Effect of an extracurricular sport activity program on young chileans

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine the influence of a 12-week conventional physical activity program on the physical fitness of a group of adolescents. A total of 46 healthy Chilean students (22 boys and 24 girls) (13.95 ± 0.70 years, 53.91 ± 7.33 kg, 1.63 ± 0.15 m) who did not use to perform physical activity out of the school schedule were selected. Anthropometric assessment, hand grip, horizontal jump, hamstring flexibility, 4x10m test, CAFRA test and «Y» balance test were performed before and after a 12-week physical activity program characterized by 3 60-minute sessions per week. The results showed improvements in cardiovascular level, horizontal jump, and dynamic balance; however, lower values were found for flexibility. Boys improved statistically in horizontal jump and dynamic equilibrium; whereas girls gained also at the cardiovascular level. The need to evaluate conventional extracurricular physical activity programs in young and healthy populations is evident.