PURPOSE This study aimed to investigate the effects of an 8-week unstable surface Pilates training on physical fitness, abdominal muscle thickness, lumbar isokinetic muscle function, and pain in women aged 30–40 who are living a sedentary lifestyle and experiencing nonspecific low back pain. METHODS The training group (TR, n = 15) performed Pilates using small apparatuses on an unstable surface for 50 min/session, three sessions per week for 8 weeks, whereas the control group (n = 13) maintained their usual living pattern during the same intervention period. RESULTS 1) The body weight, body mass index, percent body fat, and fat mass decreased significantly in the TR, 2) whereas the hand grip strength, trunk extension, sit-andreach, and modified Schober test scores improved significantly. 3) The thickness of the external oblique, internal oblique, and transversus abdominis increased significantly in the TR. 4) Lumbar isokinetic flexor strength per body weight increased significantly in the TR. The endurance and endurance per body weight of the lumbar isokinetic extensor and lumbar isokinetic flexor also significantly increased in the TR. 5) The Korean Oswestry disability index (KODI) and the visual analog scale (VAS) score decreased significantly in the TR. 6) Significant negative correlations were found between the change rates in the KODI and nondominant hand grip strength, external oblique thickness, transversus abdominis thickness, and lumbar isokinetic extensor endurance. A significant negative correlation was found between the change rates in the VAS score and external oblique thickness. CONCLUSIONS The results revealed that the 8-week unstable surface Pilates training was beneficial in improving physical fitness, abdominal muscle thickness, lumbar isokinetic muscle function, disabilityindex, and pain levels in women aged 30–40 years who were having a sedentary lifestyle and experiencing nonspecific low back pain.
Purpose The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of aerobic exercise intensity on body composition, health related fitness, and quality of life in elderly women. Methods 48 elderly women over 65 years of age without physical and mental problems were assigned to four groups: control group, low intensity, moderate intensity, and high intensity aerobic training group. The aerobic exercise group applied a heart rate reserve (HRR) to low-intensity group (HRR 40-55%), moderate intensity group (HRR 55-70%), high intensity group (HRR> 70%) for 12 weeks, 3 times a week for 20 minutes a day. Subjects of the control group were to maintain their usual lifestyles during the same intervention period. Body composition, health related fitness, and quality of life were measured and analyzed using repeated two-way ANOVA. Results The main results obtained in this study are as follows. 1) There was a significant decrease in sitting forward bending in the low intensity group and a significant increase in EQ-VAS. 2) There was a significant decrease in body weight, BMI, and 6 minutes walking in the moderate intensity group, and a significant increase in grip strength and EQ-VAS. 3) The high intensity group showed a significant decrease in weight, BMI, waist circumference, sitting forward bending, and 6 minutes walking, and a significant increase in grip strength, sit and stand, functional reach, and VO2max. On the other hand, there was no significant change in all variables in the control group. Conclusions In conclusion, aerobic training was found to be effective for body composition, health related fitness and quality of life in elderly women. In particular, it can be concluded that high intensity aerobic training is effective for health related fitness, and low and moderate intensity aerobic exercise is effective for improving quality of life.
Purpose Evaluating the aging of senior and providing optimal sevices are important things for successful aging. This study identified functional fitness related with heath of aged 65 years or older and developed an age scale (longevity fitness age) for assessing their aging. Methods Participants were 458 older people (166 male, 292 female). They were divided into healthy group and disease group. Healthy group was used for the development of the longevity age equation and disease group was for investigating the validity of the equation. Participants completed 13 function fitness variables. The first principal component obtained from a principal component analysis was used to compute the equation. All variables except for grip strength and carrying beans were correlated with chronological aged. Grip strength and variables related lower functional fitness had differences between healthy group and disease group. Finally, 4 variables were selected for the equation. Results It was the following: longevity fitness age=0.942*X1+2, 185*X2+0.673*X3+0.051*X4+0.588*chronological age+58.401, where X1=standing up from a supine position, sec (s), X2=maximum walking (s), X3=standing up and sitting down a chair (s), X4=one leg balance with eyes open (s). The longevity fitness age of healthy group do not have a difference compared to their chronological age but disease group had a difference significantly. Age difference (chronological age-longevity fitness age) of sedentary group in disease group was significantly bigger than its active group. Longevity fitness age could assess an aging of senior. Conclusion We suggest that it can use as the tool for early detecting senior who need the health care service.
Impact of 9-week strength training of racing cyclist candidate during training camp on body composition, racing cyclist specific fitness, and racing cycle performance was examined. Two by two (cyclist experience, y/n and strength training (ST) participation, y/n) experiment design was employed. A total of 20 candidates participated and divided evenly into four groups; 1) experienced cyclist participating ST (CST), 2) non-experience cyclist participating ST (nCST), 3) experienced cyclist no participating ST (CnST), and 4) non-experience cyclist no participating ST (nCnST). Two programs were introduced; 1) non ST containing, pre-existing program emphasizing on sprint and acceleration training and 2) new-program containing ST and sprint and acceleration training. CST and nCST participated the latter program. Before and after the 9-week training, body composition, racing cyclist specific fitness, and racing cycle performance was tested. After 9 weeks, all groups decreased body weight(p<0.05), body fat content(p<0.05), body mass index, and CST and nCST increased lean body mass(p<0.05). Muscular strength measures such as grip strength, low back strength, 1RM of bench press, 1RM of squat, and anaerobic capacity improved after 9 weeks in all groups(p<0.05). The magnitude of changes was greater in order of CST, nCST, CnST, nCnST. Time trial of 200 meter sprint was faster after 9 weeks in all groups except CnST while 500 meter sprint was improved only in nCnST(p<0.05). After 9 weeks, regardless of previous cyclist experience, those who participated in ST ranked high places at racing cycle competition. Both training programs for the candidates improved body composition and racing cyclist specific fitness. When strength training was added to pre-existing training program emphasized on sprint and acceleration, the racing cycle performance was enhanced. Strength training for racing cyclist is highly recommended to improve their racing performance.
Frailty in older adults is related to an increased risk for poor health outcomes including falls, disability, hospitalization and mortality. The purpose of this study was to determine the thresholds of a functional fitness associated with frailty for community-dwelling woman aged 65 or older. In this study, the National Fitness Award(NFA) items for elderly were utilized as the physical function and fitness testing for korean elderly women. The total of 444 community-dwelling woman completed the testings. Frailty status was classified by the Japan LTCI system ‘Kihon Checklist’ in the study. The prevalence of the frailty was 19.1% in the study. The frail elderly were older and showed higher obesity index such as weight, body mass index (BMI), percent body fat and waist circumference than the normal elderly. After adjusting for age and BMI which was related to frailty, fitness testing items were compared depending on frailty. As the result, the frail elderly showed significantly lower fitness levels in grip strength, 30-second chair stand test, timed up and go, figure-of-8 walk around two cones, and 2-minute step test than the normal elderly. When the fitness cut-off values were analyzed using the ROC curve, also, grip strength: 34.13%, 30-second chair stand test: 14 reps, timed up and go: 7.09 seconds, figure-of-8 walk around two cones: 30.88 seconds, and 2-minute step test: 93 reps. In addition, based on the cut-off values of each fitness item, the group with a low fitness level showed a 1.86 to 3.09 higher odds ratio of frailty than the group with a high fitness level, even after age and BMI were adjusted. In conclusion, these findings indicate that the fitness cut-off values in this study are fitness levels for preventing frailty of Korean elderly women and there will be a need for a large-scale study including subdivided fitness cut-off values for each age group and targets elderly men as well.
PURPOSE This study investigated weight-class-related strength parameters during pulling performance in the ssireum. METHODS Elite ssireum athletes participated, 24 divided into four weight classes of six athletes each. They performed a pulling task while gripping a tube fixed to a three-axes load cell sensor, standing on force plate platforms. The test involved 30 repetitions at maximal force with the legs bent, the ssireum’s typical posture. Maximal force (Fmax), time to maximal force (TFmax), time difference between maximal forces (TDmax), and horizontal and vertical angles at maximal force (HAmax and VAmax, respectively) were analyzed from the load cell sensors. Ground reaction force (GRF) was collected, including peak force along the three axes, the resultant force, and the center of pressure (COP). One-way ANOVA tests were conducted to compare among weight classes (α=.05). RESULTS Fmax measured by load cell showed significant difference between classes (p<.05), indicating that the second weight group (Geumgang class) generated more pulling force than the heavier classes. In GRF results, lightweight classes demonstrated larger COP difference between the left and right plates. Specifically, the Geumgang class showed more movement in the anterior-posterior (AP) direction on the left plate. The peak GRF in the right plate of the AP (p<.001) and ML (p<.05) directions showed significant differences between lighter and heavier weight classes. CONCLUSIONS The Geumgang class generated greater pulling force, and the lighter classes demonstrated more leg contribution. Force generation did not solely depend on body mass; instead, lighter athletes often relied on the lower limbs to compensate for their limitations, a strategy commonly observed in competitions.
PURPOSE This study investigated the effects of 12 weeks of clubbell and stepbox training on physical fitness, badminton skills, and fatigue in male badminton, grade A (top grade) club members aged 20–30s, with over 5 years’ experience. METHODS Participants in a training group (TR: n=15) engaged in 12 weeks of clubbell and stepbox circuit training involving maximum 8–12 reps of clubbell exercises and stepbox exercises at over 77% of HRmax for 50–55 min/sessions three times a week. Participants in a control group (CON: n=15) maintained their normal lifestyle pattern during the same intervention period. Dependent variables were measured and compared using repeated measures two-way ANOVA. RESULTS The main results were as follows: 1) The groups showed no significant differences in body composition. 2) Regarding physical fitness, VO2max, relative peak power, relative average power, grip strength, push ups, repeated jump squats, SSPT (seated single-arm shot-put test), 10 m sprint, and hexagon agility increased significantly in the TR, while push ups decreased significantly in the CON. 3) As for badminton skills, forehand clear accuracy, badminton agility, badminton endurance, and smash speed increased significantly in the TR. Forehand clear accuracy decreased significantly in the CON, but badminton agility and smash speed increased significantly. 4) The groups showed no significant differences in fatigue. CONCLUSIONS In male badminton club members aged 20–30s, 12 weeks of clubbell and stepbox circuit training effectively improved physical fitness and badminton skills. However, lack of any improvement in body composition and fatigue warranted further research in these areas.
PURPOSE This study aimed to investigate the effects of continuous exercise and the accumulation of short-duration exercise for 12 weeks on body composition, physical fitness, and lifestyle disease indices in overweight men in their 30s. METHODS Participants in the continuous exercise group (CE; n=13) performed a circuit exercise program of 30 min/session, 3 sessions/week for 12 weeks. Participants in the accumulation of short duration exercise group (ASE; n=12) performed the same exercise time of 30 min per day, divided into three sessions of 10 min. Body composition, physical fitness, and lifestyle disease indices were measured pre- and post-test and were compared by utilizing a repeated two-way ANOVA. RESULTS 1) Regarding body composition, body weight, body mass index, skeletal muscle mass, waist circumference, and fat mass decreased significantly, while hip circumference increased significantly in the CE group. Waist circumference and skeletal muscle mass decreased significantly, while hip circumference increased significantly in the ASE group. 2) Regarding physical fitness, right grip strength, sit and reach, sit up, and maximal oxygen uptake increased significantly in both groups. 3) Regarding hypertension indices, there were no significant differences in both groups, but they showed a tendency to improve. 4) Regarding hyperlipidemia indices, triglycerides (TG) decreased significantly in both groups, and total cholesterol (TC) decreased significantly in the CE group. 5) Regarding diabetes indices, there were no significant differences in both groups, but a tendency to improve was noticed. 6) Regarding arteriosclerosis indices: TG/high density lipoprotein-cholesterol ratio decreased significantly in both groups, and the TC/high density lipoprotein-cholesterol ratio decreased significantly in the CE group. CONCLUSIONS We concluded that both the accumulation of short duration exercise and continuous exercise can be effective in improving body composition, physical fitness, and lifestyle disease in overweight men.
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of National Fitness Award program group exercise classes on daily fitness and balance-confidence among the elderly participants(n=496, 80.2% women). This study investigated body composition, daily fitness, and balance-confidence, and quality of life among the subjects who participated in the combined exercise program of improving physical fitness class for 8-week in the 10 national physical fitness certification centers by the demonstration project for the elderly of 2013 Korean National Fitness 100 project. Body composition and physical fitness for daily living were defined by Korean National Fitness 100 project for elderly, also the balance-confidence and health-related questionnaires were added. The following results were obtained by comparing the pre-test and post-test. In body composition body weight (p<.05), body mass index (p<.05), fat mass (p<.01), and percent body fat (p<.05) were significantly decreased, but muscle mass was not. Except for walking-around-two-cones-in-a-figure 8, all other daily fitness items such as relative grip strength (p<.001), chair sit to stand, two minutes place to walk, and sit-and-reach significantly increased (p<.01), and timed up and go were significantly decreased (p<.01). In balance confidence rating ABC tests (p<.001) were shown significantly increased. Although, quality of life measured by EQ-5D was not significantly improved, self-health status measured by EQ-VAS (p<.001) showed significant increase. Therefore, the group exercises of National Fitness Award program improved body composition, daily fitness and balance confidence in Korean elderly participants.
Purpose Based on the match data of major judo world competitions in the last five years, this study identifies differences in general characteristics and environmental factors according to scoring technique and scoring times. And by exploring the factors associated with scoring technique, I would like to present a practical strategy that can be used to establish guided tactics. Methods 50,828 points were used for analysis of the entire men and women who competed from 2016 to 2020. Differences in the characteristics of the world's leading athletes according to their types of technique were used in conjunction with the chi-square test and the one-way ANOVA with Sceffe test to produce results. Results The results of this study showed that the type of skill by foot technique was the most common, and the ratio of hand skill to female player to push and foot skill was relatively high. The higher the weight class, the lower the ratio of hand technique, the higher the press rate, and the frequency of skill types also increased. At the Olympic Games, the ratio of hardening technique was higher than that of other competitions, and as the year progressed, the ratio of hand and waist technique increased, and the number of mat-hold decreased. The ratio of hardening technology was relatively high, and the ratio of hand-to-foot technology was relatively high as the semi-final and final rounds were higher. As for technical time, the male athlete's skill time appeared to be about 12 seconds longer on average, with the lowest in the heavyweight class and the longest in the lightweight class. Athletes from the Asian continent appeared to have the longest technical time, which is believed to have resulted from the characteristics of excellent physical strength, good endurance, and strong hardening technique. The skill time leading to the score by pressing and hand skill was the longest, and the waist skill and grip skill time were relatively short. Half of them appeared about 5 seconds shorter on average compared to the first round, and the more important the game (the 4th round, semi-final, and final) the longer the skill time. Conclusion In conclusion, through this study, the characteristics of the world judo players' skill types and time were confirmed, and based on this, it is necessary to analyze and systematize the technical types of the world's best athletes, including Korean athletes, in order to improve their judo performance.
