Document Type

Thesis - Open Access

Award Date

1972

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department / School

Physical Education

Abstract

The effectiveness of athletic performance in sports is centered to a great degree upon the muscular strength and the power of participants. Physical educators and coaches, recognizing that efficient and effective athletic performance hinge upon good muscular strength and power, are concerned with the development and maintenance of such qualities in their athletes. However, the extent to which muscular strength and power can be improved depends upon a number of factors among which is the body type of the athlete. Could a physical educator or coach expect an individual with a slight or heavy body build to improve in muscular strength and power as efficiently as an individual with an average type of body build? "Man's body type is largely determined by inheritance, and a person cannot expect through weight training or any other form of exercise to materially change his or her genetic potential." Realizing that this potential cannot be changed, could certain positive physiological and anatomical changes take place in individuals having different body builds due to a physical conditioning program? Various methods for classification of body builds have been attempted. for many years. Sheldon designated body types as endomorphic (soft-fat type), mesomorphic (athletic type) or ectomorphic (frail-type). The somatotype rating of an individual is determined according to the general formation, distribution, and relative amounts of bone, muscle, and fat tissues that largely make up the human body. Realizing that all individuals do not have the same physical characteristics, coaches and physical educators need to be concerned with methods that develop muscular strength and power in individuals who possess different physique types. Would a circuit weight training program improve muscular strength, muscle girth, total body weight, cardiovascular fitness, and reduce percent body fat of the endomorph, mesomorph, and ectomorph in the same way? The present study was directed toward this end. The purpose of this study was to determine if a circuit weight training program would produce similar changes in muscular strength, percent body fat, muscle girth, total body weight and cardiovascular fitness in individuals with different somatotypes.

Library of Congress Subject Headings

Weight lifting
Muscle strength
Physical education and training

Format

application/pdf

Number of Pages

68

Publisher

South Dakota State University

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