Effect of aerobic exercises on students’ physical health indicators

Abstract

Summary Objectives The purpose of this research was to explore the impact of 12-week aerobic exercises on both weight index and indicators of cardiovascular endurance. An increasingly passive life-style of students has led to a growth in health related disorders. Complex aerobic exercises are regarded as a kind of activity affecting youth physical health. Equipment and methods Maximum heart rate and maximum oxygen consumption were measured. Participants included 1180 17–21 aged students from five universities in Anqing and Hefei municipalities, China. Cardiovascular endurance indicators were defined by the using Quinn steps exercise. Each student stepped up and down for about 5 minutes and after that heart beats were measured for about 20 seconds from the carotid region. Students’ health indicators were defined twice before and after the exercises. Results MHR decreased to 159.8 bpm for boys (from 164.1 bpm) and 160.2 bpm for girls (164.8 bpm at the beginning of the experiment). As for VO2max, it increased by 1.4 (from 43.6 to 45) and 2.1 (from 41.6 to 43.7) mL/kg/min for boys and girls respectively.