Effects of Unstable and Stable Resistance Training on Strength, Power, and Sensorimotor Abilities in Adolescent Surfers

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate two different resistance-training interventions (unstable or stable) on strength, power, and sensorimotor abilities in adolescent surfers. Ten competitive female and male high school surfers were assessed before and after each of 2 × 7-week training intervention, using a within-subjects cross-over study design. Results for strength revealed no condition-by-time interaction or main effect for condition. However, there was a significant main effect for time, with significant strength gains post-training. There was a significant condition-by-time interaction for power exhibited as a significant decrease from pre- to post-training in the unstable condition, while the stable condition approached significant improvement. These results suggest that unstable and stable resistance training are both effective in developing strength in previously untrained competitive surfers, but with little effect on sensorimotor abilities. However, unstable training is inferior for the development of lower body power in this population.