Date of Award

5-2020

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management

Committee Chair/Advisor

Mariela Fernandez

Committee Member

Marieke Van Puymbroeck

Committee Member

Michael Godfre

Abstract

Women’s lacrosse is one of the fastest-growing sports in the U.S. As of 2013, it was estimated that approximately 300,000 women played lacrosse across the U.S., and the amplified sport participation has come with an increase in injuries. One way to prevent injuries is to increase functional movement and stability through exercise regimes that incorporate strength, plyometric, and neuromuscular components. Currently, few exercise programs have been able to accomplish this although recently a group fitness class, known as F45, has attempted to combine all three aspects of functional training (i.e., strength, plyometric, and neuromuscular training). The purpose of this study is to further investigate whether a new exercise program can increase functional movement and stability among female lacrosse players. This study specifically addressed whether improvements in functional movement and stability differed for women collegiate lacrosse players receiving F45 training in addition to lacrosse training (Treatment) versus players only receiving lacrosse training (Control). It was hypothesized that the Treatment group would experience a significant increase in functional movement and stability compared to the Control group. The study relied on a two-group pretest posttest quasi-experimental design, and 30 collegiate women’s lacrosse participants. Demographics, vital signs, and functional movement and stability measures were collected. Descriptive statistics, and independent and paired t-tests were conducted on the data. While the F45 program did not significantly impact functional movement and stability, other positive factors were noted by the participants. Future studies should expand upon these results.

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