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. 2020 Apr 11;17(8):2632.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph17082632.

Health-Related Physical Fitness Benefits in Sedentary Women Employees after an Exercise Intervention with Zumba Fitness®

Yaira Barranco-Ruiz  1 , Emilio Villa-González  1
Affiliations

Health-Related Physical Fitness Benefits in Sedentary Women Employees after an Exercise Intervention with Zumba Fitness®

Yaira Barranco-Ruiz et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

Background: The protective properties of high physical fitness levels on health are manifest independently of age, sex, fatness, smoking, alcohol consumption, and other clinical factors. However, women are less active than men, which contributes to low physical fitness and a high risk of CVD. Thus, the objective of this study is to analyze the effect of two exercise interventions on health-related physical fitness in sedentary employed females. Methods: A total of 98 physically inactive adult women were randomly assigned to 3 study groups: the control group (CG) = 31, the endurance training group based on Zumba Fitness® classes (ET; n = 39), and the concurrent training group that had an extra muscle-strengthening workout after the Zumba Fitness® class (CnT; n = 28). Body composition (BMI, waist circumference), motor fitness (one-leg stand test), musculoskeletal fitness (shoulder-neck mobility, handgrip strength test, jump and reach test, and dynamic sit-up test), and cardiorespiratory fitness (2-km test and estimated VO2 max) were assessed with the ALPHA-Fit test battery for adults. Results: Both interventions showed a significant improvement in the majority of health-related fitness and body composition variables/test (waist circumference: ET = -2.275 ± 0.95, p = 0.02, CnT = -2.550 ± 1.13, p = 0.03; one-stand leg test: ET = 13.532 ± 2.65, p < 0.001; CnT = 11.656 ± 2.88, p < 0.001; shoulder-neck mobility: ET = 1.757 ± 0.44, p < 0.001, CnT = 2.123 ± 0.47, p < 0.001; handgrip test: 0.274 ± 0.08, p < 0.001, CnT = 0.352 ± 0.08, p < 0.001; dynamic sit-up: ET = 1.769 ± 0.45, p < 0.001, CnT = -1.836 ± 0.49, p < 0.001; 2-km test time: -1.280 ± 0.25, p < 0.001, CnT = -1.808 ± 0.28, p < 0.001; estimated VO2 max: ET = 1.306 ± 0.13, p < 0.001, CnT = 1.191 ± 0.15, p < 0.001). There were no significant differences after the intervention between the two exercise intervention groups. Conclusions: Exercise interventions based on Zumba fitness® or Zumba fitness® combined with an extra muscle-strengthening workout based on bodyweight training exercises are effective strategies to improve the health-related physical fitness in sedentary women employees.

Keywords: group-based fitness class; health; physical activity; physical fitness; sedentarism.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Health-related physical fitness variables at baseline (1) and post-intervention (2), according to participants who completed baseline and post-intervention assessments (n = 76) by study groups (control group, n = 22; ET group, n = 31, CnT group, n = 23). ET group = endurance training group; CnT = concurrent training group.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Changes in health-related physical fitness categories according to study groups. ET group = endurance training group; CnT = concurrent training group.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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