IMPACT OF PREPARATORY PERIOD ARTISTIC GYMNASTICS TRAINING ON AEROBIC PERFORMANCE IN FEMALE GYMNASTS

elite artistic gymnasts. Eight female gymnasts (16.0 ± 2.7 years) were compared to a control group of eight untrained peers (15.9 ± .4 years). Over a 4-month preparatory period, the gymnasts underwent training focused on strength, speed, and endurance development. Anaerobic performance was assessed before and after the intervention using the Wingate test, countermovement jumps (with and without arm swing), repeated vertical jumps (10- and 60-second series), and handstand jumps on a contact mat-based ergometer. Key performance indicators included peak and mean power output, fatigue index, jump height, and blood lactate concentration. Statistical analysis was conducted using Wilcoxon T-tests for within-group and Mann-Whitney U-tests for between-group comparisons. Post-training, the gymnasts demonstrated significant improvements (p ≤ .05) in jump height, power output, and fatigue resistance across multiple tests. The control group showed no significant changes, except for a minor increase in mean power output in the 60-second jump test. These findings suggest that targeted gymnastic training during the preparatory phase effectively enhances anaerobic capacity, potentially enabling gymnasts to perform more complex elements and improve overall competitive performance.