Is Matching Exercise Intensity to Heart Rate Variability a Key to Effective Conditioning for Dancers? A Prospective Randomized Controlled Trial.

Dancers seek studio-based conditioning methods that improve fitness to help them meet the demands of their discipline. Heart rate variability (HRV) mobile technology offers one such potential method. The purpose of this prospective randomized controlled trial was to investigate how HRV impacted fitness outcomes over a 4 to 6 week period of supplemental training. The study's cohort, 134 competitive female dancers ages 12 to 35, were randomly assigned to one of three groups: the HRV study group, the Tabata high-intensity control group, or the Vinyasa yoga low-intensity control group. Fitness assessments conducted in the pre- and post-training period included cardiovascular endurance, muscular endurance, and lower extremity power. These assessments were evaluated with ANOVA between group and within group comparisons. Results revealed lower extremity power improvement in the HRV group at a statistically significant level (p < 0.05) and overall trends toward greater muscle endurance. Additional unanticipated findings surfaced in the yoga control group that demonstrated cardiovascular improvements and normalization of right versus left lower extremity power discrepancies. Conclusions support the use of HRV mobile technology to individualize daily conditioning intensity, thereby efficiently improving lower extremity power and overall muscle endurance for dancers while monitoring for signs of overtraining.