ArticleBMC sports science, medicine & rehabilitation2023
Comparative effectiveness of 10-week equipment-based pilates and diaphragmatic breathing exercise on heart rate variability and pulmonary function in young adult healthy women with normal BMI - a quasi-experimental study.
Article in BMC sports science, medicine & rehabilitation, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 12 citations in OpenAlex.
- Effects of mind-body exercise intervention on anxiety among women: a meta-analysis.Frontiers in psychology · 2025Pooled it
- Post-Exercise Controlled Breathing Enhances Cardiovascular Recovery and Autonomic Balance: A Randomised Crossover Study.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2026Trial
- Effects of reformer pilates on body composition, strength, and psychosomatic factors in overweight and obese women A randomized controlled trial.Scientific reports · 2025Trial
- Physiological Profile, Mediterranean Diet Adherence and Supplement Use in Recreational Adults Engaged in Contemporary Gym-Based Exercise Modalities.Sports (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Exploring the Interplay Between Core Stability, Pulmonary Function, and Cardiorespiratory Fitness in Older Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial of an 8-Week Mat Pilates Intervention.Geriatrics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Effects of 8-week prop Pilates or apparatus Pilates on body composition, blood pressure, mechanical properties of core muscles, mental health, and physical fitness in postmenopausal women.Physical activity and nutrition · 2026Article
- Acute Effects of Reformer, Cadillac, and Chair Pilates Apparatuses on Cardiac Autonomic Modulation and Flexibility in Sedentary Middle-Aged Women.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Acute effects of "Munz Floor"® fascial stretching on autonomic nervous responses assessed by heart rate variability.Frontiers in physiology · 2026Article
- Using Inspiratory Muscle Training to Improve Respiratory Strength, Functional Capacity, Fatigue, and Stress in Breast Cancer Patients Undergoing Surgery.Journal of multidisciplinary healthcare · 2024Article
- Effects of Pilates Exercises on Core Stability After Recovery from COVID-19: A Randomized Controlled Trial.Journal of multidisciplinary healthcare · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 5 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundThe positive effects of Pilates and slow-controlled breathing exercises on health are examined in different studies. The purpose of the study was to investigate the effects of 10-week equipment-based Pilates, slow-controlled breathing exercises, and a combination of both on heart rate variability (HRV), pulmonary function, and body composition (BC) in young adult healthy women with normal BMI.
methodsForty female participants were assigned to either equipment-based Pilates group (PG), slow-controlled breathing exercise group (BG), equipment-based Pilates + breathing exercise group (PBG), and control groups (CG). Equipment-based Pilates exercise consists of training for two days a week and 50 min per day, and breathing exercises were done twice a week for 15 min a day for 8 weeks. In addition, PBG performed a 15-minute breathing exercise after each Pilates session. Pilates sessions were created with Reformer, Cadillac, Ladder Barrel, Chair Barrel, and Spine Corrector. On the other hand, breathing exercises were based on a controlled 5 s inhale and 5 s exhale cycles.
resultsBefore and after the implementation, pulmonary function, HRV, and BC parameters were measured. The body weight and BMI improved in PG and PBG, and the percent body fat decreased only in PBG (p < 0.05). Both PG and PBG noted significant changes in HRV indices SDSD, SDNN, TP, HF, and LF. However, the RMSSD was recorded higher in only PBG. Similar changes were found in pulmonary parameters. The FVC, FEV1, VC, IC, TV, MVV, and VE im-proved in PBG. PG showed increases in VC and TV. The only changes found in BG were PEF and ERV.
conclusionsThe finding highlights the ample effect of combined breathing and Pilates exercise on HRV, pulmonary function and body composition which has important implications for health promotion.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.