The Effects of 16-Week Circuit Training in Healthy Women
Condition: Healthy Women
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of 16-week CT on physical fitness
      parameters, pulmonary function, and quality of life in healthy women.
    

Detailed description: 
      Circuit training (CT) is an important type of training that can combine different types of
      exercises in a single form of training. This training is generally circular with the
      different exercise stations it contains, so it is known as CT. The initial protocol of this
      training, developed by researchers at the University of Leeds in 1953, consisted of 9 to 12
      moderate intensity exercises (40% to 60% of 1RM) performed at different exercise stations and
      with a specific repetition and duration. Nowadays, it is seen that this training is applied
      in different intensities and protocols. Also, CT has gained popularity due to its
      practicality and effectiveness and is preferred by all age groups in recent years.

      CT can be applied in many sport settings and does not require expensive equipment. Also, this
      training can be adjusted to any level of physical fitness and includes bodyweight exercises
      and functional movements. This training generally includes aerobic and strengthening
      exercises and improves musculoskeletal, cardiovascular and pulmonary functions. On the other
      hand, CT allows individual interaction both between participants and between participants and
      the sports or health professionals who provide this training. Lastly, the hallmark of CT is
      that it includes different exercise stations and short rest periods without breaks and the
      advantage of CT is that it effectively improves several parameters of physical fitness
      simultaneously.

      Current literature investigating the effects of CT on physical fitness parameters in
      different populations is still emerging. However, it was seen that few studies focused on the
      healthy women population. Also, it was concluded that these studies reported different
      results regarding the effects of CT. Accordingly, it has been concluded that 6-week CT
      improved lower and upper extremity muscle strength and endurance, but had no positive effect
      on flexibility and body composition in healthy women. However, it has been reported that
      12-week CT had no positive effect on body composition, knee flexor and extensor muscle
      strength in healthy women. Lastly, it has been concluded that12-week of CT had positive
      effects on body composition, and improved flexibility and lower extremity muscle strength in
      healthy women. These results in the literature suggested there is no clear consensus on the
      effects of CT on physical fitness parameters in healthy women.

      Moreover, the fact that CT also includes aerobic exercises shows this training may also have
      an effect on pulmonary function. In this context, previous studies reported the positive
      effects of this training on pulmonary function in adolescent, professional volleyball
      players, women with sarcopenia, and people with human immunodeficiency virus. However, there
      is insufficient evidence regarding the effects of CT on pulmonary function in healthy women.
      To the best of our knowledge, only one previous study reported the positive effects of CT on
      some pulmonary function in healthy women. Accordingly, it is clear that studies is needed to
      examine the effects of CT on pulmonary function on healthy women. This training may also
      improve pulmonary function in healthy women by increasing the performance of the diaphragm
      muscle through aerobic exercise. Moreover, these positive effects on pulmonary function may
      also improve quality of life in healthy women. Lastly, similar to physical fitness
      parameters, studies investigating the effects of CT on quality of life also included
      different populations. However, it was concluded there were few studies that included healthy
      women and the results of these studies differed.

      Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate the effects of 16-week CT on physical
      fitness parameters, pulmonary function, and quality of life in healthy women. Also, the
      investigators hypothesized that the 16-week CT would be positive effects on physical fitness
      parameters, pulmonary function, and quality of life in healthy women.
    

Intervention name(s): Circuit Training
Intervention type(s): Other
Intervention description(s): CT will be applied to the participants, taking into account the recommendations of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), 3 days a week, an average of 40 minutes a day, for a total of 16 weeks. Warm-up and cool-down protocols will be applied before and after each CT, and each exercise will be performed as 15 repetitions and an average of 40 seconds of rest will be given between exercises. Also, the intensity of CT will be determined according to the Borg scale (between 11 and 14). CT will include 'mini squat', 'step up', 'sit ups', 'reverse sit ups', 'leg press', 'leg curl', 'leg extension', 'crunches', 'lunge', 'prone bridge', and 'side bridge' exercises.
Intervention model: Single Group Assignment
Intervention model description: A prospective clinic study with single group
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary purpose: Health Services Research
Keywords: Health; Exercise; Physical Fitness; Women