Which Sport is the Most Physically Demanding?
Which sport do you think requires the greatest overall demands of fitness? This poll is part of a competition to determine the World's Fittest Sport. We ran a head-to-head competition starting with these 32 sports, and one-by-one knocked them out until only one sport remained. You can see the results of that comp. To confirm the results of our competition, we set up a poll so you could vote directly for the one sport which you think has the greatest overall physical demands.
When the poll was closed in 2025, squash was voted the sport that requires the greatest overall demands of fitness. Total votes 1730.
| sport | votes | % |
|---|---|---|
| Squash | 171 | 9.9 |
| Motocross | 154 | 8.9 |
| Triathlon (Iron Man) | 135 | 7.8 |
| Boxing | 121 | 7.0 |
| Football (Soccer) | 115 | 6.6 |
| Swimming | 101 | 5.8 |
| other | 77 | 4.5 |
| Rowing | 75 | 4.3 |
| Wrestling | 73 | 4.2 |
| Tennis | 67 | 3.9 |
| Water Polo | 59 | 3.4 |
| MMA | 57 | 3.3 |
| Hockey(Ice) | 55 | 3.2 |
| Gymnastics (Artistic) | 54 | 3.1 |
| Rugby | 54 | 3.1 |
| Cycling (Road) | 40 | 2.3 |
| Football (Aussie Rules) | 40 | 2.3 |
| Formula1 | 37 | 2.1 |
| Skiing (X-Country) | 34 | 2.0 |
| Badminton | 32 | 1.8 |
| Football (American) | 32 | 1.8 |
| Basketball | 31 | 1.8 |
| Track and Field (Decathlon) | 28 | 1.6 |
| Track and Field (Marathon) | 26 | 1.5 |
| Cycling (Mountain Bike) | 12 | 0.7 |
| Hockey(Field) | 11 | 0.6 |
| Volleyball | 9 | 0.5 |
| Baseball | 8 | 0.5 |
| Surfing | 7 | 0.4 |
| Lacrosse | 6 | 0.3 |
| Skiing (Downhill) | 4 | 0.2 |
| Speed Skating | 4 | 0.2 |
| Team Handball | 1 | 0.1 |
Disclaimer: These polls are not scientific, and only reflect the opinion of visitors to this website who have chosen to participate.
Related Pages
- About the competition to determine the World's Fittest Sport
- Discussion about the World's Fittest Sport
- An old poll which looked at the world's fittest sport
- More fitness polls
Any comments, suggestions, or corrections? Please let us know.
Old Comments
Commenting is closed on this page, though you can read some previous comments below which may answer some of your questions.
- Cheerleading. Avis tirrell (2018)
- I remember reading about the results of scientific experiment - some 12 - 15 years back, which used very similar factors as listed here to determine the fittest sports people. Jockeys won, with F1 drivers finishing a close second.can remember no more. A Rose (2016)
- Does anyone have a reference for this? I have seen this mentioned many times, but I have found no actual results. Rob Admin A Rose (2016)
- Every sport has its own demands but i feel as if tennis has been underestimated very much, if you look at someone play who has no experience it looks simple, but watching top juniors and pro's you truly see how tough the sport is. You're out on the court by yourself; no time outs with coach, no halftimes, only an approx. 2 min between each 2 games (which can take up to 30 min) . There academies train six hours a day. And,unlike most sports theres no buzzer/time limit, the longest match was eleven hours of two men hitting a tennis ball up to 160 mph and running side to side and up and down the court. Its a sport which requires every muscle in your body!!!!! Waverly milon (2015)
- I've always considered parkour (freerunning) as the most athletic and physical demanding. All your body has to be equally for otherwise it will affect you're overall momentum! Robdenn Landrie (2015)
- I'd say GNCC dirt bike racing cause you have to handle a 200 pound bike for 2 hours and not a 1 pound ball or just yourself. Jake Deitrick Robdenn Landrie (2020)
- Having played most, there's no doubt that two man beach volleyball was the most challenging. Any sport played on sand, deep sand, challenges the body. Water polo would be another sport I would consider. Want a challenging workout? Try resistance bands in sand. Kevin (2014)
- Distance Swimming below baseball!?!?! Come on people. EndlessOtter (2014)
- Outdoor motocross. Wallsnutz (2014)
- try motocross witch isn't even on this stupid list but nascar bowling fishing are get real!!!! Walls6942 (2014)
- Extreme enduro riding is easily in the top 5 most physically demanding sports. Roger (2014)
- figure skating is the most intense sport in the world...just step on the ice once and just dream. you have a better shot at being a millionaire than being a decent figure skater. Michael Esposito (2015)
- The idea that American football and more specifically Baseball and Softball are fitter sports than professional Rugby is laughable and reflects badly on the institution and the researchers that compiled this work of utter nonsense. Dubaimartin (2014)
- but its funny how American football players wear pads that they think make them look about 2x bigger whilst rugby players only wear a gum shield and work more cause they are on the field for a long period whilst nfl players are only on for about 8 seconds at a time. Rugbymachine101 Dubaimartin (2014)
- NFL players are amazingly fit. Rockky Dubaimartin (2020)
