EVALUATION OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF A GROUP STRENGTH TRAINING PROGRAM FOR WOMEN IN THE FIRST PERIOD OF ADULTHOOD

Abstract

The relevance of the study is determined by the growing interest of women in early adulthood in group strength-oriented fitness programs that combine health-enhancing, recreational, and psychosocial effects. Considerable heterogeneity in baseline physical fitness, diversity of motivational profiles, and variability in emotional responses complicate the use of unified training models, emphasizing the need for differentiated approaches to exercise prescription. Existing scientific literature provides insufficient evidence regarding the comprehensive influence of group strength training on the morphofunctional status, working capacity, motivation, and emotional well-being of women, highlighting the necessity of developing a multicomponent program followed by its experimental evaluation. The study involved women aged 21–35 years, who were divided into experimental and control groups. Over a 12-month period, the experimental group followed a differentiated strength-oriented program incorporating SMART-based planning, individualized load prescription, variability of training methods, and structured trainer–participant interaction. The control group attended standard commercial strength fitness classes. Assessment included bioimpedance indicators, the Cooper test, Harvard Step Test Index, push-up test, one-minute curl-up test, sit-and-reach flexibility test, as well as MPAM-R, BREQ-3, PACES-8 and NPS questionnaires. Statistical analysis included the Shapiro–Wilk test for distribution normality, followed by Student’s t-test, Mann–Whitney U-test, and Wilcoxon test where appropriate; statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. After 12 months, the experimental group demonstrated significant improvements in aerobic and muscular endurance, body composition, flexibility, and cardiorespiratory fitness, along with increased autonomous motivation, greater training satisfaction, and higher adherence (NPS increased from 6.9 to 8.2). The proportion of participants with a high physical fitness level increased thirteen-fold, whereas changes in the control group were minimal or stagnant. The developed differentiated program proved effective in enhancing the physical, functional, and psycho-emotional health of women in early adulthood and can be recommended for implementation in group fitness practice and for further research on personalized health-oriented training technologies.