Enhancing Leg Endurance Using Strengthening and Aerobic Exercises

The legs, which play a crucial role in balance and coordination, are among the body parts most affected by reduced physical activity, and weak lower-extremity muscles increase the risk of falls and injury. This study determined the effectiveness of strengthening and aerobic exercises in enhancing the leg endurance of first-year college students. A quasi-experimental pretest–posttest design was employed with eighty-four (84) students, aged 18 to 20, from a state university campus in Bukidnon, Philippines, who were divided into two groups of 42. Group A performed strengthening exercises (wall squats, leg extensions, and lunges), while Group B performed aerobic exercises (jogging, jumping rope, and jumping jacks) twice a week for six weeks. Leg endurance was measured with the wall squat test before and after the interventions, and the data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and paired and independent samples t-tests at the 0.01 level of significance. Results showed that the leg endurance of both groups improved significantly from pretest to posttest (strengthening group: t = 7.53, p < .01; aerobic group: t = 5.63, p < .01). The increment of the aerobic exercise group (M = 103.12) was significantly higher than that of the strengthening exercise group (M = 51.83), t = −2.62, p = .010. The study concludes that both strengthening and aerobic exercises are effective interventions for enhancing leg endurance and may be integrated into Physical Education classes. This research adds to the limited literature on improving leg endurance through strengthening and aerobic training in the Philippines.