Objective: This study aimed to investigate the effects of proprioceptive exercise on muscular strength and swimming performance in female swimmers. Material and Methods: Sixteen female swimmers (mean age: 23.40±3.71 years) with a minimum of 2 years of competitive experience voluntarily participated in the study. Participants were randomly assigned to an exercise group (EG, n=8) or a control group (CG, n=8). The EG performed an 8-week proprioceptive training program (3 sessions/week, 30 minutes each) in addition to regular swimming training, while the CG continued routine swimming training only. Assessment parameters included body weight, handgrip strength, leg strength, back strength, and 25 m freestyle performance. Measurements were taken pre- and post-intervention under standardized conditions. Statistical analyses were conducted using appropriate methods with a significance level set at p<0.05. Results: Within-group analyses revealed percentage improvements in handgrip (+22.6%), leg (+13.1%), and back strength (+9.8%) as well as in 25 m performance (-7.9%) in the EG (p<0.05). The CG showed smaller improvements in handgrip (+8.4%) and 25 m performance (-4.7%) (p<0.05). Between-group comparisons of percentage changes indicated significant advantages for the EG in handgrip strength, back strength, and 25 m performance (p<0.05). Conclusion: Proprioceptive training produced greater relative improvements in strength and short-distance swimming performance compared with conventional training. These findings demonstrate that proprioceptive exercises can be an effective complementary method to traditional swimming programs, enhancing both neuromuscular efficiency and performance outcomes in female swimmers.
Ceviz et al. (Thu,) studied this question.
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