The Effect of Circuit Training Methods in Improving the Physical Abilities of Junior High School Students

Abstrak

Physical fitness is a fundamental component in supporting the effectiveness of physical education learning, yet many students still demonstrate low levels of physical ability due to the absence of structured training programs. This study aimed to determine the effect of the circuit training method on improving the physical abilities of Grade VIII students at SMP Negeri 1 Muaro Jambi. This research employed a pre-experimental method using a one-group pretest–posttest design. The sample consisted of 24 students selected through random sampling, representing 10% of the total population (236 students). The instrument used was the Indonesian Physical Fitness Test (TKJI) for ages 13–15 years, which measures various components of physical fitness. Data analysis included the Shapiro–Wilk normality test, Levene’s homogeneity test, and paired sample t-test using SPSS 23. The results showed that the data were normally distributed (pretest sig. = 0.086; posttest sig. = 0.066) and homogeneous (sig. = 0.108). The average physical fitness score increased from 12.79 (pretest) to 14.63 (posttest), with an improvement of 1.84 points. The paired sample t-test revealed a significant difference, with t-value = 5.898 > t-table = 1.7291 and sig. = 0.000 < 0.05. In conclusion, the circuit training method has a significant effect on improving the physical abilities of Grade VIII students. This method is effective in enhancing multiple components of physical fitness simultaneously and can be recommended as an alternative training strategy in physical education programs.