Abstract
EWART, C. K., K. J. STEWART, R. E. GILLILAN, and M. H. KELEMEN. Self-efficacy mediates strength gains during circuit weight training in men with coronary artery disease. Med. Sci. Sports Exerc., Vol. 18, No. 5, pp. 531-540, 1986. Motivation to engage in health-promoting exercise has been ascribed to global personality traits such as self-esteem or athletic self-confidence. Self-Efficacy Theory challenges this view by proposing that highly specific estimates of personal capabilities mediate adoption of new or difficult behavior patterns. We tested this assumption by measuring self-efficacy perceptions in 40 men with coronary artery disease who participated in an experiment evaluating effects of circuit weight training (CWT). Specific self-efficacy estimates were assessed during baseline strength/endurance testing and after 10 wk participation in CWT or volleyball. Correlational analyses of self-efficacy in relation to performance on strength/endurance tests strongly supported the contention that adoption of novel activities is governed by highly specific self-perceptions. Participation in CWT produced greater strength and endurance gains than did volleyball, and these changes were accompanied by increased self-efficacy in CWT subjects for activities resembling the training tasks. The assertion that self-efficacy perceptions directly mediate involvement in challenging physical activities was supported by multiple regression analyses. These revealed that pre-training self-efficacy judgments predicted post-test strength gains even after controlling for baseline strength, type of training, and frequency of participation in exercise sessions.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 531-540 |
Number of pages | 10 |
Journal | Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise |
Volume | 18 |
Issue number | 5 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Oct 1986 |
Keywords
- Cardiac rehabilitation
- Exercise adherence
- Heart disease
- Self-efficacy
- Self-perception
- Strength testing
- Treadmill testing
- Weight training
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Orthopedics and Sports Medicine
- Physical Therapy, Sports Therapy and Rehabilitation