Effects of 8-week core training on core endurance and running economy

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of 8-week core training on core endurance and running economy in college athletes. Twenty-one male college athletes were randomly divided into 2 groups: a control group (CON) (n = 10) and a core training group (CT) (n = 11). Both groups maintained their regular training, whereas CT attended 3 extra core training sessions per week for 8 weeks. The participants were assessed before and after the training program using sensory organization test (SOT), sport-specific endurance plank test (SEPT) and 4-stage treadmill incremental running test (TIRT). Compared with the pre-test, significant improvements were observed in post-test SOT (78.8 ± 4.8 vs. 85.3 ± 4.8, p = 0.012) and SEPT (193.5 ± 71.9 s vs. 241.5 ± 98.9 s, p = 0.001) performances only in CT. In the TIRT, the post-test heart rate values were lower than the pre-test values in CT in the first 3 stages. In stage 4, the post-test oxygen consumption (VO2) was lower than that in pre-test in CT (VO2: 52.4 ± 3.5 vs. 50.0 ± 2.9 ml/kg/min, p = 0.019). These results reveal that 8-week core training may improve static balance, core endurance, and running economy in college athletes.

Fig 1. Flow chart of experiment.

Fig 2. The change of SOT scores in two groups.

SOT: Sensory Organization Test; CON: control group, n = 10; CT: core training group, n = 11. * p<0.05 pre-test vs. post-test.

Fig 3. The change of SEPT scores in two groups.

SEPT: Sport-specific Endurance Plank Test; CON: control group, n = 10; CT: core training group, n = 11. * p<0.05 pre-test vs. post-test.