The purpose of the master's thesis was to determine the effect of a six-week exercise on some motor skills and the quality of movement of professional firefighters in the Republic of Slovenia. The survey included 16 professional firefighters from the Kranj Fire and Rescue Service, aged 23 to 50 years. They were enrolled in a six - week training program, led by a graduate of the Faculty of Sport. Before and after the exercise, tests were performed, with seven tests to assess movement efficiency (FMS test battery) and three tests to determine the impact on hip mobility, shoulder strength and torso stabilizers. In the statistical analysis of the obtained fitness test data, we used the t-test for independent samples or the Mann-Whitney test, in case of violation of the normality of distribution and for all FMS tests. The differences were statistically significant at a 5% risk level.
The results showed that the difference between the initial and final measurements of the FMS tests was statistically significant (p = 0.013); the experimental group had an average total score of µ = 13.77 at the first test, and at the end of the exercise program a higher value of µ = 14.77. There was a statistically significant difference between the initial and final state of the obstacle crossing test; from µ = 1.56 to µ = 2.11. Progress in the clutch test was also statistically significant. The initial outcome score was µ = 1.67 and the final mean score was µ = 2.00. For the other tests, the group achieved better average results after the end of the training program, but the differences were not statistically significant. In the research we found that a short period of exercise can have a positive effect on the assessment of physical performance and on some physical abilities, which was also the goal of the master's thesis. The findings of the master's thesis will be able to help anyone involved in training programs with professional firefighters. Properly designed exercise will reduce the risk of injury at work.
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