Effect of Sports Club Activities on the Physique and Physical Fitness of Young Japanese Males

Abstract

This study compared the growth and development of the physique and physical fitness of young Japanese males who belong to sports clubs and those who did not based on longitudinal data obtained over four years. Physique and physical fitness tests were administered to 253 healthy male technical college students four times from the 9 to 12 grade. Subjects were divided into two groups: those who did not belong to an extra-curricular sports club (control group: CG, n = 126), and those who belonged to sports clubs (exercise group: EG, n = 127). Sit-ups, side-stepping, 20 m shuttle run, 50 m run and handball throwing tests and a total score were superior in the EG compared to the CG. Differences between the two groups in body mass, Rohrer's index, six physical fitness tests (except for a handgrip and 50 m run), and the total score increased with grade. The CG was inferior in overall physical fitness to the EG, especially in whole body endurance. It is highly possible that sports club activities significantly and positively affect the growth and development young males during the growth period under 19-years-old and that inactivity inhibits the development of whole body endurance.

Effect of Differences in the Exercise Frequency of Young People on Abdominal Strength and Muscle Thickness

“…In general, muscle thickness is also related to muscle volume [14], and thicker muscle groups are associated with increased strength [7,9]. Differences in strength development between the two groups may also be because of differences in the rate of mobilization per motor unit, which may be related to nerve impulses [15]. Because the nonathlete group had a lower exercise frequency or insufficient exercise experience in the past, their neuromuscular connections may have been more poorly developed.…”

“…A trunk strength measurement device (original model; Takei Scientific Instruments Co. Ltd., Tokyo, Japan) was used to measure the static strength of abdominal flexion. This device was newly developed to measure isometric strength during forward bending of the trunk [15,16]. When pushing the rotation lever at chest height, the exerted strength was measured through a strain gauge sensor (range: 0-100 kg, measurement error: under ± 0.5%) connected through a pulley ( Figure 1).…”

Data Analysis of Physical Fitness Monitoring Based on Mathematical Models

“…At present, the research on the monitoring and measurement of college students' physique data mainly includes the following methods: the physical fitness level of college students is studied by using the methods of literature, questionnaire interview, physical test, and street survey [1][2][3], the influencing factors of college students' physique are explored by using correlation analysis and high-tech instruments [4,5], improving the model of college students' physique score [6,7], combining machine-learning algorithm to predict college students' performance in body measurement [8][9][10]. Although these studies show the physical condition of college students from many fields, they can also classify and predict the physical condition of college students, but they cannot reflect the dynamic change process of college students' physical fitness behavior.…”