From Dryland to Aquatic Exercise: Improving Selected Physical Fitness and Swimming Performance Parameters of Elite Adolescent Athletes With Disabilities

Our current study was to examine the effects of a 7-week dryland (DL)+aquatic exercise (AE) program to improve selected physical fitness and swimming performance parameters of elite adolescent athletes with disabilities. This study involved 48 elite adolescent athletes with disabilities. They were divided into two groups, DL+AE (n = 24, 16.4 ± 0.77 years, 159 ± 2.57 cm, 57.2 ± 2.45 kg) and control (n = 24, 16.3 ± 0.81 year, 159 ± 2.23 cm, 58.1 ± 2.33 kg). Measurements of physical fitness parameters (handgrip strength HGS, counter movement jump CMJ, yo-yo intermittent recovery test level 1 YYIRTL1, and swimming performance were carried out before started the DL+AE and control programs, then repeated after a 7-week intervention. After the training program was completed, there was an increase in physical fitness (HGS p < .001, d = –2.19, CMJ p < .001, d = –2.05), YYIRTL1 [p < .001, d = –1.49), and swimming performance (freestyle p < .001, d = 1.98, backstroke p < .001, d = 2.02) was significant in DL+AE. In the control group there was the same increase in physical fitness HGS p < .001, d = –1.43, CMJ p < .001, d = –1.24, YYIRTL1 p = 0.015, d = –0.53), and swimming performance (freestyle p < .001, d = 1.50, backstroke p < .001, d = 0.91, breaststroke p = 0.003, d = 0.67). The findings of 2-Way Anova repeated measures showed that there was a significant effect of “time”, “group” and “interaction” on physical fitness and swimming performance parameters. In addition, there was a correlation between physical fitness parameters and swimming performance with demographic characteristics of the group DL+AE and controls observed. The DL+AE program significantly improve the physical fitness parameters and swimming performance of elite adolescent athletes over a 7-week period.