Paper Title
Effects of 8 Weeks of Eccentric Training on Hamstring Flexibility and Muscular Performance Among Healthy Overweight and Obese Women

Abstract
This study was carried out to investigate the effects of 8 weeks of eccentric training on hamstring flexibility and muscular performance among healthy overweight and obese females. Twenty participants (N = 20) were recruited among USM staff and randomly divided into two groups, exercise group (n = 10; age = 40.10 ± 5.363 years old; BMI: 33.30 ± 4.90 kg/m2) and control group (n = 10; age = 44.30 ± 6.913; BMI: 29.0 ± 4.00 kg/m2). This experimental study use comparative analysis of pre and post-training. During both pre and post-training, a few measurements were carried out, passive 90°/90° test (hamstring flexibility), vertical jump test (muscle strength) and squat test (muscle power). Participants in the exercise group performed eccentric training using thera-band on both legs three times per week for eight weeks while participants in the control group did not perform any exercise. The data collected were analysed using paired and independent t test to measure significant differences between groups and within group. As a result, the exercise group showed significant increase (p < 0.05) in both left and right hamstring flexibility after the eight weeks of intervention. However, muscle strength and power did not significantly (p > 0.05) affected by eight weeks of eccentric training. In conclusion, eccentric training has beneficial effects on flexibity by increasing range of motion of a joint. However, the present study fails to show significant benefits of eccentric training on muscles strength and power. Longer exercise training period might induce significant improvements in both muscle strength and power. Keywords- Exercise, Immune function, Probiotics, Circuit training