Enter your details:
Name:
E-mail:
 
Thank you for subscribing.
Subscribe to our newsletter!


Hazem B. Saba1, Hatem A. Shlool1

1Al-Ahliyya Amman University, Physical and Health Education Department, Amman, Jordan

Impact of an AI-Based Functional Resistance Program on Some Physical and Physiological Variables in Students Attending a Swimming Course

Sport Mont 2025, 23(3), Ahead of Print | DOI: 10.26773/smj.251004

Abstract

This study aimed to examine the impact of an AI-designed functional resistance training program on selected physical and physiological variables among students enrolled in a swimming course in Jordan. A quasi-experimental pre-test–post-test design was used with two groups: experimental and control. The sample included 19 male students from Amman Al-Ahliyya University and Jadara University, with a mean age of 22.1 years. The experimental group (10 students from Al-Ahliyya Amman University) participated in a six-week AI-designed functional resistance training program, conducted three times per week. Each session consisted of 40 minutes of functional training followed by 30 minutes of swimming drills. In contrast, the control group (9 students from Jadara University) only engaged in swimming drills for 60 minutes per session. Physical variables measured included hand grip strength, upper and lower limb power and endurance, and trunk flexibility. Physiological variables included body mass, body mass index, body fat percentage, muscle mass, total body water, protein percentage, basal metabolic rate, bone mass, resting heart rate, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, visceral fat, and fasting blood glucose. Measurements were taken before and after the intervention. Statistical analysis revealed no significant differences between the experimental and control groups in the post-test measurements across all variables. Despite this, the experimental group showed significant improvements in several physical and physiological variables, including upper and lower limb power, trunk flexibility, body mass, along with a reduction in resting heart rate. In contrast, the control group showed significant improvements in bone mass and upper limb endurance.

Keywords

functional training, program design, swimmers, artificial intelligence (AI), Chat GPT



View full article
(PDF – 205KB)

References

Amankwaah, A., Kim, J. E., & Campbell, W. (2016). Body Composition Changes in Weight‐Stable Overweight and Obese Middle‐Aged Adults Who Performed Exercise Training For 36 Weeks Impact Indexes of Cardio‐Metabolic Health. The FASEB Journal, 30(S1). https://doi.org/10.1096/fasebj.30.1_supplement.907.14

Amini, M. R., Shahinfar, H., Babaei, N., Davarzani, S., Ebaditabar, M., Djafarian, K., … Shab-Bidar, S. (2020). Association of Dietary Patterns with Visceral Adiposity, Lipid Accumulation Product, and Triglyceride-Glucose Index in Iranian Adults. Clinical Nutrition Research, 9(2), 145. https://doi.org/10.7762/cnr.2020.9.2.145

Bouchard, C., & Rankinen, T. (2001). Individual differences in response to regular physical activity. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 33(6).

Brisebois, M. F., Rigby, B. R., & Nichols, D. L. (2018). Physiological and fitness adaptations after eight weeks of high-intensity functional training in physically inactive adults. Sports, 6(4). https://doi.org/10.3390/sports6040146

Cao, S., Liu, J., Wang, Z., & Geok, S. K. (2024). The effects of functional training on physical fitness and skill-related performance among basketball players: a systematic review. Frontiers in Physiology, 15. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2024.1391394

Chaurasiya, R. K., Anas, M., Monu, Y., & Sahu, T. (2024). The future of gym management: harnessing the power of artificial intelligence. International Journal of Innovative Research in Computer Science and Technology, 12(Special Issue), 290–293. https://doi.org/10.55524/CSISTW.2024.12.1.50

de Moraes Lopes, M. H. B., Ferreira, D. D., Ferreira, A. C. B. H., da Silva, G. R., Caetano, A. S., & Braz, V. N. (2020). Use of artificial intelligence in precision nutrition and fitness. In Debmalya Barh (Ed.), Artificial Intelligence in Precision Health (pp. 465–496). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-817133-2.00020-3

de Rezende Barbosa, M. P. C., Júnior, J. N., Cassemiro, B. M., Bernardo, A. F. B., França da Silva, A. K., Vanderlei, F. M., … Vanderlei, L. C. M. (2016). Effects of functional training on geometric indices of heart rate variability. Journal of Sport and Health Science, 5(2), 183–189. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jshs.2014.12.007

Drapeau, V., Therrien, F., Richard, D., & Tremblay, A. (2003). Is visceral obesity a physiological adaptation to stress? Panminerva Medica, 45(3), 189–195.

Engel, F. A., Rappelt, L., Held, S., & Donath, L. (2019). Can High-Intensity Functional Suspension Training over Eight Weeks Improve Resting Blood Pressure and Quality of Life in Young Adults? A Randomized Controlled Trial. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(24), 5062. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16245062

Feito, Y., Patel, P., Redondo, A. S., & Heinrich, K. M. (2019). Effects of eight weeks of high intensity functional training on glucose control and body composition among overweight and obese adults. Sports, 7(2). https://doi.org/10.3390/sports7020051

González-Ravé, J. M., Hermosilla, F., González-Mohíno, F., Casado, A., & Pyne, D. B. (2021). Training Intensity Distribution, Training Volume, and Periodization Models in Elite Swimmers: A Systematic Review. International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, 16(7), 913–926. https://doi.org/10.1123/ijspp.2020-0906

Hoffstetter, W., Box, A., Mimms, H., Serafini, P., Smith, M., Kliszczewicz, B., Mangine, G., & Feito, Y. (2016). Skeletal Adaptations After 16-Weeks of High Intensity Functional Training. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 48, 160–161. https://doi.org/10.1249/01.mss.0000485483.71601.bf

Knudson, D. (2024). Confirming Increased Statistical Errors in Testing Correlations from Small Sample Sizes. Measurement in Physical Education and Exercise Science, 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1080/1091367X.2024.2439295

Kraemer, W. J., & Ratamess, N. A. (2004). Fundamentals of Resistance Training: Progression and Exercise Prescription. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 36(4), 674–688. https://doi.org/10.1249/01.MSS.0000121945.36635.61

Pardeshi, S. (2024). Exploring plausible uses of artificial intelligence in sports. Scholarly Review Journal, SR Online: Showcase(Equinox 2024). https://doi.org/10.70121/001c.124886

Purnamasari, I., Febrianty, M. F., Mulyana, D., Hidayah, N., Novian, G., & Putri, S. C. (2022). Functional Training: Effect on Arm Muscle Endurance, Leg Muscle Endurance, Aerobic Capacity and Body Mass Index at the Judoka in the Train-to-Train Stage. European Journal of Sport Sciences, 1(6), 33–38. https://doi.org/10.24018/ejsport.2022.1.6.48

Segal, K. R., Edano, A., Abalos, A., Albu, J., Blando, L., Tomas, M. B., & Pi-Sunyer, F. X. (1991). Effect of exercise training on insulin sensitivity and glucose metabolism in lean, obese, and diabetic men. Journal of Applied Physiology, 71(6), 2402–2411. https://doi.org/10.1152/jappl.1991.71.6.2402

Shlool, H., Shokaa, N., & Alwadyan, H. (2018). The Effects of Plyometric Exercises on Physiological Variables and Skills of Taekwondo Players. An-Najah University Journal for Research - B (Humanities), 32(7), 1193–1224. https://doi.org/10.35552/0247-032-007-001

Sweatt, S. K., Gower, B. A., Chieh, A. Y., Liu, Y., & Li, L. (2018). Sleep quality is differentially related to adiposity in adults. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 98, 46–51. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2018.07.024

Teixeira, R. V., Batista, G. R., Mortatti, A. L., Dantas, P. M. S., & Cabral, B. G. de A. T. (2020). Effects of Six Weeks of High-Intensity Functional Training on Physical Performance in Participants with Different Training Volumes and Frequencies. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(17), 6058. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17176058

Usgu, S., Yakut, Y., & Kudas, S. (2020). Effects of Functional Training on Performance in Professional Basketball Players. Turkish Journal of Sports Medicine. https://doi.org/10.5152/tjsm.2020.193

Xiao, W., Bu, T., Zhang, J., Cai, H., Zhu, W., Bai, X., Zhang, L., & Geok, S. K. (2025). Effects of functional training on physical and technical performance among the athletic population: a systematic review and narrative synthesis. BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation, 17(1), 2. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13102-024-01040-y

Yang, Y. (2023). Effect of functional training on adolescent health. Revista Brasileira de Medicina Do Esporte, 29. https://doi.org/10.1590/1517-8692202329012022_0257

Zhang, D., & Siriphan, C. (2024). Effects of Dry Land Speed Training on 100-Meter Freestyle Swimming in Adolescent Swimming. International Journal of Sociologies and Anthropologies Science Reviews, 4(3), 83–96. https://doi.org/10.60027/ijsasr.2024.4079

Zhou, W., Langsetmo, L., Berger, C., Poliquin, S., Kreiger, N., Barr, S. I., … CaMos Research Group. (2013). Longitudinal changes in calcium and vitamin D intakes and relationship to bone mineral density in a prospective population-based study: the Canadian Multicentre Osteoporosis Study (CaMos). Journal of Musculoskeletal & Neuronal Interactions, 13(4), 470–479.

Zuo, C., Bo, S., Wang, T., & Zhang, W. (2022). Functional and Traditional Resistance Training Are Equally Effective in Increasing Upper and Lower Limb Muscular Endurance and Performance Variables in Untrained Young Men. Frontiers in Physiology, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2022.868195