Abstract

Aerobic gymnastics requires a broad base of physical fitness, yet strength and conditioning for college aerobic gymnasts in China still relies largely on fixed, percentage-based loading that ignores day-to-day fluctuations in readiness. Velocity-based training (VBT) individualises and autoregulates training load through real-time monitoring of movement velocity, but its feasibility and preliminary effects have not been examined in this population. This pilot study therefore aimed to estimate the preliminary effects of VBT on physical fitness among college aerobic gymnastics athletes and to generate parameters for a subsequent full-scale trial. Two research questions guided the study: (1) does a two-week VBT programme change physical fitness within the trained group, and (2) do these changes differ from those produced by conventional fixed-load training? Eighteen athletes from Henan Province, China, were allocated to a velocity-based training group (VBTG, n = 9) or a control training group (CTG, n = 9) and completed six sessions over two weeks. Strength, endurance, flexibility, speed, agility, balance, coordination and power were assessed before and after the intervention and analysed with Generalized Estimating Equations (GEE). The VBTG showed significant within-group improvements in balance (d = 1.826, p < 0.001), endurance (d = 0.841, p = 0.036) and coordination (d = 0.839, p = 0.036), whereas no within-group change in the CTG reached significance. No group main effect or group × time interaction was statistically significant; the between-group difference in balance at post-test approached significance with a large effect size (d = 0.985, p = 0.053). These findings suggest that a short VBT block is feasible and can elicit an early neuromuscular response, most evident in balance, trunk endurance and coordination. The effect-size estimates reported here can be used to plan a fully powered, eight-week cluster-randomised controlled trial and to guide coaches who wish to introduce velocity monitoring into collegiate aerobic gymnastics conditioning.