Dynamic postural balance, flexibility, and body awareness are essential components in university-level training related to physical education. These elements not only contribute to better motor performance but also promote postural health, injury prevention, and the overall well-being of students. Within this framework, hypopressive exercises (HE) emerge as an innovative pedagogical tool that combines respiratory control, activation of deep trunk musculature, and postural awareness.

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of a hypopressive exercise program on dynamic balance, posterior muscle chain flexibility, and respiratory function in female university students enrolled in an elective course focused on health and body expression.

The intervention lasted six weeks, with one 30-minute session per week. Twenty first-year students from the Primary Education program at the University of Girona participated in the study. HE sessions were conducted before their practical classes and included guided diaphragmatic breathing, postural control in various positions (standing, quadruped, sitting, supine, and single-leg bridge), and progressive apnea work.

To assess the impact of the intervention, three pre- and post-intervention tests were administered: the Y-Balance Test to measure dynamic postural balance in three directions; the Sit and Reach Test to evaluate posterior chain flexibility; and spirometry to measure peak expiratory flow (PEF) and forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1).

Statistical analysis was performed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), version 17.0. The Shapiro-Wilk test was applied to assess data normality. For paired analysis, the paired t-test was used for normally distributed variables, and the Wilcoxon signed-rank test was applied for non-parametric variables, such as the Sit and Reach Test and the left posterolateral reach of the balance test.

The results showed significant improvements in dynamic balance across all three directions of the Y-Balance Test (p ≤ 0.01). The composite score increased from 91.9% to 97.8%. Flexibility significantly improved in the Sit and Reach Test (p = 0.01). PEF also increased significantly (p = 0.01), while FEV1 showed a positive trend without reaching statistical significance (p = 0.04). Participants also reported greater postural awareness, bodily stability, and respiratory control during practical activities.

This study demonstrates that HE, when applied in non-clinical educational contexts, specifically in initial teacher training, can effectively contribute to the development of teachers’ postural health. It also shows how postural health, conscious body management, and functional improvement of the respiratory system can be addressed transversally in education. Overall, it supports a more integrated, sustainable, and student-centered approach to bodily education from a holistic and inclusive perspective.

Keywords: Balance training, university students, female, posture, injury prevention.