Investigating the effects of strengthening exercises for wrist flexor and extensor muscles in amateur table tennis players

Strengthening exercises are exercises which are designed to increase the strength of specific or groups of muscles. Strengthening exercises overload the muscle until the point of muscle fatigue. This force and overload of a muscle encourages the growth, increasing the strength. This study aims to evaluate the effects of strengthening exercises on wrist flexor and extensor strength, hand grip strength, and counter-stroke performance. Thirty amateur table tennis players were recruited and randomly allocated into two groups: the control and the training group (n = ۱۵/group). Pre- and post-data were collected. The training group performed home exercises for six weeks using a bucket filled with water, while the controls were asked to keep their lifestyle as usual. The general characteristics were no significant differences. The training group showed significantly higher levels of wrist flexor and extensor strength than the control group (p < ۰.۰۵). However, the difference in hand grip strength was not statistically significant. Both groups showed significant improvement in counter-stroke performance (p < ۰.۰۵), however, there was no difference between the groups. In conclusion, specific strengthening exercises increase wrist flexor and extensor strength, but they have no effect on either hand grip strength or counter-stroke performance.

Keywords:

Strengthening exercise , Table tennis , Hand grip , Alternate counter test