The circuit exercise improved physical fitness and cardiovascular endurance in male college students

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Circuit exercise is effective in various setting. However, it has limited data on maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max) and physical fitness particularly in male college students. This study aimed to evaluate if a circuit exercise is beneficial for male young adolescents for physical factors and VO2max. METHODS: This was a quasi-experimental study. The inclusion criteria were male colleague student aged of 15-30 years, passed the physical activity readiness questionnaire (PAR-Q), and able to complete the study protocol. Physical fitness and VO2max were evaluated at baseline and 8 weeks after the circuit exercise. The circuit exercise was performed 3 times/week for 40-50 minutes. There were nine circuit stations: squats, backward lunge, push-ups, jumping squats, jumping jack, inchworm, curtsy lunges, mountain climber, and burpees. A P value of pre- and postexperiment difference was calculated. Correlations between physical factors and VO2max at baseline and postexperiment were executed by multivariate linear regression analysis. RESULTS: There were 20 male participants. An average (SD) age of all participants was 19.65 (1.08) years. After eight weeks of circuit exercise, nine outcome variables were significantly different from baseline. Body Mass Index was significantly associated with VO2max at both baseline and the end of study. Coefficient of Body Mass Index was -1.45 at baseline (P value 0.006) and -1.81 at the end of study (P value 0.036). CONCLUSIONS: The circuit exercise significantly improved physical fitness and VO2max in male college students. Body Mass Index was associated with VO2max before and after the circuit exercise.