The effect of rope training on physical fitness parameters in 9-12 years old overweight/obese boys

Being more obese due to reduce in physical activity has made discussing effective ways to increase children’s daily physical activities. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of rope training on physical fitness parameters in 9-12 years old overweight/obese boys. The population of this study wereconsisted of all of the primary schools in sanandaj in 2012-2013. Using cluster sampling، 240 boys students aged 9-12 were selected based on the objectives of the study and among them 30 students were selected and divided into two groups ofexperimental and control (each group، n=15). The participants were overweight or obese. The training program was held 3 days a week for 8 weeks for the experimental group. The control group did not have any regular activity except the general physical education classes during these 8 weeks. Body composition، cardio-respiratory endurance، shoulder girdle muscle endurance and flexibility were measured as variables of this study. Collected data has been analyzed by Paired t-test and independent t-test statistical methods and significant level was set at p ≤ 0. 05. The resultd showed significant improvement in weight، body fat percent، body mass index، cardiorespiratory fitness (p<0. 0001)، waist to hip ratio (p<0. 03)، muscle endurance (p<0. 001)، and flexibility (p<0. 002) of the experimental group (but not control group). Moreover، the results indicated that it was between the two groups in favor of the experimental group، there were significant differences in all variables (p<0. 05). In general، it can be stated that interval training of roping has a significant effect on overweight or obese 9-12 year-old male students’ physical fitness.