Physiological adaptations observed in sedentary and trained individuals following a 12-week low impact aerobic dance exercise program

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Authors
Moore, Nancy E.
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Issue Date
1987
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Thesis (M.A.)
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Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate changes in selected physical fitness components following a structured 12-week low impact aerobic dance exercise program. The subjects were classified as sedentary (n=11) or trained (n=8) based on exercise history. Nineteen subjects, four men and 15 women, successfully met the criteria for data analysis. The requirements included: 1) a minimum of 85% total participation, 2) no additional participation in any type of aerobic exercise and 3) no drastic change in dietary habits. The low impact aerobic dance sessions met four times a week, ranging from 20 to 30 minutes of aerobic conditioning at a prescribed exercise intensity of 75 to 85% of maximum heart rate reserve. Comparison of group training responses were made with the Paired Student t-test. Between group comparisons were made using a t-test for independent groups. For both comparisons, the alpha level was set at p<0.05 level of significance. Significant improvements 27.7 ± 5.3%), absolute peak oxygen uptake (1.88 ± 0.48 to 2.01 ± 0.54 1/min) and relative peak oxygen uptake (28.0 ± 3.3 to 29.4 ± 3.5 ml/kg/min) following the exercise program. No significant changes were observed in body weight, resting heart rate, resting blood pressure or peak heart rate. Significant changes were noted in the trained group for body weight (67.0 ± 10.5 to 68.9 ± 10.8 kg), resting systolic blood pressure (115.8 ± 7.8 to 105.0 ± 9.9 mmHg) and relative peak oxygen uptake (37.8 ± 6.0 to 35.3 ± 4.9 ml/kg/min) following the exercise program. No significant changes were observed in percent body fat, resting heart rate, resting diastolic blood pressure, peak heart rate, absolute peak oxygen uptake and peak ventilation. The results of this study demonstrate that low impact aerobic dance exercise, of sufficient intensity, duration and frequency (ACSM guidelinesl), can produce moderate improvements in cardiorespiratory endurance and body composition for previously sedentary individuals. However, low impact aerobic dance does not appear to be an appropriate form of exercise for maintenance of aerobic capacity in trained individuals.

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