Psycho-physiological analysis of an aerobic dance programme for women

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine: (1) the energy cost and (2) the psycho-physiological effects of an aerobic dance programme in young women. Twenty-one college-age women participated 40 minutes a day, three days a week, for a 10-week training period. Each work session included a five-minute warm-up period, a 30-minute stimulus period (including walk-runs) and a five-minute cool-down period. During the last four weeks of the training period, the following parameters were monitored in six of the subjects during two consecutive sessions: perceived exertion (RPE) utilising the Borg 6-20 scale, Mean = 13.19; heart rate (HR) monitored at regular intervals during the training session, Mean = 166.37; and estimated caloric expenditure based on measured oxygen consumption (\YO2) utilising a Kofranyi-Michaelis respirometer, Mean = 289.32. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) computed between pre and post tests for the six dependent variables revealed a significant approximate F-ratio of 5.72 (p <.05). Univariate t-test analysis of mean changes revealed significant pre-post test differences for V02 max expressed in ml/kg min 1, maximal pulmonary ventilation, maximal working capacity on the bicycle ergometer, submaximal HR and submaximal RPE. Body weight was not significantly altered. It was concluded that the aerobic dance training programme employed was of sufficient intensity to elicit significant physiological and psycho-physiological alterations in college-age women.

Oxygen uptake, heart rate and blood lactate concentration during a normal training session of an aerobic dance class

“…50% of O 2max or 65% of the maximal HR. In fact, signi®cant improvements (6%±23%) in O 2max with AD have previously been well documented (Rockefeller and Burke 1979;Vaccaro and Clinton 1981;Milburn and Butts 1983;Cearly et al 1984;Dowdy et al 1985;Williford et al 1988;Parker et al 1989;Garber et al 1992) and were also suggested in this investigation by the signi®cant positive linear association between O 2max and experience, a possible consequence of the AD programme used. Therefore, considering both the long-term results and the present HR and O 2 values, even in the LI-medium RI phase, the lower useful limit which would be sucient to improve cardiorespiratory ®tness, seems to have been largely exceeded in AD.…”

Routine use of external weights during a low‐impact aerobic dance conditioning program: Training benefit

“…The 11% increase in aerobic power in the present training groups is in general agreement with previous regular aerobic dance studies (Blessing et al, 1987a(Blessing et al, , 1987bCearly et al, 1984;Dowdy et al, 1985;Garber et al, 1992;Johnson et al, 1984;Milburn and Butts, 1983;Parker et al, 1989;Rockefeller and Burke, 1979;Williams and Morton, 1986;Williford et al, 1988) as well as with similar low-impact aerobic dance measurements made by McCord et al (1989), who noted a 7.6% increase in directly measured VO 2max , and Hopkins et al (1990), who noted a 13.2% decrease in a half-mile walk test time in a group of elderly women. Two notable exceptions to this latter observation include a study by Vaccaro and Clinton (1981), who observed a 22.9% increase in VO 2max following a 10-week regular aerobic dance training in college-aged women and an investigation by Gillett and Eisenman (1987) who reported a 41% increase in VO 2max in a group of middle-aged women following 16 weeks of low-impact type aerobic dance training.…”

“…Direct assessment of the aerobic power change in previous aerobic dance training studies strongly supports its use as a cardiovascular fitness training method (Blessing et al, 1987a(Blessing et al, , 1987bCearly et al, 1984;Dowdy et al, 1985;Garber et al, 1992;Gillett and Eisenman, 1987;McCord et al, 1989;Milburn and Butts, 1983;Parker etal, 1989;Rockefeller and Burke, 1979;Vaccaro and Clinton, 1981;Williams and Morton, 1986;Williford et al, 1988). In contrast, the effect of aerobic dance conditioning on body composition is less clear.…”

A comparison of the metabolic effects of high and low impact aerobic dance exercise

“…Females aged 18-24 have VO 2max values between 30 ml-mur'-kg" 1 and 48 ml-min^-kg" 1 (Drinkwater, 1973). Rockefeller and Burke, (1979) measured a group mean value of 39 ml-min'^kg" 1 following aerobic conditioning in female subjects (n = 21) and these data have been confirmed by Vaccaro and Clinton (1981) who found a group mean VO 2max of 38.24 ml*min"'-kg"' following 10 weeks of aerobic work in females (n = 10).…”