Comparing the fitness of current and former dancers and soccer players

Purpose. To compare the fitness of collegiate dancers and collegiate soccer players with the fitness of former dancers and former soccer players in an effort to examine the effects of age and training on fitness.;Methods. Thirty-two subjects participated in this study. Levels of fitness were determined by tests of body fat, balance, trunk forward flexion sit and reach, hand-grip dynamometry, and sub-maximal cycle ergometry. During testing hemodynamic values of heart rate and blood pressure were recorded at rest and during exercise.;Results. Former dancers' post-endurance heart rate was found to be significantly lower than that of collegiate dancers (p = .020) and that of non-athletes (p = .003). Significantly greater hamstring flexibility was found in collegiate dancers as compared with former soccer players (p = .001). Collegiate soccer players had significantly greater grip strength than collegiate dancers (p = .010) and former dancers (p = .020) and former soccer players had significantly greater grip strength than collegiate dancers (p = .025) and former dancers (p = .049). Collegiate soccer players had a significantly higher VO2Max than collegiate dancers (p = .048), former dancers (p = .016), former soccer players (p = .000) and non-athletes (p = .003).;Discussion/Conclusions. This data demonstrates that collegiate soccer players have a higher level of physical fitness than collegiate dancers with reference to cardiovascular fitness and grip strength, while collegiate dancers have a higher level of fitness with reference to hamstring flexibility. It was also concluded that former dancers have a higher overall level of physical fitness than former soccer players in all areas tested.