THE EFFECT OF A 3-WEEK CORE STABILITY TRAINING PROGRAMME ON TRUNK STABILITY DURING A STATIC HANDSTAND POSITION IN FEMALE UNIVERSITY LEVEL GYMNASTS

Abstract

Context: Core stability training is a common part of many programmes; although a popular component in many training protocols, little evidence exists to suggest the impact is has on performance. Objective: To establish whether a core training programme has an impact on a physiological position (plank) and a functional position (handstand) within gymnasts. Design: Parallel-group randomised control trial. Setting: Purpose built gymnastics facility at Cardiff Metropolitan University. Participants: Nine female students from the university gymnastics team were randomly assigned to the experimental (n=5) or control (n=4) group. Intervention: A three week intervention was attended by the experimental group, in addition to normal training sessions, using a progressive core training programme. Data collection and analysis: Video data was collected pre- and post- intervention to track total deviation during a plank and handstand position, and analysed using Dartfish software. Results: Using a two-way mixed model ANOVA, a significant reduction in deviation was found within the experimental group during the handstand position post-intervention (P<0.05). Conclusion: The results indicate that a specific core training programme may have performance implications within female gymnasts, although further research is required within different sports to confirm this.