Cross-Training for Ballerinas

Hi guys, it's Erica! Welcome back to The Ballet World. Today I am going to talk about the best cross-training for ballerinas. Ballet dancers often question if they should even do any exercise besides from ballet. Some types of exercise can build bulky muscles or put ballerinas at risk for injury. From personal experience and clinical research, I would recommend that ballerinas cross-train with pilates, yoga, or swimming.

In order to have strong ballet technique, you need a strong core. Basic pilates exercises will help you strengthen your core. A strong core will reduce stress on your lower back and improve your pelvic alignment. Pilates can also help you improve your extensions. Lastly, pilates exercises target specific muscles and joints. Therefore, these exercises help you determine exactly which parts of your body are tight, weak, or overstretched. Knowing your body in this way will make you more aware of how to prevent future injuries.

Successful ballerinas have strong muscles and good breathing. Yoga exercises will help you strengthen as well as elongate your muscles. This muscle elongation will be helpful when trying to execute good lines with your body while doing ballet. Yoga exercises also make you aware of your breathing. During yoga, you will realize the rhythm of your breathing and work on ways to improve it. Ballerinas need good breathing in order to perform long, difficult variations on stage.

Ballet requires dancers’ entire bodies to be very mobile. Some dancers have tight upper bodies and are constantly looking for ways to stretch this part of their body. Swimming is a perfect exercise to loosen your upper body because it allows your joints to move without the effect of gravity. There are also so many different strokes to choose from. Therefore, you can pick the stroke that targets the muscles you want to work on. Swimming can also help strengthen the back of your torso and shoulders. A strong back is essential for ballet, especially while working with a partner.

I hope my post about cross-training was helpful and insightful for every ballerina that has ever been afraid to exercise outside of ballet class. Don’t forget to check back in a few days to see what’s happening in the ballet world!

 

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