Exercises for dancers
Oliwia Anna is studying to become a personal trainer and also has a lifestyle blog which she runs in her spare time. She is currently fundraising on PledgeSports.
Being a dancer is not easy. It requires passion and commitment, many of us basically lead life adjusted to dancing. We spend many hours in the studio working on exercises or choreography. But is that enough ?
Back to the time I was a full time dancer I would think “This is enough exercises for a week, I don’t need anything else”. And I was very wrong, as some time later I had to quit do to my injuries… Dancing offers a type of fitness regime but you definitely need performance aiding exercises as well as those that will help prevent any injuries.
CARDIO
Most dance types offer some cardiovascular endurance training, but if you are lacking in those areas in any way, you might find yourself struggling when performing longer choreographies. Doing extra 30-45 minutes of low impact cardio up to 3 times a week will greatly improve your performance and health. However, I would avoid running on hard surfaces, so as to avoid taxing on the joints. Instead, go for a swimming or walk that extra few miles a day !
CORE WORKOUT
Whether you are a ballet dancer, contemporary or hip hop dancer – all types require strong core strength. Otherwise you might get a bad posture and lower back vulnerabilities. I would recommend different types of body weight exercises and definitely plank on a daily basis. You might also wanna try group core workouts at the gym, personal trainer’s help will be even better for a specific case being a dancer is
ARMS !
A lot of dancers, from what I have noticed and what I remember focus on strengthening their legs and forget about the upper body. You don’t wanna add to much bulky muscles in that area but strengthen them to be able to perform a variety of movements when dancing. Again, body weight or light gym equipment should be enough. A good exercise for dancers will definitely be push ups.
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