Background: Obesity is major contributor to diseases and mortality. Constant weight loss significantly reverses diseases related to obesity and helps prolong human life expectancy. To date, there has been limited scientific evidence comparing the effectiveness of the Aqua Zumba® Fitness program and conventional aqua jog among obese women. Thus, the purpose of this study is to compare the effects between 12 weeks of Aqua Zumba® Fitness and aqua jog on health parameters among middle-age women. Methods: A total of sixty sedentary obese women (BMI >30 kg/m2), aged 40-59 years old were randomized to either Aqua Zumba® Fitness (AZ, n=20), aqua jog (AJ, n=20) or control group (C, n=20). Exercise groups were involved in different 12-week aqua exercise programs, 3 times per week, 60 minutes per session, with an intensity of 50-75% of maximum heart rate. Body mass (BM), skeletal muscle mass (SMM), body fat percentage (BF%), waist circumference (WC), upper and lower body strength (UBS and LBS), cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), and flexibility were measured at baseline (week-0) and post-exercise intervention (week-13). Result: The AZ group demonstrated significant changes (p
Background: Obesity is major contributor to diseases and mortality. Constant
weight loss significantly reverses diseases related to obesity and helps
prolong human life expectancy. To date, there has been limited scientific
evidence comparing the effectiveness of the Aqua Zumba® Fitness program
and conventional aqua jog among obese women. Thus, the purpose of this
study is to compare the effects between 12 weeks of Aqua Zumba® Fitness
and aqua jog on health parameters among middle-age women. Methods: A
total of sixty sedentary obese women (BMI >30 kg/m2), aged 40-59 years old
were randomized to either Aqua Zumba® Fitness (AZ, n=20), aqua jog (AJ,
n=20) or control group (C, n=20). Exercise groups were involved in different
12-week aqua exercise programs, 3 times per week, 60 minutes per session,
with an intensity of 50-75% of maximum heart rate. Body mass (BM),
skeletal muscle mass (SMM), body fat percentage (BF%), waist
circumference (WC), upper and lower body strength (UBS and LBS),
cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), and flexibility were measured at baseline
(week-0) and post-exercise intervention (week-13). Result: The AZ group
demonstrated significant changes (p
Batting velocity is an important component for successful hitting. Previous research has shown that batting velocity is influenced by increased muscular strength. Resistance training is broadly applied by strength and conditioning coaches to increase strength. However, recently, Whole-Body Electromyostimulation (WB-EMS) has been proven to be able to increase muscular strength in high performance athletes. This study aimed to examine the effects of eight weeks of dynamic WB-EMS training on muscular strength and batting velocity among female collegiate softball players. Forty softball players were randomly assigned to two groups: DS-EMS (n = 20) and DS (n = 20). Both groups performed 100 basic dry swings per session using a standard bat. Additionally, DS-EMS group performed whole body electromyostimulation after the dry swing training. The training program was conducted three times a week and all participants were tested before (baseline) and after (week-8) the training programs. Both groups showed statistically significant increases in predicted 1RM torso rotational strength (p ≤ 0.01) and batting velocity (p ≤ 0.01) after 8 weeks of training. The WB-EMS group showed significant increase in predicted 1RM bench press, and predicted 1RM squat (p ≤ 0.01). The WB-EMS group showed greater increases (p ≤ 0.01) in batting velocity compared to control group. These data indicate that an 8-week of dry swing training supplemented by dynamic WB-EMS sessions may significantly increase strength and batting velocity among female collegiate softball players.