This study purposed to examine the effects of ginger extract and swimming exercise administered to hyperglycemic rats on their insulin resistance, antioxidant ability and apoptosis. For this purpose, we divided 40 15-week-old male SD rats with induced hyperglycemia into control group (CON), exercise group (EX), ginger extract group (GI), and ginger extract + exercise group (GI+EX), and through 8 weeks` experiment we performed weight, blood glucose, insulin concentration, HOMA-IR, SOD activity, TBARS content and apoptosis of gastrocnemius muscle. Body weight was not significantly different among the groups. Blood glucose changed significantly over time in GI and GI-EX. Insulin concentration decreased significantly over time in GI and GI-EX, and was significantly lower in GI-EX among the groups. HOMA-IR decreased significantly over time in EX, GI and GI-EX, and was significantly lower in GI-EX among the groups. Among time points x groups, significant difference was observed in GI-EX at time points 2, 3 and 5. As to the antioxidant ability of gastrocnemius muscle, SOD activity and TBARS content were not changed by ginger extract and exercise, and apoptosis. No significant difference was observed in apoptotic factors P53 and caspase-3, anti-apoptotic factors Bcl-2 among the groups. Accordingly, the administration of ginger extract and exercise are expected to lower blood glucose and prevent diabetes and hyperglycemia, antioxidant capacity and apoptosis in the additional study is necessary.