Quantifying internal and external training loads in professional ballet dancers: The role of session type and sex

Purpose: To (a) quantify the internal and external training load (TL) demands of professional ballet dancers; (b) explore the influence of session type, and sex on TL. Methods: Twenty-nine professional ballet dancers (men = 14; women = 15) were monitored over two weeks. Internal TL data was measured using heart rate-derived TRIMP, and external TL using PlayerLoad (PL). TL data from 303 sessions were categorised and analysed according to session type (rehearsal, class, and conditioning), and sex. Results: Dancers averaged ~4.62 per day (~ 26.1 hours/week) comprised of daily (PL: 539 AU; HR TRIMP: 314 arbitrary units (AU)) and weekly (PL: 2608 AU; HR TRIMP: 1503 AU) TL. Rehearsals had the longest duration (197 ± 66 min) but lowest load per minute. Conditioning produced the highest PL (140.1 AU, 95% CI: 120.2-160.0), while class elicited the greatest HR TRIMP (89.4 AU, 95% CI: 72.1-106.7). Session type significantly influenced TL (P = 0.004, η2 = 0.68) with small to moderate differences between rehearsal and conditioning (PL ES = 0.38; TRIMP ES = 0.49). No significant differences were observed by sex (PL, P = 0.57; TRIMP, P = 0.18). Conclusions: Conditioning sessions produced the greatest TL response and should play a key role in professional ballet dancer’s schedules. Although TL did not significantly differ by sex, the study suggests that a uniform training model may not meet individual dancer needs. These findings support the implementation of personalised monitoring and periodised scheduling strategies to optimise both artistic and physical performance in professional ballet.