Postural endurance among people pursuing different kinds of fitness activity

Background. The elements, which comprise a postural endurance are: an appropriate muscles tightness and strength of locally stabilizing muscles and groups of muscles which all together compose a functional chain. The postural endurance is a resultant of tightness balance of involuntary and superficial muscles. Depending on which body parts are stabilized, the following types should be distinguished – local type, concerning peripheral joints or spinal joints and global type, straddling the group of deep muscles, for example transversal abdominal muscle, multifidius muscle, iliolumbar muscle, fascia lata, pelvic muscles. Functionally, the diaphragm is a muscle, which increases an efficiency of global stability, what enable to balance the tightness in torso body part. Relating to this distinction, the local stability enable to obtain a fulcrum in particular parts of human body, what is necessary to make a move. On the other hand, the global stability, comprising torso, forms a specific kind of “strength line” described as a centralized muscle tightness. In this aspect, the definition of postural endurance concerns the quality of muscle tightness and its pertinent distribution in specified parts of joints, depending on type of movements or body position. The aim of this analysis was to show what influence the popular forms of physical activities pursuing in fitness clubs, have on local and global stability in the aspect of postural endurance. Materials and methods. 80 women aged from 18 to 61 (x=35,64; ± 10,72), regularly attending to the silesian fitness club classes took part in the research. In order to devise the results, the surveyed women were divided into two groups, depending on what type of physical activity they chose. The questionnaire and the authorial physical test, verifying their postural endurance, were main research tools. Results. It was observed, that the difference among particular exercises doing by the women from each age group were not significant – it did not exceed 2 seconds. The best score was obtained for right body side – the time maximum possible to score in particular exercise (60 seconds). Conclusion. Each training process should starts with body stabilization training, described as activation of central body muscles, in order to avoid a spine and peripheral joints disorders.