Effects of exercise on untrained youths using own body mass as resistance

Abstract

Introduction: Exercises can be performed using one's own body mass as resistance. Objective: To assess possible benefits and muscle gain from the practice of an exercise protocol using body weight as resistance. Methods: Twenty untrained youths were divided into a control group and an experimental group, both of which underwent physical evaluations before the start of the experiment and again four weeks later; only the second group followed a specific exercise protocol. Results: In the experimental group, there were significant differences in flexibility of the shoulders (p=0.003) and hips (p=0.0009) and in strength and endurance for arm flexion and extension (p=0043) and squatting (p=0.0004). There were significant differences between groups in flexibility of the shoulders (p=0.0101) and hips (p=0.0024) and in strength and endurance for arm flexion and extension (p=0.0001) and squatting (p=0.0012). Conclusion: The protocol using body mass as resistance for four weeks was sufficient to cause significant increases in strength, muscular endurance and flexibility.