An Investigation of Post-Fatigue Balance and Reactive Performance in Athletic and Sedentary Females

This study investigated the acute effects of fatigue induced by the Wingate Anaerobic Power Test on dynamic balance and reactive agility in athletic and seden-tary young women. Thirty-two female volunteers aged 18–25 years were divided into two groups: a sedentary group (n = 16; 21.62 ± 1.58 years) and an athlete group (n = 16; 19.75 ± 1.39 years). A two-group pre-test-post-test quasi-experimental design was employed. Following a standardized warm-up, participants completed baseline as-sessments using the Y-Balance Test and a Y-shaped reactive agility test. Acute fatigue was then induced by a 30-s Wingate test, and post-test measurements were obtained immediately thereafter. Heart rate responses and rating of perceived exertion were al-so recorded. Reactive agility performance deteriorated significantly after fatigue in both the sedentary group (p < 0.001) and the athlete group (p = 0.038). Repea-ted-measures ANOVA revealed significant main effects of time (p < 0.001) and group (p < 0.001), whereas the time × group interaction was not significant (p = 0.977). In contrast, no significant changes were observed in dynamic balance performance in any reach direction (all p > 0.05). Heart rate and perceived exertion responses were gene-rally comparable between groups (all p > 0.05), although peak heart rate was signifi-cantly higher in the athlete group (p = 0.036). These findings indicate that acute fatigue impairs reactive agility more than dynamic balance in young women, regardless of training status. Practically, training programs may incorporate reaction- and deci-sion-based tasks under fatigue to better prepare individuals for sport-specific de-mands.