title: The impact of a 12-week resistance training program on strength, body composition, and self-concept of Hispanic adolescents.
abstract: Current evidence suggests that a resistance training program may be physically and psychologically beneficial for adolescents. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a structured resistance training program on strength, body composition, and self-concept in normal and overweight Hispanic adolescents. Male and female participants (n = 28; 16.1 +/- 0.2 y; 164.5 +/- 1.4 cm; 63.3 +/- 2.5 kg; 20.0 +/- 1.7% body fat [BF]) were recruited from a predominantly Hispanic high school. Prior to the 12-week program, strength, body composition, and self-concept were assessed. Subjects were randomly assigned to a control group (CON; n = 15) or to a resistance training group (RT; n = 13) that participated in supervised strength training 3 days/week. All measures were repeated at the end of the 12-week program. RT had significantly greater strength increases for bench press (p < 0.001), seated row (p = 0.002), shoulder press (p < 0.001), and squats (p = 0.002). RT had significant reductions in %BF (p = 0.001), whereas CON had slightly increased %BF. RT had an increase in condition/stamina competence (p = 0.008), attractive body adequacy (p = 0.017), and global self-worth (p = 0.013) from pretest to posttest, whereas no change was observed for CON. In conclusion, resistance training resulted in significant physiological and psychological improvements in Hispanic adolescents compared to typical school-based activities. These findings indicate that resistance training can be incorporated into the activities of Hispanic adolescents to promote improved health and fitness.
authors.affiliation: Rutgers University Human Performance Laboratory, Department of Exercise Science and Sport Studies, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA.
authors.forename: Amelia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Velez
authors.forename: Devon L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Golem
authors.forename: Shawn M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Arent
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000886:Anthropometry; D001823:Body Composition / Q000502:physiology*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D053580:Muscle Strength / Q000502:physiology*; D050177:Overweight / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012016:Reference Values; D055070:Resistance Training / Q000458:organization & administration; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012572:School Health Services; D012649:Self Concept