In the weight room!

Tonight our first group of students traveled to the weight room on the Skidmore College campus to do some strength training.  Most dancers, especially females, are concerned that lifting weights will make you "bulky."  Well, we can actually build lean muscles by using light weight (less than 10% of your body weight) and a high number of repetitions.  For many of our students, I suggest about 5-8 lbs (depending upon your body weight) and about 20 reps per exercise -- this will help to build muscle endurance, not bulky, thick muscles. 

Check out Hannah doing arm strengthening for her abductors:

Notice her stable base with her legs apart and a slight bend in the knee, as well as a "pulling up maneuver" about 2 inches (in and up) below her belly button, to keep her back safe and core engaged while lifting weight.

Check out Gianna in a squat on a balance board:

 
By doing the movement in an unstable environment like this, she is incorporating some serious core stability -- an added bonus! 

Now... take a look at Sam taking both Hannah AND Gianna's exercises a step further by combining the squat prior to both arm and leg abduction: 

We can target one specific muscle for strengthening, or partner multiple exercises to create something that works the total body, though we still want to support the spine and keep the core engaged at all times.  Be creative and have fun! 

Cross-training for dancers

In this video David Popoli, M.D. from Children's Heathcare of Atlanta, reinforces the importance of cross-training for dancers.  By changing up the type of physical work we are doing for our bodies, we utilize different muscle groups and strengthen other parts of the body that we don't typically use.  By incorporating things other than dance into our weekly routine, we can improve balance and stability, develop core strength, and increase power.  It will not sacrifice our skills as dance artists, but improve them -- I promise :)    

Dancers usually want only to DANCE DANCE DANCE, and it's often a struggle to find time (and the energy) to do other things outside an already rigorous workload.  He recommends yoga, pilates, or even simply changing up the type of dance class you are taking in order to work those other muscle groups more efficiently.  Whatever you do, finding the time is essential. 

The NYSSSA students will be heading to the weight room on campus tomorrow to explore some resistance training with free weights.  Stay tuned for those photos!

And check out (video below) the students in yesterday's workout featuring squats, reverse lunges, single leg hamstring reach (roman dead lift) and the pelvic bridge. 

Assessment is not a bad thing

In a traditional sense, the word assessment usually refers to judging the value of something -- often whle taking a test.  But when WE do assessment, I encourage the students to think about taking inventory of their bodies, not to make judgements or to fear what the outcome might be, but to gather information and to act more as detectives on an investigation, than a judge.

Some of our assessment includes looking at things we can't change, like our skeletal structure, our height, body type... and the things we can change, like muscular imbalances caused by our skeletal structure or habitual patterns learned over time, range of motion and mobility, our level of strength in certain muscle groups... all of this informs us as to what we need to work on to become stronger dancers and more efficient movers.

Check out Talia (photo below) in a prone isometric plank while Jesse monitors her time on the clock.  We held this for 30 seconds, then on both the right and left side, to assess strength.  Partners noted when the body started to get tired, if the pelvis dropped or shifted to one side, if the head came out of alignment, or other deviations.  

And take a look (photo below) at Campbell being assessed by Kate as she measures strength in both hamstrings and quadriceps of each leg.   Using both actions of flexion and extension at the knee joint, we can see if one muscle group is stronger than the other. 

Afterward, we got to complete on our first workout of the summer.  Starting with some cardio-repiratory training to begin, like jumping jacks, oblique twits, and booty kickers, we warmed up the body and got our heart pumping.  We did squats, reverse lunges, and core stability exercises, like the pelvic bridge and cobra.  We finished with walking push-ups and a stretch.  All in all, the students had fun while listening to some upbeat music and getting their bodies into shape!  

Working out with friends is always more fun that doing it alone, so grab a neighbor and turn up the music.  Get your body moving and build some new strength!

Day 1 of Dance Conditioning -- preventing any possible injury

Part of today's session was a focus on my "word's of wisdom" for maintaining a healthy and happy summer at NYSSSA.  My main goal when working with the students is to prevent injury from occurring and to do everything possible to keep everyone dancing all summer long.  Here's a few tips to keep our bodies moving:

1. SLEEP -- Resting our bodies is essential for cellular repair and maintenance, especially for our muscles.  While we rest and when we sleep our bodies do the recovery we need.  Lay down on your bed, read a book, prop up and support your limbs with comfy pillows, and enjoy some rest at the end of the day -- you deserve it!

2.  BANANAS! They aid in digestion, contain potassium, help relieve muscle cramps and soreness... and they're delicious! At least one a day for our NYSSSA students! We're going bananas!

3.  WATER -- hydration station time.  We should drink at least 17 ounces of water about 2 hours prior to activity.  So try to have a glass when waking up and another with breakfast before we head to our first dance technique class.  This will ensure we are fully hydrated when we begin. From then on, keep sipping as the day goes on to replenish the water lost while sweating.  We also need to replenish our sodium, so a yummy snack might be some pretzels in between classes.  Nature's natural hydrant???... the coconut.  Enjoy some coconut water for serious hydration and stock up on those electrolytes, too. 

4.  Keep our feet in great shape -- To avoid those nasty toe splits in between our toes, keep our dry feet (especially in the summer months) well moisturized.  My favorite product:

This stuff is magical! Treat your feet and put it on at the end of the day after your shower with some great comfy socks.  Give your arches a little light massage and prop them up on a pillow.  Ahhhh...

5.  Keep your "car" well fueled!  With added activity, comes added need for more "fuel" -- AKA more food.  Don't be afraid if you feel hungry -- you will!  Your activity level is at least doubled or tripled while here at NYSSSA, and to prevent fatigue (which can lead to serious injury) keep your body fed with healthy foods -- protein, fruits and veggies AND CARBOHYDRATES.  Dancers need these for the type of physical work we do, so keep your bodies fed with carbs and other yummy treats.

Keep our bodies healthy, and here's to a great summer!
It was a great first day! 

Another summer... smarter, stronger, ready to go!

It's 1:24pm.... I sit and wait for my 1:30pm class to begin at the National Museum of Dance in Saratoga Springs, NY. 

I am again on faculty at the New York State Summer School of the Arts and I'm ready to start four weeks of my residency working with some of NY State's finest young dancers. I am about to have my first Dance Conditioning session with them, and I'm eager to get to work sharing information and gathering information that will help keep the dancers safe and healthy this summer. 

My blog is up and running again ready to highlight our work this summer, and share info related to questions from the students.  Can't wait to get to work!!!! Stay tuned for more info through the end of August. 

Happy reading!!!