Are you curious about taking your dancers through a training program in practice but nervous about form, meeting everyone’s needs and doing enough of the right type of exercises?
Fear not, I’m going to run you through a few basic tips and steps so you can train your dancers effectively and with confidence.
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Step 1 Decide What You’re Training:
- Choose two to three exercises per section of the body.
- Lower body includes ankles, quads, hamstrings, calves, glutes / butt muscles
- Core / low back
- Upper body includes upper back, shoulders and arms
Step 2 Decide on Sets and Repetitions:
- When training larger muscles like the legs with big jumping exercises, aim for 5 – 10 repetitions.
- When training smaller muscles like arms with more isolated exercises like a bicep curl, aim for 15 – 20.
- I always like doing each exercise 3 times through.
- You can always make a circuit and do each exercise for 40 seconds then rest for 20 before moving on to the next
Step 3 Follow These Expert Tips
- When doing multiple sets of planks, alternate between hands and elbows to give your wrists a break.
- When you work one muscle, be sure to train the muscle that is its opposite. For example, biceps and triceps, hamstrings and quads, glutes and hip flexors.
- If you feel any pain in your low back while planking, squeeze your tummy like you’re bracing for a punch and drop your knees to the floor.
- Stretch your hips in a runner’s lunge with your back knee down and chest up. Instead of rocking your body forward, simply tuck your butt and try to get both hip bones facing front.
- Putting an athletic band around your upper thigh can make your leg workout even more effective. They’re cheap and can be used in hundreds of ways.
- When you’re short on time and have dancers who need to strengthen their ankles, have them do their exercises while brushing their teeth or waiting for food to cook
Grab your free Training Plan Trifecta here: https://forms.aweber.com/form/75/130939275.htm
Feel free to print these off and use them in your next class. Remember, the bigger exercises need less repetitions and the smaller ones that only work one muscle at a time can endure many more repetitions.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out with questions! Introducing strength training to your dancers is so important and I want you to feel confident about your ability to lead them.
