What is a primary goal for athletes looking to increase fat mass?

The primary goal for athletes looking to increase fat mass is to increase size. Athletes may intentionally aim to gain weight, including fat mass, as part of a strategy to enhance their overall body composition or to move into a higher weight category for their sport. This can be especially relevant in sports where size and mass can contribute to performance, such as in football or sumo wrestling. Increasing size can also provide a greater reserve of energy, which may be beneficial during competition or training.

In contrast, increasing endurance performance focuses on efficiency and stamina, which often involves maintaining or reducing fat mass rather than increasing it. Decreasing muscle size is typically not a desirable goal for athletes, as muscle contributes to strength and performance in many sports. Lastly, enhancing agility is more commonly associated with optimizing body composition to improve speed and quickness, which typically requires lean muscle rather than additional fat mass.