Impact of Aerobic and Anaerobic Field Tests on Physical Fitness of Female Athletes

Abstract

Success in sports and many other group activities requires a total feeling of well-being as well as specialized and strategic skills in individual and team activities. One of the fundamental characteristics that influence athletic performance is viewed as PF. The main objective of this study was to analyze the impact of aerobic and anaerobic systems on PF of female athletes. This paper is a part of doctoral thesis and one of the objectives of this thesis was “to analyze the impact of aerobic and anaerobic fitness on the PF of female athletes”. The study used an experimental design with pre and post-test. Only female players of basketball and netball participated from two different universities namely “Lahore College Women University (LCWU)’ and “The University of the Punjab (PU)” from Lahore, Pakistan. Stratified random sampling method was used to collect data. In addition to demographic data, detailed information on health status was also collected through “Student-Athlete Health History Questionnaire” as part of the inclusion criteria. An equal number of participants were assigned to the control group (n=52) and the experimental group (n=52). . The training program started with a pre-test and the training was implemented three times a week for 8 weeks under the direct supervision of trained instructors at LCWU and PU on alternate days. The score of each training session was recorded for each participant in all the fitness tests, and a post-test was performed at the end of the training. Scores of the 20-meter shuttle run test were used to measure aerobic fitness. Mean scores agility and speed tests were used to measure anaerobic fitness. Mean scores of all the tests were computed to generate scores for PF. Mean comparisons were performed under descriptive analysis and Paired Sample t-test and Univariate Analysis of Variance was performed for hypothesis testing. Paired Sample t-test for all three fitness variables showed “a significant difference for aerobic fitness from pretest to posttest as t (207) = 0.89, p = 0.000 and a significant difference for anaerobic fitness was also found as t (207) =110, p = 0.000 and similarly, a significant difference for PF from pretest to posttest was found as t (207) = 95, p=0.000.” A significant impact of aerobic fitness on PF was found (F=3.08, p=0.000) and a significant impact of anaerobic fitness on PF was also found (F=2.36, p=0.005). The results of the study concluded that aerobic and anaerobic fitness showed significant improvement in PF of female athletes. Aerobic fitness showed significant effect on CRF, muscular strength, muscular endurance, flexibility and agility of the participants with no significant effect on BMI and anaerobic fitness showed significant effect on muscular strength and speed only.