IMPLEMENTING A PROGRESSIVE RESISTANCE TRAINING PROGRAM IN YOUTH JUNIOR OLYMPIC WOMEN’S GYMNASTICS

Competitive gymnasts in the Women’s Junior Olympic (JO) program are highly conditioned, typically training 8-20 hours per week. Training often consists of high-repetition body-weight activities with little variability. This method lacks progressive resistance exercise (PRE) training, a cornerstone for muscular adaptation. To investigate benefits 10 weeks PRE 1 day/week, on strength and power women’s JO child adolescent gymnasts. 50 females aged 7-17 years (mean 10.2±2.7 years), competing levels 3-10 participated. Gymnasts Levels 3 4 were divided into either Control Group or group. The continued standard non-PRE conditioning. underwent prescribed training. Level 5-10 also separately analyzed quasi-experimental repeated measures design. 15 exercises completed. Tests lower- upper-body included vertical leap modified Wingate arm-ergometer anaerobic test (Arm-WAnT). Compared to Group, had greater improvement (p=0.003), Arm-WAnT peak mean (p=0.044 0.023), but no difference fatigue index. 5 similarly improved (2224±756W 2473±688W, p<0.001), (80.9±30.1W 93.2±40.6W, (62.8±23.2 70.1±27.3, change will improve upper- lower-body female