Short-Term Core Strengthening Program Improves Functional Movement Score in Untrained College Students

Functional movement is an important part of developing athletes’ but also untrained individuals’ performance. Its monitoring also proved useful in identifying functional limitations and asymmetries, and also in determining the intervention effects. The quasi-experimental pre-test post-test study investigated the effects of core stability training program on the Functional Movement Screen (FMS) score in untrained students after six weeks. The intervention (INT) and control (CG) groups included 73 and 65 male students, respectively. Functional movement patterns were evaluated using the FMS including seven components scores representing seven basic functional patterns. Both groups significantly improved almost all FMS components scores, but the INT increased the mean performance of the hurdle step (partial ŋ(2) × 100 = 4%, p = 0.02), in-line lunge (partial ŋ(2) × 100 = 3%, p = 0.05), rotatory stability (partial ŋ(2) × 100 = 4%, p = 0.02) and total FMS (partial ŋ(2) × 100 = 3%, p = 0.04) significantly more than the CG. This justifies that core strengthening can improve FMS in untrained individuals even with the short duration programs.