Can short-term interval training improve fitness in prepubertal children?
Wednesday, February 02, 2005 Researchers in France recently investigated the effects of short-term interval training on fitness in prepubertal children. The investigators were interested in the effects on the children’s aerobic performance and explosive strength. One hundred boys and girls aged 8 – 11 years comprised of 46 boys and 54 girls volunteered for the study, with the consent and approval of the parents. The same physician evaluated the sexual maturity of each child prior to the onset of training. There was a control group was comprised of 25 boys and 28 girls, and an experimental group involving 21 boys and 26 girls. Five field tests from the EUROFIT protocol were performed at the beginning of the study to establish a baseline of fitness for the children. The tests included the standing broad jump, the 10 x 5-m shuttle run, the sit-and-reach, the 30-second sit-up test, and the 20-m shuttle run test. The experimental group followed an interval-training program for 7 weeks. This
