A Comparative Study On Female Gymnasts And Dancers

Abstract

The study covered two groups of children aged 12 – 13 years, during a mesocycle training programme, namely from the beginning of the school year until winter break. The subjects followed specific training routines which also consisted of daily classical dance sessions. The research aimed at determining the similarities and differences between the two groups of subjects in point of the type of effort exerted during training, while referring to the type of effort specific to competitive events (in case of rhythmic gymnasts) and to the type of effort specific to performances (in case of the choreography high school students), respectively. We tested the subjects’ cardiovascular fitness before and after training and determined the type of effort exerted during the training sessions. The measurements revealed a difference in training between the children practicing rhythmic gymnastics (who already participate in national and international competitive events), in whom we can notice cardiovascular adaptations, and the children practicing classical dance, who are at the beginning of their training (their artistic and competitive activity starts around the age of 16 – 18 years), who experience no changes in the cardiovascular system yet. Having in view the results, we can conclude that the gymnasts exert a significantly greater physical effort as compared to the little girl dancers. We can say that rhythmic gymnastics training routines are far more demanding and far better structured than the training programmes followed by the dancers, which consist mostly of classical dance routines.