Comparison of balance, flexibility, aerobic capacity and agility performances in healthy women who do recreationally and regularly clinical pilates exercise and swim

Pilates is an exercise modality which is a contact-free, home-based, one-to-one and online opportunity and we aimed to compare the effects of clinical Pilates and swimming exercises modalities on physical fitness parameters in healthy women. A total of 30 female participants (n=30, mean age 25,53±3,37 years) were involved in this study. To compare the differences, participants were divided into three groups as; an intervention group A (n-10, mean age 25,30±3,52 years), an intervention group B (n-10, mean age 25,80±3,58 years) and a control group (n-10, mean age 25,50±3,02 years). While the participants in the intervention group A involved with a Pilates exercise program (PG), intervention group B received swimming exercise program (SG) for 45-60 minutes a day, 3 days a week for 8 weeks and control group (CG) remained sedentary during this time. To compare the differences between and within the groups, aerobic capacity (endurance), balance, agility and flexibility measurements were evaluated before and after the exercise program for each group. Also, Y Balance Test, Stork Stand Test, Sit and Reach Test, 20m Shuttle Run Test and Hexagon Test were assessed before and after the interventions. As the results revealed a nonparametric distribution, the difference of means of the intergroup was analyzed by Kruskal-Wallis H Test, intergroup analysis before and after the exercise program were analyzed by Mann Whitney U Test, intragroup analysis before and after the exercise program were analyzed by Wilcoxon Paired-Sample Test. The significance value was taken as p<0.05. The PG had superiority in balance and flexibility changes according to SG and CG. In the SG, there was a superiority in aerobic capacity and agility changes according to the PG and CG. The PG and SG had no superiority in some post-test parameters according to CG. Depending on these results, both of these exercise modalities are effective to increase some physical performance parameters when compared with the control group. However, when it is aimed to increase all those parameters Pilates exercise and swimming could be applied together. Keywords: Aerobic Capacity, Agility, Balance, Clinical Pilates, Flexibility, Healthy Individual, Physical Fitness, Recreational Exercise, Swimming Exercise