ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Physiol.

Sec. Exercise Physiology

Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fphys.2025.1617104

This article is part of the Research TopicNeurophysiological Basis of the Relationship between Core Stability and Human Movement: Implications for Sport and RehabilitationView all 3 articles

The effect of heavy-resistance core strength training on upper-body strength and power performance in national-level junior athletesa pilot study

Provisionally accepted
Atle  Hole SaeterbakkenAtle Hole Saeterbakken1*Tor  Einar SandvikmoenTor Einar Sandvikmoen2Erik  IversenErik Iversen3Thomas  BjørnsenThomas Bjørnsen4Nicolay  StienNicolay Stien1Vidar  AndersenVidar Andersen1Suzanne  ScottSuzanne Scott5Olaf  PrieskeOlaf Prieske6
  • 1Faculty of Education, Arts and Sports, Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, Sogndal, Norway
  • 2Helsehuset Kristiansand, Kristiansand, Norway
  • 3Olympiatoppen Sør, Kristiansand, Norway
  • 4Department of Education and Sports Science, Faculty of Arts and Education, University of Stavanger, Stavanger, Norway
  • 5School of Anatomy, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, England, United Kingdom
  • 6Division of Exercise and Movement, University of Applied Sciences for Sports and Management Potsdam, Potsdam, Brandenburg, Germany

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

The concept of core strength refers to the ability of the core muscles to transfer, absorb and re-direct energy, and generate force/torque while providing proximal stability for distal mobility of the limbs. The aim of the present study was to examine the effects of an 8-week heavy-resistance core strength training (HR-CST) program on upper-body strength and power performance in young athletes. The secondary aim was to examine the role of sport-specific training background (kayak sprinters vs. swimmers) and sex (males vs. females). Eighteen national-level junior athletes (age: 17.1 ± 1.1 years, body height: 178 ± 7.8 cm, body mass: 70.2 ± 10.4 kg, 12 males, 6 females) competing in kayak sprint (n=6) and swimming (n=12) volunteered to participate. During the 8-week intervention period, half (i.e., 45 minutes) of the regular strength training program was replaced with HR-CST. Pre and post intervention, upper-body strength and power (i.e., maximal isokinetic stroke force [MIF] and power [MIP]) were tested by means of a maximal stroke test using a paddle ergometer. Additionally, peak (PP20) and average power (AP20) was determined in a 20-second all-out stroke test. Paired sample t-tests indicated that PP20 and AP20 were significantly improved by 12.8% (p<0.001, ES=0.30) and 11.9% (p<0.001, ES=0.28), respectively, following HR-CST. No statistical changes were observed in MIF and MIP (p>0.05, 0.19≤ES≤0.63). In conclusion, 8 weeks of HR-CST appears to be an effective means to improve upper-body strength and power performance in national-level junior kayak sprinters and swimmers. Our results suggest that a dynamic high-intensity core strength-training is a viable option for improving their performance in a periodized pre-season program and should be considered.

Keywords: Core capacity, trunk, Swimming, kayak sprint, power, Isokinetic

Received: 23 Apr 2025; Accepted: 03 Jun 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 Saeterbakken, Sandvikmoen, Iversen, Bjørnsen, Stien, Andersen, Scott and Prieske. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence: Atle Hole Saeterbakken, Faculty of Education, Arts and Sports, Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, Sogndal, Norway

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