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Engaging in empowering exercise develops movement competency (MC) and strength and supports physical health, mental well-being, and quality of life. Powerbuilding combines powerlifting and bodybuilding to increase physical activity (PA), MC, and strength. To our knowledge, powerbuilding has not been explored as an exercise intervention. This pilot study investigated the impact of an eight-week powerbuilding intervention on women's PA, MC, strength, and empowerment. Eighteen women aged 25.1±9.8 with no powerbuilding experience participated in the intervention, meeting three times weekly for one hour. PA and MC were assessed pre- and post-intervention. Three-repetition maximum (3-RM) tests in the squat, bench press, and deadlift were completed in weeks one and eight of the intervention. Data were checked for normality; the Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used for non-normally distributed data. The McNemar test was used to analyze differences in dichotomous variables. Effect size was calculated and interpreted as follows small ( r =0.1, d =0.2, ω =0.1), medium ( r =0.3, d =0.5, ω =0.3), and large ( r =0.5, d =0.8, ω =0.5) Total PA ([ t (17)=3.52, p =0.003, d =0.83]) and participants who met the PA guidelines ( Z =6.13, p =0.008, ω =0.82) increased significantly from pre- to post-intervention. Participants' MC scores improved significantly from pre- (24.3±3.5) to post-intervention (29.5±2.5; [ t (17)=10.04, p <0.001; d =2.37]). Significant increases in strength were observed (squat [ Z =-3.73, p <0.001, r =0.88], bench press [ Z =-3.73, p <0.001, r =0.88], and deadlift [ t (17)=16.41, p <0.001; d =3.87]). Empowerment in exercise scores averaged 56.3±6.6 (on a scale of 5-65). The intervention significantly increased total PA, improved MC, increased strength, and facilitated empowerment. Women's participation in powerbuilding may enhance their quality of life.

Emerging evidence suggests that outdoor group exercise may reduce stress more than indoor group exercise because the outdoor environment provides unique mental health benefits. Stress leads to illnesses and diseases, but exercise mitigates harmful impacts. This study explored differences in perceived stress and outdoor physical activity participation among college students in an indoor or outdoor group exercise class. Data were collected pre-, mid- (after four sessions), and post-intervention (after eight sessions). Seventeen participants indicated an interest in the study, but 13 signed up. Participants completed a four-week group exercise intervention that met twice weekly in outdoor and indoor conditions. Mixed ANOVAs with Tukey post hoc tests determined between-group differences in perceived stress and outdoor physical activity levels. Partial eta-squared ( η 2 p ) estimated effect sizes. Significant differences in perceived stress scores existed across time for the whole sample [ f (2, 12) = 48.359, p < 0.001, η 2 p = 0.890] and for the interaction between time and condition [ f (2, 12) = 10.051, p = 0.003, η 2 p = 0.626]. Post hoc analysis revealed that the outdoor group's perceived stress ( p < 0.001) was reduced more than the indoor group post-intervention ( p = 0.028).