The effect of the 6-week online exercise program on core stability and vertical jump performance in university students

The main purpose of this study is to examine the effect of the online exercise program on core stabilization and vertical jump. The study included 51 healthy volunteer students (32F, 19E; 19.96±1.66) registered at Fenerbahçe University and actively continuing their education. The sociodemographic characteristics of the participants were recorded with a questionnaire created by the researchers. Evaluations were made before the exercise program and at the end of the sixth week. Two of Mcgill's trunk muscle endurance tests were preferred to evaluate core stability: Trunk extensor endurance test (TEET), bilateral side bridge endurance tests (SBET), and Prone Bridge Test (PBT) was preferred for flexor endurance. Vertical Jump (VJ) test was used to evaluate vertical jump height performance. The International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short Form (IPAQ-SF) was used to determine the physical activity levels of individuals, and the Physical Activity Participation Motivation Scale (MSPPA) was used to measure their motivation to participate in physical activity. Participants were randomly divided into two groups as Exercise Group (EG n=29), and Control Group (CG n=29). As the main result of this study; When the exercise group and the control group were compared, significant differences were observed in the total scores of PBT, TEET, SBET, VJ, IPAQ-SF compared to the first measurements (p<0.05). In the MSPPA total scores there was no significant difference between the groups (p>0.05), but there were significant increases within the exercise group (p<0.05). In summary, it is important for future studies that the online exercise program we implemented in this study reveals the improvements in the physical performance of the participants. From a clinical point of view, this approach we apply reveals that it can be effective in preventing problems that university students may experience due to decreased activity in the short and medium term and shows the importance of encouraging them to participate in such exercise programs. Key words: Core Stabilization, Vertical Jump, IPAQ-SF, MSPPA Exercise