equipment options to choose from.