Muscle characteristics, energy intake and expenditure in the dancer

Abstract

The current review describes the aerobic fitness and physical effort in dance students and dance teachers during training sessions in different dance styles. The muscle fibre type distribution was compared between 10-year-olds and 20-year-old dancers after 10 years of professional dance training, and also after a detraining period. The dietary habits of female dancers were investigated and compared with the estimated daily energy intake and expenditure. The 25-30% higher estimated maximal oxygen uptake in the dance teachers and the dance students than in a randomly selected population with average physical activity indicates that dance training implies rather high demands on the cardiovascular system. Muscle fibre type composition in young dancers differs from that in the average individual and is characterized by a high percentage of type I fibres similar to that found in 20-year-old dancers. The estimated daily energy expenditure at 20% higher than estimated daily energy intake suggests that either the energy expenditure was overestimated or the energy intake was underestimated.