An Investigation of the Effects of an 8-Week Zumba Exercise Program on Physical Fitness Components in Sedentary Women

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the effects of an 8-week Zumba exercise program on weight, body fat percentage (BFP), body muscle mass (BMM), grip strength, back strength, flexibility, and MaxVo2 parameters in sedentary women. Twenty-four women (age: 21.54±1.84, height: 163.75±4.15) who did not engage in regular physical activity and had no history of illness or sports injuries volunteered to participate in the study. The participants were randomly divided into two groups: an experimental group (12 participants) and a control group (12 participants). The experimental group underwent 60-minute Zumba exercises three days a week. Weight, height, BFP, BMM, grip strength (right and left), flexibility, and MaxVo2 were measured. The data were analyzed using SPSS 25 statistical software package. Wilcoxon Test was used for intra-group pre-test and post-test comparisons, and a significance level of p0.05 was accepted. In the experimental group, significant differences were observed in weight, BFP, BMM, flexibility, back strength, and MaxVo2 values between the pre-test and post-test, while there was no statistically significant difference in grip strength (right and left) with p0.05. In the control group, a significant difference was observed in BFP. However, no statistically significant differences were found in weight, BMM, flexibility, grip strength (right and left), back strength, and MaxVo2 with p0.05. In conclusion, based on the results of this study and considering the literature, it can be stated that Zumba exercises, which are widely practiced today, expose individuals to high-intensity physical activity. Consequently, an 8-week Zumba exercise program may positively affect weight, body fat percentage, body muscle mass, MaxVo2, flexibility, and strength parameters.Keywords: Exercise, Physical Fitness, Strength, Zumba