Acute and chronic effects of Pilates on the cardiovascular autonomic system

Abstract

Problem Statement: Few studies have been published regarding the effect of Pilates on the cardiovascular system. Purpose: to investigate the acute and chronic effects of Pilates on heart rate variability (HRV). Methods: a total of 25 inactive adult women were randomized into two groups: Pilates (n=14; 35.3±1.4 years) and Control (n=11; 36.0±1.3 years) groups. The training sessions were divided into warm-up, 11 Pilates exercises and stretching (~45 min; 3 times/wk.; 8 wk.). The control group relaxed (35 min; 3 times/wk.; 8 wk.). Results: there was a decrease in the time domain in the standard deviation– SD (80.1±24.4 vs. 50.3±14.8 ms; p≤0.001), variance (6939.1±3552.8 vs. 2736.8±1485.6 ms²; p≤0.001) and root mean square of standard deviation – RMSSD (49.1±22.6 vs.10.5±5.8 ms; p≤0.001) during the acute Pilates session when compared to the control group. The acute Pilates session induced a decrease in the low-frequency – LF (1,147.4±665.6 vs. 191.3±197.3 ms²; p≤0.001) and high-frequency – HF (932.5±888.4 vs. 72.1±82.4 ms²; p≤0.001), and an increase in the LF/HF ratio (5.7±2.4 vs. 1.9±1.2; p≤0.001) in the frequency domain. After 8 weeks of training, the acute Pilates session induced an increase in the LF/HF ratio (4.7±1.8 vs. 2.5±1.3; p≤0.001) and the RMSSD (14.85±5.6 vs. 29.27±19.7ms; p≤0.001). Conclusion: our data show that Pilates training induces acute responses exacerbated in the cardiac autonomic control pathways and that the 8 weeks of intervention promoted positive adaptations in simpatovagal balance. Therefore, we conclude that Pilates induces significant adaptations in the autonomic balance and can be used as a training method for improving cardiovascular performance.