Increasing upper extremity strength through circuit resistance exercise. Experimental study

The purpose of this study was to analyze the effects of circuit resistance training over 6 weeks at low, medium, and high intensity on increasing upper extremity muscle strength. This quasi-experimental research used a three-group pretest-posttest design and included a population of 300 physical education, health, and recreation students at Sriwijaya University. A sample of 54 participants was selected by stratified random sampling. The initial test of upper extremity muscle strength was a 30-second push-up test, after which participants were divided into three groups: (K1) circuit resistance training at low intensity (50%), (K2) medium intensity (60%), and (K3) high intensity (70%). The final test of upper extremity muscle strength was also a 30-second push-up test. Data were analyzed using paired sample t-test and one-way ANOVA. The results showed an increase in all groups after 6 weeks of training (p < 0.05) and significant differences between the three groups (p < 0.05). The conclusion of this study is that circuit resistance training at low, medium, and high intensity increases upper extremity muscle strength, with the best improvement seen in the high-intensity group.