[The effect of one kind of plyometric and aerobic exercises on chest expansion and respiratory volumes in high school students]

ABSTRACT

In adult population, the stretch-shortening cycle exercise [plyometric exercise] is often used to improve muscle power, neuromuscular coordination and vertical jump performance. Unfortunately, there is limited information about effectiveness of this type of exercise on respiratory system. Thus, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of plyometric and aerobic exercise on chest expansion and respiratory volumes in high school students. This clinical trial study was performed in Zahedan, Iran. Sixty girl and boy students, aging between 14-18 years were selected through simple non-probability sampling. Students were assigned randomly as either a stationary bicycle group [n=30] or a roping group [n=30]. Both groups received exercises for 12 sessions, 3 times per week. Immediately before and after exercises the following respiratory capacities and volumes were collected chest wall expansion [in two axillary and xiphoid level], vital capacity, residual expiratory volume, forced vital capacity and forced expiratory volume in one second. The data were analyzed using independent and paired t-tests. Chest wall expansion in axillary region was increased from 76 +/- 10 cm to 77.4 +/- 10 cm in the bicycle group and from 77.7 +/- 8.1 cm to 78.5 +/- 8.7 cm in the roping group [P<0.001]. Chest wall expansion in xiphoid region was increased from 68.7 +/- 8.9 cm to 70 +/- 8 cm in the bicycle group and from 71.3 +/- 6.6 cm to 72.3 +/- 6.4 cm in the roping group [P<0.001]. In addition, respiratory volumes were significantly increased in both groups [P<0.05]. The results of this study showed that chest wall expansion and respiratory volumes were increased following plyometric exercises such as roping