Effectiveness of Rep Reebok on Muscular Strength, Endurance, and Body Composition in Healthy Adults

Abstract

The fitness industry is continuing to evolve, as participants demand new, innovative ways to build or maintain the components of fitness. Group exercise is one of the most popular ways to provide programs and many of the companies at the forefront of the industry market themselves as research-based but little published data supports that claim. PURPOSE: This study was designed to investigate whether the Rep Reebok group exercise, resistance-training program taught by a certified instructor was effective in gaining muscular strength, muscular endurance, and increasing lean body mass in healthy, trained adults, ages 25–55. METHODS: Twenty-five active members (17 = female; 8 = male) of 24Hour Fitness completed the study. Following pre-testing for 1RM chest press and leg press, the YMCA submaximal muscular endurance test for chest press and leg press and body composition using skinfolds, they all participated in the Rep Reebok program two to three times per week for six weeks. Rep Reebok is a 55–60 minute class intended to provide a full-body workout using dumbbells and barbells with weight plates in a group setting providing class camaraderie and valuable instruction by a knowledgeable exercise leader. All participants were post-tested on the same variables within one week of the end of the class. A student's t-test was used to compare pre- and post-test values for all variables. summary of RESULTS: The group experienced significant improvements in all variables: upper body muscle strength (t = −3.19; p = .004), lower body muscle strength (t = −4.30; p = .0001), upper body muscular endurance (t = −4.68; p = .0001), lower body muscular endurance (t = 3.49; p = .002), and body composition (t = 3.483; p = .002). CONCLUSION: These results suggests that previously trained adults who regularly participate in Rep Reebok at least two times per week will demonstrate physiological adaptations to resistance training within six weeks.