The Effect of Independent and Combined Exercises on Body Composition of Elite Squash Players
Somayeh Jashni Arani1, Gholamreza Sharifi2, Farzaneh Taghian3
1Somayeh Jashni Arani, Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, Islamic Azad University, Khorasgan, Isfahan, Iran.
2Gholamreza Sharifi, Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, Islamic Azad University, Khorasgan, Isfahan, Iran.
3Farzaneh Taghian, Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, Islamic Azad University, Khorasgan, Isfahan, Iran.
Manuscript received on November 25, 2013. | Revised Manuscript received on December 15, 2013. | Manuscript published on December 30, 2013. | PP: 115-118 | Volume-3, Issue-2, December 2013. | Retrieval Number: B2389123213/2013©BEIESP
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© The Authors. Blue Eyes Intelligence Engineering and Sciences Publication (BEIESP). This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)
Abstract: Paper Physical capabilities and ideal body composition are considered as prerequisite for successful performance in sports. Measuring the individual body composition is one of the important, determining and effective factors in athletes’ performance in every field of sports matches. Every exercise has its own specific effect on factors of body composition. This quasi-experimental research is aimed to consider the effect of eight weeks of squash exercises on athletes’ body composition and compare it with that of combined exercises. Thirty 13 to 17 years old male athletes with at least three years experiences in playing squash were selected and then randomly divided in two 15-member groups. First, the body composition of every group was measured by the INBODY370, the model of JMW140. Then, they started doing exercises for eight weeks. The first group did squash exercises for five sessions a week (each one ninety minutes). The second group’s exercise program was five sessions a week (each one ninety minutes) including three squash sessions and two sessions of the combined exercises. The combined exercises included one session of resistance-endurance exercise and one session of anaerobic power-agility exercise. The athletes’ body composition was reassessed after eight weeks. The correlated t-test was used to compare intragroup characteristics and the independent t-test to compare intergroup characteristics. The data were analyzed by the SPSS software. The findings showed that while eight weeks of squash exercises had no effect on weight, Body Mass Index (BMI) and body fat percentage in squash players, eight weeks of the combined exercises significantly impacted on factors of body composition.
Keywords: Squash, Body composition, Body Mass Index (BMI), Body fat percentage, Combined exercises.