Abstract:
Aerobic and resistance exercise are more favorable to improving muscular endurance
and related physiological variables in youth athletes. The purpose of this study was to
investigate the effects of aerobic and resistance exercise training on muscular endurance
and related physiological variables of male middle-distance athletes in the Ambo
University youth athletics project. To achieve the objective of this study, a true
experimental research design was employed. The total population of the study was
eighteen (n=18) subjects. All subjects were taken as the sample of study by using the
method of census sampling technique and then segregated into nine (n = 9) experimental
groups (EG) and nine (n = 9) control groups (CG) by simple random sampling
technique. The experimental group participated in exercise for eight weeks, three days
per week in addition to their training program. The data were collected through pre and
posttest of exercise on dependent variable of all subjects of the study. Then the collected
data were analyzed using SPSS version 26. A paired sample t-test was used to analyze the
mean, standard deviation, and significance difference between pre-posttest results of the
study’s subjects. The significant level was set at p<0.05. As a result of the study, aerobic
and resistance exercise had significant effect on muscular endurance of (EG) in the squat
test, (MD=-3.44), p=0.000, in the pushup test (MD=-3.67), (p = 0.000), resting heart
rate (MD = 4.89 beat/min, p = 0.000), hemoglobin (MD=-.29 g/dl), (p = 0.039), and
VO2max (MD=-3.59 l/min/kg) p =0.000. However, the CG had no statistically
significant change, on muscular endurance in squat test, (MD= -.33) (P=0.397) in push
up test, (MD= -.56) (P=0.095), RHR (MD = 0.44 beats/min, p =0.447, hemoglobin
(MD= -.12 g/dl) p=0.074, and VO2max (MD=0.32 l/min/kg) (p= 0.511). So the findings
of this study revealed that combined aerobic and resistance exercise had a statistically
significant effect on muscular endurance and related physiological variables in the youth
athletes. Therefore researcher recommends as the athletes and coaches incorporate
combined aerobic and resistance exercise in to their training program to improve these
variables.
