EFFECT OF 8-WEEK CIRCUIT TRAINING PROGRAMME ON CARDIO RESPIRATORY ENDURANCE OF FEMALE UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS OF UNIVERSITY OF MAIDUGURI

This study aimed to investigate the effect of an 8-week circuit training programme on the cardiorespiratory endurance of female undergraduate students at the University of Maiduguri, Borno State, Nigeria. A pretest and post-test experimental research design was employed, involving 44 female undergraduate students aged 18-30 years recruited from the Faculty of Education during the 2022/2023 academic session. Participants were selected through multi-stage sampling procedures, including purposive sampling to identify medically fit, previously sedentary students, followed by simple random assignment into experimental (n=22) and control (n=22) groups. The experimental group participated in a supervised 8- week circuit training programme conducted three times weekly on a 400m outdoor track, consisting of four exercise stations (rope skipping, press-ups, burpees, and abdominal curl-ups) with 5 minutes spent at each station. The control group maintained their regular daily activities without structured exercise intervention. Cardiorespiratory endurance was assessed using the 12-minute run/walk test, with maximal oxygen uptake (VO₂max) estimated using the formula VO₂max = 15 × (HRmax / Heart Rate). Anthropometric measurements including weight, height, and body composition were recorded at baseline and postintervention using standardized protocols. Data were analyzed using independent samples t-test at 0.05 alpha level of significance. Baseline characteristics showed no significant differences between groups, with mean ages of 23.7±1.3 years (control) and 24.2±1.5 years (experimental), and comparable baseline VO₂max values of 27.4±6.91 ml/kg/min (control) and 27.3±5.4 ml/kg/min (experimental). Following the 8-week intervention, the experimental group demonstrated statistically significant improvements in cardiorespiratory endurance compared to the control group. Post-intervention VO₂max increased substantially in the experimental group to 40.50±5.91 ml/kg/min, representing a 48.4% improvement from baseline, whilst the control group showed only minimal change to 28.52±7.2 ml/kg/min, representing a 4.1% increase. Independent samples t-test revealed a highly significant difference between groups (t = 41.738, df = 44, p = 0.0001), leading to rejection of the null hypothesis. Additionally, the experimental group exhibited significant reductions in body weight (from 58.95±0.93 kg to 51.73 kg, representing a 12.3% decrease) and body fat percentage (from 26.22±7.01% to 17.07±7.58%, representing a 34.9% reduction), whilst the control group showed negligible changes in these parameters. These findings provide strong empirical evidence that the 8-week circuit training programme produced substantial improvements in cardiovascular fitness and body composition among previously sedentary female undergraduate students. This study provides empirical evidence that an 8-week circuit training programme significantly improves cardiorespiratory endurance among female undergraduate students at the University of Maiduguri. The experimental group's superior performance compared to the control group demonstrates the effectiveness of structured, supervised circuit training in enhancing cardiovascular fitness among previously sedentary female students. Based on these significant findings it recommended that University administrators and physical education departments should formally integrate structured circuit training programmes into mandatory physical education curricula and voluntary wellness initiatives for female undergraduate students across all faculties, ensuring systematic exposure to cardiovascular fitness training and promoting long-term health behaviours.