Analysis of the Adaptability of Group Training to the Physical Fitness Improvement of College Students under the Background of National Fitness

Abstract

Amidst China’s national fitness initiative and growing health demands among university students, this study systematically analyzes the adaptability and efficacy of Cluster Set Training (CS) versus Traditional Set Training (TS) for physical fitness enhancement. Synthesizing global empirical evidence reveals that CS, through intra-set rest intervals (10-45s), facilitates phosphocreatine resynthesis and lactate clearance, significantly maintaining movement velocity and power output—demonstrated by a 5.01% increase in countermovement jump peak power and 2.57% improvement in standing long jump performance among students (Ni, 2023). By reducing pre-fatigue of type II muscle fibers, CS enhances neural adaptation and yields superior gains in upper-body strength and hypertrophy (Liu, 2022). Critically, CS lowers perceived exertion (RPE) and blood lactate concentration (20% less than TS) to mitigate metabolic stress (Cuevas-Aburto et al., 2021) while reducing cardiovascular strain (Zhao, 2022), proving safer for beginners. Its adaptability extends to special populations: CS not only improves quality of life in elderly women (Ramirez-Campillo et al., 2022) but also optimizes body composition (increased lean mass, reduced fat) in students (Xiao, 2022). The findings establish CS as an effective model that balances high-intensity loading with fatigue management, offering theoretical and practical foundations for designing university fitness programs under national health promotion frameworks.