A.V. Voronkov, Ph.D. 
I.N. Nikulin, associate professor, Ph.D. 
L.V. Zhilina, associate professor, Ph.D.                                                                
Belgorod state national research university, Belgorod.

Key words: first adulthood, catabolic power training, morphofunctional characteristics, power exercises, amount and intensity of load.

Introduction. According to the approved by the International Symposium classification by age periodization, the first female adulthood lasts from 21 till 35 years [4] and is characterized by active introduction of woman in the sphere of social production, family foundation, manifestation of her personal identity. Nowadays for many women of this age career and baby birth often result in undesirable changes in appearance due to inobservance of the principles of healthy diet, sleep and rest patterns, occasional physical activity. Poor development of individual muscle groups and overweight can cause numerous deviations in health and physical development: vertebral deformity together with neck and body muscle weakness, malposition of internals at weak development of abdominal muscles and pelvic floor.     

A progressive decline in metabolism starts in the age of 30 - 35 years with significant changes taking place in musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, respiratory and other systems: increase of arterial blood pressure and decrease of venous pressure, exemia, slow flow, decrease of myocardial contractile function etc. [2]. Age-related changes are accompanied by diminution of power, speed, agility, flexibility, and less – stamina, along with rhythm disturbance, body's ability to perform complex coordination exercises and exercises at fast speed. Physical efficiency decreases and body’s functional reserves reduce. Decelerated recovery after muscle load is the most common feature of the middle-aged. Along with muscle atrophy, lipopexia and body weight increase [1,5]. Therefore, physical activity at this age is an objective necessity, promoting maintenance of the optimal level of functioning of all body systems. As proved by numerous studies, aerobic training is effective in correction of body weight for training women of various age [1,2,6 etc.]. In this regard, it is of special interest to reveal effectiveness of catabolic power trainings at the first period of female adulthood.

According to social studies, women represent at least 60% of the ones who train in modern gyms [3]. However, as follows from observations, not always biological characteristics of female body are taken into account within power training. Experts admit the lack of information on female athletes’ body functional properties [6,7,8]. Specific characteristics of female body occur in physical development, body build, level of development of basic physical properties and characteristics of functioning of nervous, endocrine and other systems. One should take into account the following female morphofunctional feature directly affecting the method of power training: women’s total muscle power is approximately 75% on the average of the one for men. Herewith, women’s hand muscle power is lower by 43-63% and leg one - by 25-30% compared to men [6]. And the most significant variance is present mainly in hand muscles, where men’s hand muscles are much stronger than women’s. Despite the lower values ​​of absolute muscle power, women’s relative power is very close to tmen’s due to lower body weight, and in the case with thigh muscles even outbids them [7], along with more essential general metabolic cost. It is associated with body structure distinctions and, therefore, with less efficient exercise technique (women’s steps are shorter and faster, body fluctuations are more remarkable within locomotions) [2]. Fat stores of women’s body are significant. Their total of body fat is approximately 30% of body weight on the average (about 20% - for men), along with higher absolute amount of fat. The effect of power training for women, compared to the one for men, is relatively more essential regarding body fat reduction and less – in the case of muscle gains. Some women experience muscle hypertrophy due to power trainings, while muscle amount of the majority remains almost as it is, which must be due to higher testosterone-to-estrogen ratio in the former, stipulating muscle gains [6].

Better plasticity and movement amplitude are specific for women’s motor activity, along with more accurate timing and rhythm. Women are better in coordination and accuracy of movements – women’s indices of learning ability of power exercise technique are higher. Besides, training activity is accompanied by emotional excitement, instability, anxiety, high sensitivity to remarks and encouragement [2,7,8]. The state of higher nervous activity greatly depends on cyclic changes in hormonal state typical for women’s body. The indicated features have been taken into account while designing the experimental training program.

The purpose of the research was an experimental justification of the peculiarities of catabolic training with weights for women of the first period of adulthood.                                                                                           

 Research methods. The methods of anthropometric measurements included the data on body weight, circumference of body parts (hand, leg and body circumferences were measured in the upright position using measuring tape). Subcutaneous fat thickness and fat percentage were estimated by means of caliperometry (using the FatTrack electronic caliper). Skinfold thickness was measured in three points: in the middle of the back of right shoulder (vertically), on the right side of the iliac region (diagonally), and on the front of the middle of the right thigh (vertically).

Besides, dynamometry was carried out using the dynamometer DC-50, designed to measure women’s and adolescents’ hand power. Body mass index was determined using the formula I = m/h2, where m – is body weight in kg, h – height in meters.

The methods of mathematical statistics were applied to estimate reliability of the divergence by the Student's t-test. Results and discussion. 16 women aged 25-35 training with weights for at least 6 months were involved in the 4-month experiment, based on the gym of Belgorod fitness center "Planeta Fitness". All participants of the experiment trained in the gym mainly to lose body weight at the expense of body fat. The amount of body fat in the ones who trained was in the range of 28-36% of body weight. Catabolic training was offered to women participating in the experiment based on their needs. The specific feature of this kind of training is in the fact that body fails to get enough energy with food within recovery and uses fat reserves. All female participants of the experiment kept to a diet to maintain the caloric value of the daily ration on the level of 120% of the basal metabolism, calculated by the formula 0.8 kcal per 1 kg of body weight per hour.

Women had trained with the use of training simulators before the experiment. The program worked for the experimental group consisted of exercises with free weights (bar, dumbbells) and took place three times a week. The method of repetitive unsaturated efforts was used in the experimental program, presupposing continuous power exercises made not to muscular failure. Power exercises were designed in a complex including 7-10 exercises at single training, made in dynamics and affecting all main muscle groups. Training sets were changed every 1-1.5 months. The major part of training started from global and local multarticulate exercises for bigger muscle groups (hip, pelvis and spine muscles) and was finished by local exercises for calf muscles. The highest amount of training load was planned for hip and pelvis muscles and comprised about 40% of the total number of exercises in the week microcycle.

In the first month of trainings each exercise was made in two series of 15-20 repetitions of medium-tempo without rush and hurry. The tempo and style were chosen individually for everyone who trained, but in view of safety. Heart rate at workouts was in the range of 140-180 bpm, promoting health effect of the trainings and rest intervals between sets and repetitions corrected individually. The rest between exercise sets and exercises was in the range of 1-1.5 minutes. In the next months the number of sets in an exercise was increased to three and the number of repetitions in the set - to 20-25. Moreover, weight was increased (individually). There were used 2-7 kg-dumbbells and 5-15 kg-bars in view of the extent of the impact of power exercise on the body (global, zone or local impact). Load intensity changed wavelike in a week microcycle due to the amount of work performed. Thus, in the beginning of the week the load was average (24-27 exercise sets), in the middle - big (28-30 sets) and in the end - low (21-24 sets). Furthermore, the load intensity varied depending on the phase of ovarian menstrual cycle [8]. In the postmenstrual and postovulatory phases intensity was mostly high. In the phases of physiological stress - premenstrual, menstrual and ovulatory – it was average or low [7]. The total number of exercise sets in a single training did not exceed 30, not including warm-ups. Motor density was 60 - 75%. Trainees were not recommended using ultimate load regimen within the experimental program, as critical loads can have a negative impact on specific functions of woman's body, provoking ovarian-menstrual disorders and other vegetative deviations [1].

The experiment was finished with the following results: average weight loss of 5.3 kg; BMI decrease by 1.99 kg/m2; arm circumference decrease by 1.1 cm; slight changes of forearm and wrist circumference; decrease of chest, waist and hip circumferences by 3, 2; 5.1 and 4.8 cm correspondingly, skinfold thickness reduction in the amount of 21.8 mm, revealed by caliperometry. Reduction of the amount of fat tissue after the experiment was 6.6 kg on the average. As follows from dynamometry, the group average index increased by 3 kg (Table 1). 

Conclusions and recommendations. Trainings with weights for women are to be realized in compliance with their morphological, anatomophysiological, psychological characteristics and regular biological processes. The training process should be changed according to goals, age, functional fitness, individual preferences, day of week and phase of ovarian menstrual cycle of the occupied. Exercises with weights are most effective for weight loss in case of individually adjusted nutrition and additional aerobic workout. We recommend the use of polyarticular power training predominantly of global and local impacts. Local exercises are recommended for the wide use in the first 1-2 months as technically simpler and safer for poorly trained muscular-ligamentous apparatus, and after a year of regular power trainings with established favorable conditions for body shape correction after a pre-basic training.

Bibliography

1.  Bodyukov, E.V. Technique of athletic gymnastics occupations with women: abstract of Ph.D. thesis. / E.V. Bodyukov; SSUPCS. – Barnaul, 2004. – 147 P. (In Russian)

2. Karpeeva, N.V. Physiological characteristics of the effect of power exercises on reproductive aged women's body: Ph.D. thesis / N.V. Karpeeva. – Ryazan, 1999. – 140 P. (In Russian)

3. Klestov, M. Fitness trainings for women. The right way of training for women [e-source] / M. Klestov // Muscular Development. – 2002. – № 13. – access regime: http://hardgainer.ru/print2.view4.page58.html (In Russian)

4. Malkina-Pykh, I.G. Maturity age crises. Practical psychologist's guide / I.G. Malkina-Pykh. – Мoscow: Eksmo, 2005. – 416 P. (In Russian)

5. Sapozhnikova, O.V. Achievement of good physical fitness by elderly persons using the integrated method of load and resistance exercises / O.V. Sapozhnikova, V.A. Baronenko // Yekaterinburg: Vestnik UGTU-UPI. – 2006. – Iss. 6, V. 1 (81). – P. 155–163. (In Russian)

6. Wilmore, J.H. Sports physiology / J.H. Wilmore, D.L. Kostill. – Kiev: Olimpiyskaya literatura. – 2001. – 504 P. (In Russian)

7. Fil'gina, E.V. Theoretical and methods basics of the structure of training of female athletes (case study of weight training and weightlifting) / E.V/ Fil'gina. – Minsk: BSUPC, 2008. – 250 P. (In Russian)

8. Shakhlina, L.G. Biomedical basics of sports training for women / L.G. Shakhlina. – Kiev: Naukova dumka, 2001. – 326 P. (In Russian).

Author’s contacts: Nikulin_I@ bsu.edu.ru