Comparison of flexibility levels between women practicing water aerobics and Pilates

Abstract

Objective: To compare the effect of two different exercise programs on women´s flexibility. Methods: The study included 200 women. The evaluation was carried out using Flexitest, an effective and low-cost instrument, and the statistical analysis by making comparisons with the Mann-Whitney test. Results: We found a significant difference between the measurements of Pilates and water aerobics practitioners Z (U) = 1.95, obtained with p <0.02. Conclusion: Pilates practitioners obtained more significant scores than the water aerobics practitioners. This finding may be linked to the fact that the Pilates method is designed for gaining strength and flexibility, whereas water aerobics is founded on the premise of improving physical fitness.