EFFECTS OF AN ONLINE CIRCUIT TRAINING PROGRAM ON PHYSICAL FITNESS IN WOMEN WITH FIBROMYALGIA.

Purpose: Fibromyalgia is a chronic pain condition associated with reduced physical function and quality of life. Numerous studies have strongly recommended physical activity (PA) as a means to alleviate symptoms associated with fibromyalgia. This study aimed to assess the effects of an online 12-week circuit training program on physical fitness in individuals with fibromyalgia. Methods: Participants (n=21 age=45.9±10.2) diagnosed with fibromyalgia were divided into two groups. The intervention group (IG) (n=12) completed a structured 12-week online circuit training (CT) protocol conducted twice weekly on non-consecutive days. Each session, delivered via Microsoft Teams, lasted approximately 60 minutes and included: 10 minutes of warm up, 3 sets of 8 training stations that alternated between resistance, endurance, and mobility activities with a work-recovery ratio of 1:1 (30 sec of work followed by 30 sec of rest) and 10 minutes of cool down. The control group (CG) (n=9) maintained their usual daily activities throughout the study period. Outcome measures included health-related physical fitness assessed through the Senior Fitness Test battery, comprising the 30-second chair stand, arm curl, 2-minute step test, sit-and-reach, back scratch, and 8-foot up-and-go assessments. Participants underwent testing before (T0) and after (T1) 12 weeks. Results: None of the subjects suffered injury from exercise training. Preliminary findings suggest improvements in the IG for the arm curl test (P=0.002) and 8-foot up-and-go test (P<0.001) from T0 to T1. No significant differences were observed in the CG during the same period. After the 12-week training period, significant differences were observed between the IG and CG in both the arm curl test (P=0.003) and 8-foot up-and-go test (P<0.001). Conclusions: The findings of this study highlight the potential benefits of a targeted online 12-week circuit training program for individuals with fibromyalgia in improving specific aspects of physical fitness. It is important to note that these results are preliminary, as the complete protocol spans 24 weeks. Further research is needed to explore the longterm effects of such interventions also on quality of life and symptoms management in this population.