A list of exercises for dancers often includes a vast array of resistance band “point and flex” exercises. Sometimes these lists include yoga flows for mobility or even a flexi-stretcher promising higher back extensions.
And while a lot of these things are excellent dance-specific exercises, they aren’t the only exercises dancers should specifically be doing. In fact, there are a ton of weight-lifting exercises that are amazing exercises for dancers because the muscles they strengthen directly correlate to the moves required of dancers.
Higher extensions don’t come from flexibility alone, you need the strength to hold your leg in the air. And, if you’re like me, doing 10,000 developés has never yielded huge gains in adagio leg extensions. (Despite having the passive flexibility to hold my leg by my ear!)
But do you know what has drastically improved my developé? Weightlifting.
Now, if you’re shaking your head and getting ready to click out of this page, don’t. In this quick read, you’ll get a look at 8 exercises for dancers that traditionally might not be in a dancer’s bag of tricks. Not all of them include weights, but they are all an important part of a dancer’s cross-training program.
So, interested in learning something new? Let’s dive in.
Cross-Training Exercises for Dancers
Copenhagen Plank
When it comes to exercises for dancers there’s not much that can beat Copenhagen planks.
Copenhagen planks are a go-to for adductor and core strength training. But while building your core and inner thigh strength, they’re also training strong, stable pirouettes.
When done with proper form, Copenhagens light up your adductors (inner thighs), stack your hips into proper pirouette alignment, and kick on your obliques.
This trifecta is exactly what you want while turning – not to mention the fact that you’ll be working your opposite hip flexor to train strong high passés!
If the Copenhagen plank is too challenging for you at first, try these modifiers!
Pallof Press
The Pallof Press might be the most deceitful exercise there is. To the untrained eye, it looks simple enough.
“Just stand with your feet firmly planted and push the cable out? OK…”
But the trick is in the form. To get the most out of the Pallof press keep your body square – don’t let your hips twist toward the machine!
As far as exercises for dancers the Pallof press is king in training strong obliques. Studies have shown that this type of exercise activates the deep core muscles more than other types of core work.
How does this translate into the studio? Long, tall, waistlines ready for any pirouette, extension, or kick without a wobble in sight.
Single-Leg Box Squat
Are you craving a strong, stable, powerful supporting leg? Look no further than single-leg box squats.
Training with single-leg exercises helps rectify muscle imbalances while also training balance and stabilization. These are excellent for knee health and they are NOT for the faint of heart.
Unlike pistol squats, to perform these you’ll keep the leg that isn’t working tucked in close to your body. This removes the “counter-weight” effect you get in pistol squats and puts more emphasis on the glutes, hamstrings, and thighs.
And while the gym rats use these to build cute peaches and strong legs, we dancers know these will yield stable fouetté turns, injury-free landings from jumps, and power-packed leaps.
And who doesn’t want to be the girl who’s a jumper and a turner? We LOVE her!
Heel-Elevated Squats
Ahh heel elevated squats. Another favorite at DWL when it comes to weighted exercises for dancers.
This exercise is a favorite of personal trainers for emphasizing thigh strength and improving range of motion.
However, for a dancer, heel-elevated squats yield massive gains in the dance studio.
Remember how I mentioned that this exercise increases your range of motion? That’s because, with your heels in the elevated position, you can reach a lower depth in your squat. This increased depth forces you to build strength from that deeply flexed position.
Why might you want that? When else do we see our hips in this flexed position? Extensions.
Building strength through your entire range of motion is how you build mobility. Mobility is the key to accessing every inch of your flexibility.
And while practicing heel-elevated squats might leave you with higher extensions they also offer you a ton of other benefits in the studio.
The deeper position also requires deeper knee and ankle flexion. This directly helps with pliés, softer landings, and floor-work transitions.
Deadlifts/Deadlift Variations
Good cross-training for dancers is programmed with intentionality. In dance, you’re often labeled a jumper or a turner. But with a good cross-training program, you could become “that girl” that’s both.
Adding deadlifts and their various variations to your program is a fantastic way to improve your jumps.
Deadlifts (mainly) build the glutes and hamstrings – the major muscles involved in high, powerful, jumps and leaps.
And if power or height isn’t something you’re looking for, you might want to know that when we land jumps, our bodies experience forces of up to 7 times our body weight! That means we need strong legs to absorb the shock and land like the graceful dancers we are and not get injured.
Skater hops to Stabilization
Speaking of injury-free leaps and jumps, training single-leg stabilization is an excellent way to ensure you land each jump without ruining your knees.
Not only that, skater hops to stabilization also train single-leg power. When you perform this exercise, instead of relying on reaching your free leg to create momentum, think of pushing off of your jumping leg with as much power as possible. This will decrease your speed but will train power and stability.
Power Skips
I’m sure many of us have had a dance teacher explain that the higher our battement or developé leg in a saut de chat or grand jeté.
How do we train to jump off the ground while lifting the opposite leg? Well, we practice jumping off the ground while lifting the opposite leg!
Power skips train our muscles for explosive plyometric moves (jumps!). However, a lot of fitness and dance requires that we coordinate our brains and our physical bodies. The fact that we are lifting our opposite leg into a (sort of) passé position, trains our neurotransmitters to coordinate the jump and lift at the same time.
Lat Pull-downs
The older I get the more I realize that port des bras can make or break a dancer.
A strong back equals a strong core. A strong core equals unending turns, sky-high jumps, and gorgeous port de bras.
But besides being pretty, using your back to move your arms can facilitate better balances, turns, and higher jumps.
So, when people ask about exercises for dancers, lat pulldowns are one of my number one recommendations. This is because the lats are directly related to how we move our arms – and no one wants to be the dancer with flappy arms.
But WAIT There’s MORE!
Of course, there are tons more exercises that will directly impact your dancing. In fact, this isn’t the first time we’ve talked about how weightlifting can transform your technique.
The most important thing is to remember that exercises for dancers should not always look like dance. There may be correlations or similarities, but by and large, cross-training should strengthen your muscles in ways that dance doesn’t. This will prevent muscle imbalances and goes a long way in preventing injury.
So, which of these exercises will you incorporate into your training?
Want to hear more about what Dancers Who Lift is all about? Give these quick reads a glance: Why Should Dancers Lift Weights?, Leaping For Joy: A Dancer’s Guide on How to Jump Higher, Building Power with Poise: Dumbbell & Band Workout for Dancers
