Effects of Acute and Chronic Swimming Exercise on Executive Functions in Male Preadolescents

Abstract

This study investigated the effects of acute and chronic swimming exercise on executive functions in preadolescent males. Forty-eight participants (swimming exercise group [SEG], n = 24; control group [CG], n = 24), aged 10.15 ± 0.71 years and proficient in swimming, took part in the study. The SEG followed a structured swimming program consisting of three 45-minute sessions per week for eight weeks. The CG did not engage in regular physical activity during the same period. Both groups showed significant improvements in working memory and inhibition after a single bout of acute swimming exercise (p < 0.001, p < 0.05). Regarding chronic exercise, post-test results revealed a statistically significant advantage for the SEG (p < 0.05). In intragroup comparisons, both groups demonstrated improvements in working memory (p < 0.001), while only the SEG exhibited significant gains in inhibition (p < 0.05, p < 0.001); no such improvements were observed in the CG (p > 0.05). These findings suggest that acute aerobic swimming can enhance working memory and inhibitory control in preadolescent males. Chronic swimming training may also result in significant improvements in these executive functions, with greater gains observed in the exercise group.

Keywords

• Children
• Cognition
• Inhibition
• Working memory

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