Blog, Dancers Who Lift, Page 4

The Confidence Corner Workout: For Any Beginner at the Gym

Gymtimidation is real. Whether you’re a beginner at the gym, are coming back after time off, or simply don’t feel like being around people, having a hack to tackle gymtimidation is helpful!

That’s why we are introducing the “confidence corner!”

What is a confidence corner, you may ask?

Great question! A confidence corner is a low-traffic, quieter area of the gym where any beginner at the gym, injury recoverer, or anti-social club member, can feel safe and confident as they move through their workout.

How to Find Your Confidence Corner!

First things first, take a lap.

Whether you’re a beginner at the gym or a beginner at this gym, a lot can be learned from simply taking a lap around the space to see what areas are busiest, how the gym is laid out, and what equipment you have available to you.

Now, on your own you’d have to select six exercises and use them to create three supersets.

But today, we’ve created a confidence corner workout that any beginner at the gym can crush confidently!

The Confidence Corner Workout

Take a second and peruse this workout. Based on your strength level, grab yourself the appropriate 2-3 sets of dumbbells needed and either a bench, step, or box.

Squat 3×10

Perform these squats with bodyweight, a goblet hold with one dumbbell, or hold one dumbbell on each shoulder.

Perform three sets of ten reps (remember to keep your chest lifted and core engaged!)

Then, move on to incline push-ups without resting!

Incline Push-up 3x 8-10

Placing your hands on the edge of a bench or block, set yourself up into a push-up position.

**Tip for beginners at the gym: the farther apart your feet are, the easier these push-ups will be!**

Keep your shoulders down, away from your ears and brace your core.

Perform 8-10 strong reps per set depending on your strength.

Rest 60 for seconds, then return to squats and perform the super set all over again!

Reverse Lunge 3x 8/leg

For this exercise, perform with bodyweight or with weights depending on level of challenge needed.

Start with your feet hip width apart. Step straight backwards with one leg and lower into a lunge position. Remember, this is a lunge – not a curtsey. Imagine your feet are on railroad tracks to keep those knees parallel!

Perform eight reps on each leg before moving on to shoulder presses!

Shoulder Press 3x 12

Sit on your bench or box for this exercise. If using a bench, configure it so your back has support.

Lift your weights up to your shoulders. Pull your elbows forward so they are at a 45-degree angle from your shoulder joint.

From here, press your weights straight up to the ceiling.

Slowly lower the weights down until your elbows are just below your armpits.

Repeat for 12 reps, then, rest 60 seconds before returning to reverse lunges.

Dumbbell Row 3x 15

If you’re a beginner to the gym, this super superset is going to make you feel invincible!

Start by setting up with your weights in hand and feet hip width apart. Soften your knees so they have a soft bend in them.

Slowly push your hips backward, letting your body lean forward. Don’t arch your lower back, rather, engage your lower abdominals imagining your lower ribs and hip bones are pulling toward each other.

Now, pull the weights up toward your pockets. This will keep the resistance working the right muscles and avoid over taxing your neck!

Slowly return the weights down to the starting position by straightening your arms.

Perform 15 reps, then move on to deadlifts!

Deadlift 3×15

Keeping your feet and knees in the same position rotate the weights so your palms are facing toward you.

Next, push your hips backward, letting the weights skim your shins. Go as low as possible without bending your knees further or releasing your lower back.

Push your hips forward to return to the starting position.

**Check this form video for deadlift beginners or beginners to the gym!**

Perform 15 reps then immediately move on to plank exhales!

Plank 3x 5 exhales

For the plank exhales you can choose to set up your plank position on your forearms or on your hands!

Either way, lengthen your neck by pushing out of the floor and letting your shoulder blades flow down your back.

Next, imaging your hips and lower ribs are pulling together, instantly activating your core.

Hold this position as you slowly inhale and exhale five times.

Once complete, rest for 60 seconds and return to dumbbell rows to start the superset over again!

Wrapping it Up

That’s it, the perfect workout to give any beginner at the gym a full workout in their own little corner of confidence!

Remember, everyone- let me say that again- EVERYONE deserves to take up space in the gym. I hope this workout paired with your won little “space” gives you the confidence to believe that!

Want more workouts and training tips? Check out these blogs: Are Crunches Killing Your Core? The Core Strength Secret, Full Body Thirty Minute Workout (aka perfection!), Training Tip Tuesday: Mixed Grip Deadlift

Training Tip Tuesday: Transverse Abdominis Breathing

Welcome back to another Training Tip Tuesday! Today we are talking about Transverse Abdominis Breathing aka TVA Breathing (sometimes known as Stomach Vacuums.

But first, you might be asking,

What is our Transverse Abdominis?

The TVA is our innermost core muscle.

Where is the TVA located?

I’m so glad you asked! And no, it is not located in the Marvel Universe. 😜

It starts at either side of your spine, wraps around your torso, connects to your ribcage and ends at the middle line of your abdomen.

transverse abdominis breathing, tva breathing, transverse abdominis

See how deep in there the TVA is? That’s why using Transverse Abdominis Breathing is one of the best exercises to target this deep core muscle!

What does the Transverse Abdominis do?

The TVA helps to protect internal organs, supports the torso, helps stabilize the spine and pelvis and assists in safe rotation throughout the trunk of the body.

Why should you care about it?

Learning how to activate your Transverse Abdominis before you lift or dance, will change your life. No, I’m serious.

Learning how to activate this deep core muscle will help you feel more stable, support your lower back and will help you find your balance in dance class real fast! It will also free up your legs and arms to do whatever you want them to without throwing you off your center.

Not to mention the fact that practicing Transverse Abdominis breathing can help relieve lower back pain by supporting a neutral pelvic position!

How to Practice Transverse Abdominis Breathing

Lay flat on your back with your knees bent.

Take a deep breath in through your nose, letting your stomach expand.

Then, slowly exhale is if you are blowing through a straw while pulling your belly button and lower abdominals toward your spine (similar to a Graham Contraction). Maintain this “hollow” contraction throughout the entire exhale.

It takes some practice to find this engagement. So, go ahead and watch this video demonstrating how to do a Transverse Abdominis Breath and add into your next warm up!

Want some more Training Tips? Check out these quick reads: This Is How to Breathe When Lifting Weights, Training Tip Tuesday: Mixed Grip Deadlift, In and Out Fully Body Workout For Dancers

Looking for daily workouts? Check out Body Mechanics!

Exceed Your Own Expectations: How to Use the Principle of Progression to Overcome Plateaus

ingWhen you’ve been working hard toward reaching a fitness goal, plateaus can feel incredibly discouraging. After all, how can you continue to be this consistent and still not see the fruits of your labor? Enter, the principle of progression.

What’s the Principle of Progression?

The principle of progression is the training principle that your body adapts overtime to different types of exercise and therefore, in order to see advancement, you must increase the intensity.

Notice I said the word “intensity.”

This principle is not just about how much weight you’re stacking on. Sometimes referred to as “progressive overload” this principle outlines the gradual increase of stress placed on the body during a season of exercise training.

This principle can be applied to weight training and endurance and utilizes increased resistance, frequency, and duration.

Learning how to use the principle of progression correctly plays a large role in helping you blast past plateaus and on to achieving your goals.

Why?

The continual progression of your training helps immensely with hypertrophy and body recomposition. On top of that, it’s also shown to increase heart health even more than consistent training does.

You see, each time you begin a new exercise routine your body goes through three phases:

Shock: This is the phase where, despite lifting lighter weight, you experience performance decreases and DOMS.

Adaptation: This is the phase when your form gets perfected and lifting that initial weight starts to feel easier.

Staleness: Once you’ve reached this phase, your body has fully adapted to this exercise and will not see any new adaptations (muscle growth, higher developés, increase in endurance) until the stimulus is altered.

How do we alter the stimulus? Well that, my dear, is where the principle of progression comes in!

How to Use the Principle of Progression

There are a few ways to progress an exercise. But it should be noted that there is an optimal timing to implement progressive overload and and optimal amount of increased stress to garner the best results.

Increasing stress too soon or increasing stress by too much can lead to injury – and nobody wants that.

Instead, opt to vary your exercises incrementally by adjusting one of the following variables.

Load (resistance)

Repetitions(Volume)

Tempo

Rest Periods

Load

Increasing the load in an exercise refers to increasing the amount of resistance. This could look like adding a resistance band to a bodyweight exercise, or increasing the weight of an exercise by 2-5 lbs.

Unless you are flying through your reps with perfect form and extreme ease, don’t increase the intensity by large amounts. Remember, incremental increase is the key to successfully using the principle of progression.

This should only be done when you can easily lift 2-3 reps more than your current rep count.

Repetitions

If you’re not quite feeling ready to increase the weight due to form, lack of weight options, or any other reason, you can use the principle of progression by increasing the number of reps you’re performing.

To do this, start small by only adding 2-3 reps – remember, incremental increase! You can always add more if it’s too easy.

This typo of stress increase is also referred to as “increasing volume” because you have not increased the amount of weight lifted during a repetition, rather you’ve increased the overall amount of weight lifted during the workout. (increasing the volume!)

Again, this should only be done once you’ve fully adapted to an exercise.

Tempo

When using the principle of progression, tempo training quickly became one of my favorite ways to increase stress during an exercise.

When tempo changes are applied to an exercise, the time under tension is increased.

Usually a tempo change results in a slower pace during the eccentric portion of a lift.

What’s the eccentric portion of the lift? This is the part of the lift where a muscle is lengthening rather than contracting. This portion of the lift is often the part where you are returning to the starting position.

For example:

The lowering of the heels during heel raises.

Lowering the barbell to your chest during a chest press.

The lowering of the barbell during an RDL, or Deadlift.

The lowering portion of a push-up.

Increasing time under tension has shown to increase protein synthesis (muscle growth) in athletes!

Slowing down also allows you to really focus on your form. This ensures the correct muscle groups are engaged and you’re not cheating!

Rest Periods

Another way to progress an exercise is to decrease the length of your rest periods.

Now, according to the National Strength and Conditioning Association, your should inform your approach.

To blast through power plateaus you’ll want your rest times to be between 2-5 minutes, between maximum power sets. (These sets are usually low rep, maximum weight.)

If you’re plateauing in your overall strength rest times should fall between 2-5 minutes.

But if you’re looking to maximize muscle hypertrophy rest times are much shorter – 30-90 seconds.

So, if your feeling good about your weight and reps, but want in increase the challenge level a little bit, think about decreasing your rest time by 10-15 seconds.

Summing it Up

At the end of the day, the principle of progression is all about keeping your body from getting stuck in that “staleness” portion of an exercise.

Our bodies are incredible and can adapt to almost anything. But once we’ve adapted to a certain level of stress, we won’t see the benefits of our workouts increase until we make adjustments to the stress load.

If you’re working with a coach and you’ve hit a plateau, ask them which of these models might be the best place for you to start.

I know for me, I was always weary to increase the weight out of fear of injury. It wasn’t until I had a coach tell me “You’ve got this!” that I increased the weight. Now, I know what it feels like to be lifting a weight “with ease” and how to gradually increase the weight.

If you don’t have a coach and this is all feeling a bit overwhelming, check out Body Mechanics. It’s a long term training program that not only gives you workouts and a nutrition plan, but it teaches you the why and how of your workouts. This leaves you feeling confident to make the adjustments on your own as your body needs!

No matter what action you take toward your goals, know that we are here routing you on!

Want more? Check into the blog for workouts like, In and Out Fully Body Workout For Dancers, training tips like Training Tip Tuesday: Knee Hovers for Core Strengthening, and info dumps like, The Pros and Cons of Creatine: Busting the Myths and Revealing the Facts.

group personal training, personal training for dancers, resistance training for dancers

What Is Body Mechanics?: What You Can Expect from This Group Personal Training Program

Okay, you’ve heard us talk a lot about Body Mechanics, but what exactly is Body Mechanics? What exactly is a group personal training program? What if you have some specific needs? Will you still be able to speak with a trainer one on one?

We’ll answer all of those questions and more in this complete breakdown of the Body Mechanics, Dancers Who Lift’s group personal training program

How the Training Works

Body Mechanics uses a unique “Strength for Skills Method” that focuses on strengthening your body with specific stage skills in mind.

And no, this doesn’t mean you’ll be doing weighted développés while balancing on a Bosu ball.

This means, that you’ll learn how strengthening your end range of motion (the bottoms of your squats and lunges) will help your extensions gain new heights.

You’ll learn that building stability and strength in your adductors and abductors (hips) will support endless balances.

There will be entire weeks dedicated to strengthening and stabilizing you so multiple turns aren’t even a question anymore.

Each of these six-week resistance training units are followed by a three-week conditioning and stamina unit designed to sky rocket your endurance and performance capabilities.

As for this being a “group personal training program” it won’t necessarily feel that way.

Yes, you will be doing the same workouts as DWL’s other Body Mechanics. But you’ll have access to one-on-one communication with DWL’s certified personal trainers (who just so happen to also be professional dancers!).

In one-on-one DM’s with your coaches you can ask specific questions about nutrition, exercise adjustments, or whatever else might be needing attention.

But the real bonus to group personal training is the fact that, with our app, you have access to the Body Mechanics private thread. Ask a question to the group and get answers or encouragement from other dancers going through the same process.

For example, learn how other busy dancers are hitting their protein goals (even if they’re vegan!)

Ask about how people are working through a particularly challenging workout.

Or even ask location specific questions like recommendations for a nearby gym, or restaurant!

Dancers Who Lift has dancers all over the globe that are eager to encourage and cheer one another on so, odds are, someone has an answer!

What if I Don’t Have a Gym Membership?

Totally fine!

As many of the Dancers Who Lift community is on tour or working at theatres away from their homes, this program is designed to be scalable.

That means if you’re unable to get to a gym, we have home workouts readily available with the same goals in mind.

It’s important to us that no matter your situation you have access to top tier training because, as a dancer, you are a top tier athlete.

What Does Body Mechanics look like week to week?

This resistance training program features 3 workouts a week and comes with two auxiliary workouts should you want to get extra gym time in.

It also includes warm-ups for your workouts and cardio workouts incase dance class isn’t on the forefront of your schedule.

The best part? Every single one of these workouts comes with detailed “how-to” videos for the exercises in your workouts so you’ll never feel lost. Not only that, you get an entire library of exercises at you finger tips in case you need or want to make an adjustment.

And if you are lost, send a form video to your coach in the DMs! There they can give you a break down of how to optimize your form or suggest alternative exercises.

Want to understand why you’re doing something? Your coaches can help explain that too.

See what I mean?

Despite being “group” personal training, Dancers Who Lift does not forget the fact that it is personal training.

We care about each individual dancer that works through our program. Because we believe their success is our success.

Yummy, Quick, Budget-Friendly Nutrition

Every month, you’ll receive a recipe guide complete with daily breakdowns of what meals to eat when and a shopping list for the month. This makes sticking to your healthy eating goals a breeze!

Not into pre-planned meals? No problem. You’ll also learn about macros and how to track them to ensure you’re fueling your body for success.

No matter what and how you like to eat, you’ll still be able to work with and learn from the nutritional guidance of the Body Mechanics program.

The Real Win of Body Mechanics

You see, the thing about the Body Mechanics group personal training program at Dancers Who Lift is that it can teach anyone something new.

Whether you’ve been lifting weights for 10 years or 10 minutes this program is designed to educate and empower dancers and athletes to train their bodies for the rigorous demands of their lifestyle.

The other big win of Body Mechanics? It’s priced realistically.

No, scratch that, it’s priced with the budget of performers in mind.

You see, this group personal training program complete with 5 workouts per week, cardio blasts, warm-ups, recipe guides, shopping lists, and daily direct messaging access to a certified personal trainer, only costs $2.19 per day!

I don’t know about you, but that is literally cheaper than my daily coffee.

And here’s the thing, this program isn’t about changing your life an insane amount.

As a dancer you’re likely already working out daily.

You’re likely already conscious of what you eat. (maybe too conscious)

You’re already taking steps to build the dancer life of your dreams.

We just want to take what you’re already doing and optimize it so it’s sustainable and effective.

So what do you think?

Might you decide to stop dieting?

Might you decide to stop relying on your apple watch to track your burnt calories?

And, maybe, you’ll decide to start training like the professional athlete that you are.

Join the latest session of Body Mechanics today, we’d love to have you join our team.

Not sure if it’s a good fit? Give “Who Is Body Mechanics For? A Resistance Training Program for Dancers (and Beyond!)” a read.

workout, dancer workout, weight training for dancers

Lucky Number Seven: A Full-Body Workout Routine

Welcome back to another Workout Wednesday! Today we are going to really get after it with this Lucky Number Seven full-body workout routine.

Don’t be fooled by the number of reps per set! By the end of this workout you will have totaled 252 reps with just three, thirty-second rests. 😮‍💨

Ready to feel the burn?

Lucky Number Seven Full-Body Workout Routine

**90* Squat Jumps x 7**

First up in our full-body workout routine are 90-degree squat jumps.

To perform these, being by lowering your body into a squat. (Double check your squat form here!)

Then, pushing through your heels, push off the ground into a jump. While in the air, turn your body 90-degrees so you land facing the opposite direction.

** Repeat for seven reps, then move on to the next exercise.**

Lateral Lunges x 7 (each side)

Start by standing with your feet together. Then, step directly to the side and lunge onto your leg, keeping your chest lifted and core engaged.

Push off of your lunge leg to return to standing. Repeat on the other side.

For this exercise you can either count left and right as one rep for a total of 7 reps.

You can sound each leg individually for a total of 14 reps.

**Once you’ve completed your reps, immediately move onto the next exercise.**

Hand Walkouts x 7

At this point in our full-body workout routine we are giving our legs and break and moving on to the core and upper body!

From a standing position, roll down your spine until your hands reach the floor. (You may bend your knees if you need to!) Then, walk your hands out until you reach a plank position.

Finally walk your hands all the way back to your feet and return to standing.

**Repeat for 7 reps then, move on to the next exercise.**

Thai-Push Ups x7 (each side)

No, not Muay Thai push-ups. (We’re not that mean!)

For these Thai push-ups you’ll perform a regular push-up, then, at the top of the push-up, rotate your body to your ride side, lifting your right arm off the ground and reaching it toward the ceiling into a side plank.

Then, return to your push-up form. From here, you’ll perform another push-up and repeat the exercise on the other side.

Like the lateral lunges you may count left and right as one rep for a total of 7, or you can count each side separately for a total of 14.

**Whichever way you count your reps, once completed move on immediately to the next exercise.**

Russian Twists x7 (each side – 14 total)

We are officially halfway through our full-body workout routine! Keep going strong!

Begin by sitting up with your knees bent, feet on the floor. Make sure your spine is long and your core is braced.

Then, engage your lower abdominals to lift your feet off the ground. (They don’t have to be super high to feel this one!)

In this position, twist your upper body to one side, reaching your hands in that direction. Try not to move your feet or legs as you do this! The more you isolate your obliques, the more you’ll get from this exercise.

Quickly switch to the other side. Switch back and forth for a total of 14 reps.

**When complete, move on to the next exercise.**

Shoulder Taps x7 (each side)

Alright! How are you feeling? You’re almost there!

Get yourself into a plank position with your weight on your hands. Make sure to brace your core, keeping your hips low and shoulders gliding gently down your back.

Now, tap your right hand to your left shoulder and try not to let your hips twist! Then, switch sides.

**Repeat for a total of 14 reps, or 7 reps on each side, then move on to single-leg glute bridges.**

Single-Leg Glute Bridges x7 (each side)

Lay on your back with your knees bent. Ideally, your heels should be close enough to your tush that you can just barely touch them with the tips of your fingers.

In this position, brace your core and lift one leg off the floor so your shin is parallel to the ceiling.

Then, pulling your pelvis toward your knees, lift your hips up toward the ceiling as high as you can without arching your back.

Repeat for 7 reps then switch sides!

**Once complete on each side, move on to FINAL exercise!**

V-sit or V-tuck x 7

You made it to the final exercise in our full-body workout routine!

Lay flat on your back and brace your core.

In one movement, lift your chest and shins toward the ceiling by scooping your abs back and up toward your spine. Arms should reach forward but not round the shoulders. (Keep those collarbones wide!)

For a v-sit legs will be relatively straight.

If this is too challenging or push too much pressure on your tailbone, you can perform the v-tuck by pulling your knees toward your chest as you sit up.

**Once these reps are complete rest for 30 seconds before starting the routine over again!)

Finish it out!

To complete this full-body workout routine, perform the above set of exercises three times!

Come on, I know you can do it! And when you do, let us know how it goes!

Did you like today’s workout? Try: The Stair Down: An Adjustable Stair Workout

And if you like that, give these quick reads a glance, I think you’ll love them: Is Static Stretching Canceled?: Busting Myths and Revealing Facts on Stretching for Dancers, Honor Your Limits: 7 Types of Boundaries and How to Set Them

Training Tip Tuesday: Sleeping Positions

Do you ever wake up with low back pain? Or maybe a kink in your neck? Then, the entire rest of your day you have that nagging pain that you can’t stretch or release no matter how hard you try? You might need to consider your sleeping position!

Let’s talk about it

How often do you lay down in bed and instantly roll onto your stomach, throw your arms in a weird position and then put one foot in a passé like position?

This sleeping position may feel comfy at first, but what happens to your muscles after they’ve been in this bizarre position for 6-8 hours a night?

When we choose sleeping positions that are anatomically “incorrect” we can actually cause some serious issues for our body. And, if they go unnoticed, could cause major issues later on in life!

So what are some better sleeping positions?

First up: corpse pose A.K.A. Shavasana!

Laying on your back like this allows your muscles to relax and rest in a perfectly aligned position and alleviate a lot of unwanted discomfort the next day!

If this sleeping position feels uncomfortable in your lower back, add a small pillow or folded blanket underneath your knees to relieve the pressure.

Any side sleepers out there?

Sleeping on your side can be tricky because you want to ensure your spine is aligned when you sleep in order to avoid any neck or back pain.

To do this, ensure that whatever combination of pillows you use keep your head in line with your spine. You don’t what your neck bent downward toward your shoulder or upward toward the ceiling!

Additionally, placing a pillow between your knees keeps your pelvis in a neutral position while sleeping. Doing this will keep that lower back pain at bay!

Want to learn more about optimal sleeping positions for athletes like yourself?

Check out this video for more sleeping tips!

Did you enjoy this Training Tip? Check out these blogs that might also interest you: Training Tip Tuesday: Hip Flexor Stretch, The Early Morning Workout, Keeping Things Cool: The Benefits of Deliberate Cold Exposure for Dancers