Is aerobic dance an effective alternative to walk-jog exercise training?

In order to compare the physiological effects of an 8 week aerobic dance program to those of a walk-jog exercise training program, 60 male and female University employees ages 24-48 years were randomly assigned to an aerobic dance program (N = 22), a walk-jog program (N = 24), or a sedentary control group (N = 15). Subjects who had an exercise compliance rate less than or equal to 85% were dropped from the study, as were control subjects who had scheduling conflicts or illnesses precluding post-treatment testing. Thirty-five subjects completed the 8 week period with a compliance rate greater than or equal to 85%, leaving 14 in the aerobics group, 11 in the walk-jog group and 10 in the control group. Significant increases (p less than 0.001) in maximal oxygen uptake occurred in both the aerobics (+3.9 ml/kg-1/min-1) and walk-jog group (+3.4 ml/kg-1/min-1), while no significant change was observed in the control group. Peak heart rate decreased significantly (p less than 0.05) in the aerobics (-4 b/min-1) and walk-jog groups (-3 b/min-1 but was unchanged in the control group (-1 b/min-1) following the treatment period. Body weight, peak respiratory exchange ratio and peak minute ventilation remained the same in the aerobics, walk-jog and control groups throughout the treatment period. It is concluded that aerobic dance programs can result in similar improvements in aerobic power as a walk-jog program. Thus, an aerobic dance program is an effective alternative to a traditional walk-jog training regime.