Effects of three weeks of Mat Pilates in the Physical Education classes on the physical condition of secondary students: a cluster randomized controlled trial

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to measure the effects of a school-based intervention with Mat Pilates on physical fitness in a cluster randomized trial of adolescent students. METHOD: A group of students (n=477) were recruited in Cantabria, Spain to participate in a Pilates school program during the Physical Education classes. Participants from 11 Secondary obligatory schools were randomly assigned by clusters to intervention (n=261) or control (n=215) groups. Repeated measures analysis of variance with time (within) and group (between) as factors was performed. Abdominal strength, lumbar strength, hamstring flexibility, iliopsoas, gluteus and hamstring flexibility and latissimus dorsi, triceps and shoulder external rotators flexibility were all assessed before and after the intervention. RESULTS: After three weeks of intervention, the students of the experimental group showed significant improvements for the abdominal strength (p = 0.001), the right lunge (p = 0.002) and the left lunge (p = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Pilates exercise increases some components of physical fitness in students, so Mat Pilates should be taken in account to work and improve physical fitness in adolescents