A study and analysis on the effects of strengthening exercises for wrist flexor and extensor muscles in amateur table tennis players

Strength exercises (or resistance exercises) are exercises that are designed to improve body strength and endurance. Strength training often involves weights, but it's not just limited to weights and dumbbells. For many sports, strength training is a complementary exercise that should be done alongside the main sport for better success and better development of the athlete. Some people mistakenly think that strength training is only useful for "gaining muscle mass" or that it is only necessary for "men"; But strength training is very important and necessary for everyone, even those who do not want to change the appearance of their body. 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