The effects of two endurance programs on the body composition of college females

The purpose of the study was to determine the effect of fifteen week exercise programs on the composition of college females. This study examined two types of exercise programs used in typical college conditioning classes and their effect on the body composition and configuration of college females. Two experimental groups, swimming and jogging, of twenty minute duration, three days a week, for fifteen weeks were contrasted as well as compared to a control group. The research hypotheses for this study follow. 1) A jogging endurance program and a swimming endurance program result in different body composition and configuration characteristics than a group of control subjects. 2) A jogging endurance program results in different body composition and configuration characteristics than a swimming endurance program. 3) A jogging endurance program results in different body composition and configuration characteristics than a group of control subjects. 4) A swimming endurance program results in different body composition and configuration characteristics than a group of control subjects. The subjects used were seventy-six freshman and sophomore females enrolled at San Jacinto College, Pasadena, Texas. The experimental subjects were divided into two groups, a swimming and a jogging group. The control group had anthropometric measures taken at the beginning of the spring semester 1981. The two experimental groups had anthropometric measures taken at the end of the experimental program in the spring of 1981. One experimental group participated in a fifteen week exercise program of swimming and one experimental group participated in a fifteen week exercise program of jogging. The daily exercise sessions included a ten minute warmup period, a twenty minute swimming or jogging program, and a five to ten minute cooldown. Intensity of the activity was monitored by assessing activity heart rate. Fat weight, lean weight, and the girth measures of the chest, abdomen, hip, and thigh were analyzed with multivariate analysis of variance. Analyses were accomplished utilizing the measures of all the subjects; and secondly, utilizing only those females, who upon entry to the treatment period had twenty-five percent or more body fat. An omnibus multivariate comparison consisting of two single degrees of freedom contrasts between the control versus the experimental groups and the jogging versus the swimming groups was significant at the .0 3 level, A Helmert contrast between the control versus the experimental groups was significant at the .07 level. A Helmert contrast of the jogging versus the swimming groups was significant at the .08 level. A simple contrast between the control versus the jogging groups was significant at the .03 level. The univariate results revealed that the jogging group's lean weight, and the thigh and abdomen girths were significantly affected by the experimental treatment. A simple contrast between the control group versus the swimming groups was not significant. The results of the analyses utilizing only those females, who upon entering the treatment period, had twenty-five percent or more body fat were similar to the results of the total experimental subjects. A simple contrast between the control versus the jogging groups was significant at the .04 level. The univariate analysis revealed that the variables of fat and lean weights and the girth measures of chest, abdomen, and thigh were decreased by the jogging treatment. A simple contrast between the control versus the swimming groups was not significant. It can be concluded that a jogging program as prescribed in this study can affect certain variables of body composition and configuration, especially among females with twenty- five percent or more body fat. The experimental swimming program did not significantly alter the selected variables of body composition and configuration and therefore, cannot be recommended as it is prescribed in this study.