Women pole dance athletes present morphofunctional left ventricular adaptations and greater physical fitness.

This cross-section study evaluated physical fitness, heart rate variability (HRV) and, left ventricle (LV) morphology and function in pole dance (PD) athletes. Control group (CG) was composed of 16 untrained women and the PD group (PG) was composed of 15 professional women. Physical fitness, echocardiographic, HRV and parameters were assessed. A better physical performance was found in the PG compared to CG group, with significant differences for tests: handgrip strength test -left hand (P < 0.05) and right hand (P < 0.01), push-up (P < 0.001), curl-up (P < 0.001), and sit and reach (P < 0.001). Systolic function of LV did not differ statistically between CG and PG. The LV relative wall thickness was significantly high (P < 0.05, mean difference: 0.04) and the isovolumic relaxation time was significantly lower (P < 0.01, mean difference: −27 ms) in the PG. The HRV indices did not differ statistically between the groups. The PD athletes have higher physical fitness without changes in HRV makers. Moreover, PD athletes had LV remodeling with an improved LV relaxation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]