Kung Fu Training Improves Physical Fitness Measures in Overweight/Obese Adolescents: The “Martial Fitness” Study

[摘要] Aim. To examine the efficacy of a six-month Kung Fu (KF) program on physical fitness in overweight/obese adolescents.Methods. Subjects were randomly assigned to the KF or sham exercise (Tai Chi, TC) control group. Physical measurements in cardiovascular fitness and muscle fitness occurred at baseline and after 6 months of training thrice weekly.Results. Twenty subjects were recruited. One subject was lost to follow-up, although overall compliance to the training sessions was46.7±27.8%. At follow-up, the cohort improved in absolute upper (P=.002) and lower (P=.04) body strength, and upper body muscle endurance (P=.02), without group differences. KF training resulted in significantly greater improvements in submaximal cardiovascular fitness (P=.03), lower body muscle endurance (P=.28; significant 95% CI: 0.37–2.49), and upper body muscle velocity (P=.03) relative to TC training.Conclusions. This short-term KF program improved submaximal cardiovascular fitness, lower body muscle endurance, and muscle velocity, in overweight/obese adolescents with very low baseline fitness.

[学科分类] 内分泌与代谢学