Break dancing requires a high level of total body muscular strength & cardiovascular endurance. Breaking combines high intensity movements with relatively little rest. Some routines may be choreographed, whereas others may be spontaneous. Dances may be 20 seconds to 6 minutes in length.
Training sessions last about an hour and are often divided into a prepatory (warming up), main (technique or rehearsing) and a cool down. Warming up includes increasing blood flow to the muscles and stretching to improve tendon and muscle elasticity. The main portion of training aims to improve technical skill. The cool down includes relaxation movements and additional stretching.
Samples of lactate threshold (a blood marker for metabolic demand) of nine female dancers with 2 years of training were obtained after performing a 6 minute break routine. The samples showed a significant increase in blood lactate levels and heart rate. This demonstrates that the dancers performed a very rigorous amount of exercise during the 6 minutes of breaking.
The researchers then had the nine breakers walk on a treadmill that increased in intensity until the dancers were exhausted. The same lactate threshold and heart rate were measured as in the break dancing routine.
Both of the tests (the 6 minutes of dancing and the treadmill test) were performed before and after the 8 weeks of endurance training to see how much the dancers improved.
The running program had a 10 minute warm up, 30 minutes of running and 10 minutes to cool down. There were three sessions per week for 8 weeks. The dancers ran at 90-100% of their pre-determined lactate threshold (a measure of exercise intensity). This training was probably pretty difficult to perform.
What were the results?
All of the dancers significantly improved their cardiovascular endurance by measurements of heart rate response (how well the heart was able to handle delivery blood to the muscles). This means that they were able to perform higher intensity movements for a greater length of time.
So it seems that treadmill running at a high intensity can improve dance capacity. This may be due to several mechanisms. For one, the heart is able to pump a greater volume of blood to working muscles. Secondly, it is able to clear metabolites (toxins) from the blood, which allows the muscle to continue their work.
It can be speculated that treadmill running is not very break-dance specific, since many movements require a great deal of upper body input. It is possible that a training program that combined both upper and lower body aerobic exercise can provide even greater benefit to break dancers.
Part 1: Introduction to demands of break dancing
Part 2: Endurance testing, training program and results
Part 3: Conclusion
Break dancing requires a high level of total body muscular strength & cardiovascular endurance. Breaking combines high intensity movements with relatively little rest. Some routines may be choreographed, whereas others may be spontaneous. Dances may be 20 seconds to 6 minutes in length.
Training sessions last about an hour and are often divided into a prepatory (warming up), main (technique or rehearsing) and a cool down. Warming up includes increasing blood flow to the muscles and stretching to improve tendon and muscle elasticity. The main portion of training aims to improve technical skill. The cool down includes relaxation movements and additional stretching.
Samples of lactate threshold (a blood marker for metabolic demand) of nine female dancers with 2 years of training were obtained after performing a 6 minute break routine. The samples showed a significant increase in blood lactate levels and heart rate. This demonstrates that the dancers performed a very rigorous amount of exercise during the 6 minutes of breaking.
The researchers then had the nine breakers walk on a treadmill that increased in intensity until the dancers were exhausted. The same lactate threshold and heart rate were measured as in the break dancing routine.
Both of the tests (the 6 minutes of dancing and the treadmill test) were performed before and after the 8 weeks of endurance training to see how much the dancers improved.
The running program had a 10 minute warm up, 30 minutes of running and 10 minutes to cool down. There were three sessions per week for 8 weeks. The dancers ran at 90-100% of their pre-determined lactate threshold (a measure of exercise intensity). This training was probably pretty difficult to perform.
What were the results?
All of the dancers significantly improved their cardiovascular endurance by measurements of heart rate response (how well the heart was able to handle delivery blood to the muscles). This means that they were able to perform higher intensity movements for a greater length of time.
So it seems that treadmill running at a high intensity can improve dance capacity. This may be due to several mechanisms. For one, the heart is able to pump a greater volume of blood to working muscles. Secondly, it is able to clear metabolites (toxins) from the blood, which allows the muscle to continue their work.
It can be speculated that treadmill running is not very break-dance specific, since many movements require a great deal of upper body input. It is possible that a training program that combined both upper and lower body aerobic exercise can provide even greater benefit to break dancers.
The purpose of this article is to discuss the cardiovascular and metabolic (energy) demands of break dancing and demonstrate the effect of endurance training on performance. Nine female dancers performed three running sessions per week on a treadmill for 30 minutes at high intensity for 8 weeks. The training program improved cardiovascular endurance in break dancers.
Part 1: Introduction to demands of break dancing
Part 2: Endurance testing, training program and results
Part 3: Conclusion
Break dancing requires a high level of total body muscular strength & cardiovascular endurance. Breaking combines high intensity movements with relatively little rest. Some routines may be choreographed, whereas others may be spontaneous. Dances may be 20 seconds to 6 minutes in length.
Training sessions last about an hour and are often divided into a prepatory (warming up), main (technique or rehearsing) and a cool down. Warming up includes increasing blood flow to the muscles and stretching to improve tendon and muscle elasticity. The main portion of training aims to improve technical skill. The cool down includes relaxation movements and additional stretching.
Samples of lactate threshold (a blood marker for metabolic demand) of nine female dancers with 2 years of training were obtained after performing a 6 minute break routine. The samples showed a significant increase in blood lactate levels and heart rate. This demonstrates that the dancers performed a very rigorous amount of exercise during the 6 minutes of breaking.
The researchers then had the nine breakers walk on a treadmill that increased in intensity until the dancers were exhausted. The same lactate threshold and heart rate were measured as in the break dancing routine.
Both of the tests (the 6 minutes of dancing and the treadmill test) were performed before and after the 8 weeks of endurance training to see how much the dancers improved.
The running program had a 10 minute warm up, 30 minutes of running and 10 minutes to cool down. There were three sessions per week for 8 weeks. The dancers ran at 90-100% of their pre-determined lactate threshold (a measure of exercise intensity). This training was probably pretty difficult to perform.
What were the results?
All of the dancers significantly improved their cardiovascular endurance by measurements of heart rate response (how well the heart was able to handle delivery blood to the muscles). This means that they were able to perform higher intensity movements for a greater length of time.
So it seems that treadmill running at a high intensity can improve dance capacity. This may be due to several mechanisms. For one, the heart is able to pump a greater volume of blood to working muscles. Secondly, it is able to clear metabolites (toxins) from the blood, which allows the muscle to continue their work.
It can be speculated that treadmill running is not very break-dance specific, since many movements require a great deal of upper body input. It is possible that a training program that combined both upper and lower body aerobic exercise can provide even greater benefit to break dancers.