The effects of gymnastics and whole-body vibration exercises on some physical fitness parameters

Authors : Nurcan Demirel

Pages : 722-731

Doi:10.24289/ijsser.279017

View : 12 | Download : 10

Publication Date : 2016-07-01

Article Type : Research

Abstract :The purpose of this study was to comparatively analyze the effects of 6 weeks of gymnastics and whole body vibration exercises on some physical fitness parameters. Twenty two male subjects participated in this research (Age average 21.4 ± 2.4 and height average 1.75 ± 5.6 cm). Participants were randomly assigned to three groups; Gymnastics and Whole-body Vibration Exercise Group (GWBVEG, n=7), Gymnastics Exercise Group (GEG, n=8) and Control Group (CG, n=7). Muscle strength, endurance and flexibility were measured before and after 6 week-exercise period. For data analyses Wilcoxon Signed Ranks Test was used in order to look at the differences among the dependant groups and Mann Whitney U test was used in order to to look at the differences among the independant groups. When the groups’ post-tests for physical performance values were compared, it was observed that the improvement of muscle strength and endurance values of the GWBVEG group was significantly higher than the one for GEG and CG groups (p>0.05). As a result, it is suggested that the whole-body vibration in gymnastics can be considered as an important criteria for the improvement of endurance, muscle strength and flexibility.
Keywords : Whole Body Vibration, Gymnastics, Endurance, Strength, Flexibility