weight lifting, Dancers Who Lift, Page 2

seasons of life call for different types of training

Training Through The Many Seasons of Life

As much as we’d love to live in a world where we are always booked, can take as many vacation days as we please, and are always at the peak of our health journey, the reality is, that there are many different seasons of life.

There are seasons when we are so busy we can hardly think straight and return home at the end of the only to collapse into bed.

There are seasons when you’re recovering from an injury and days are filled with eating for recovery, going to physical therapy, and resting.

Seasons when life is in one of those beautiful states of balance and you’re able to take on commitments and challenges that you previously didn’t have the bandwidth for.

And there are seasons when you are booked in a show, rehearsals filling your days and shows filling your evenings.

Each of these seasons of life takes a different type of toll on your body. Observing that toll and planning your physical training around it will be the key to consistency in your active life.

So, how do we tailor our training to these seasons of life?

I’m so glad you asked, let’s dive in.

Why is This Important

As much as we dancers want to believe we are superhuman, we are not. The truth is, there is only so much stress (physical/emotional/spiritual/mental) that our bodies can handle at one time.

In fact, studies have shown that seasons of life that involve high amounts of stress impair efforts to be physically active.

In other words, when we are stressed, it’s harder to get ourselves to the gym and the reason isn’t just laziness, it’s physiological.

Remember, our bodies want us to win. If we are experiencing a stressful season of life, our bodies will signal us to take it easy so it has time to recover.

Now, this is challenging because, dancers love to do things.

That’s why we talk so often about stress management.

Because even if you don’t feel stressed. That doesn’t mean your body isn’t under stress.

For example:

Imagine you’re in one of the most fulfilling seasons of your life.

You’re booked in a show in your city of residence.

Your free time consists of dance classes, voice lessons, and workouts.

You also teach fitness classes three days a week in the mornings.

Your nights consist of three hours of dancing in a show.

You’re doing this 8 shows a week and on your off day, you’re hitting up your favorite fitness class. (I mean, you get free classes at the studio where you teach, so why not?)

Sounds great, right?

This isn’t a trick question, to a lot of us, it does sound great! And there is nothing wrong with this schedule.

But it is A LOT of stress for your body to sustain day after day, week after week. And that stress is going to affect your sleep, your energy levels, and how efficiently your body works in and recovers from the gym.

It doesn’t mean you can’t maintain a schedule like this, but it does mean that your training needs to adjust to keep your body in tip top shape.

So, How Do I Tailor My Training to My Seasons Of Life?

There are three major ways to tailor your training to your seasons of life: respecting rest, identifying stress, and listening to your body.

Respecting Rest

First, you have to dismantle the idea that rest is not productive. In fact, rest is an imperative part of making progress toward any fitness goal. In order to appropriately tailor your training to your seasons of life, you must understand and acknowledge that truth.

Let me share a short story with you.

I had a client who I’d worked with for a long time. Her side job was instructing barre classes and she danced…A LOT.

One week she expressed how tired she was. She was in rehearsals for a big gig coming up that weekend, she was taking a masterclass with an instructor who was in town, and she was heading to a night class to build a relationship with a choreographer who had called her back for a show recently. She had a gap in her day between teaching and rehearsals and said,

“I thought about going home, but I think I’m going to take a barre class. It’s free and what am I going to do at home? Just sit there?”

I looked at her for a moment and said, “Yes. It sounds like your body needs it.”

She responded “But my costume this weekend is itty-bitty and I want to look snatched, ya know?”

Oof. I felt this. I, myself, have been guilty of believing that if I just work my body constantly it would submit into the shape I wanted it to be.

But want to know a secret? On top of the fact that one class will not change your body, stress (physical, emotional, and mental) can cause bloating and other GI issues – so if snatched is the goal, that extra class might actually do you a disservice.

What’s more, overtraining during seasons of stress makes you more susceptible to injury!

So stop holding yourself to a standard that isn’t helping you reach your goals. It’s okay to skip the gym during a season of stress. It’s ok to choose a lower-intensity workout even if the stress you’re under isn’t physical. You’re entire body is connected; mind, body, and spirit.

Identifying Stress

Next, you have to practice identifying stress in your life. If you’re in a season of life where you’re struggling with an injury or illness, even if you “feel” well, your body is under stress. In a season like this, shifting your training to more gentle forms of exercise/movement, and getting plenty of rest is going to be key to healing.

Stress isn’t always bad stuff though. Callbacks are exciting and charged with hope and the opportunity to perform! However, a week full of callbacks taxes your body mentally, emotionally, and physically.

The same is true about the rehearsal process of a show. Your brain is working in overdrive, emotionally you’re balancing excitement and exhaustion and making new friends, and physically you’re dancing way more than if the show was mounted.

If you’re in a season of life like this, it can be especially hard to shift your training focus. But the reality is, this type of season of life is not the time to enter into a cut phase. It’s not the time to up the intensity of your workouts.

Instead, this is the time to shift the focus of your training from growth to maintenance; taking plenty of rest days and maybe focusing more on mobility, recovery, and fuel.

Listening To Your Body

Finally, you have to hone the skill of listening to your body.

There is a great deal of difference between a lack of motivation and your body asking for a break.

Learning how to differentiate between the two is the key to adapting your training to different seasons of life.

A good indicator that you need a break is that you actually feel tired. This is also a sign that you’re not adequately fueled up. So, if this is you, make sure you’ve been eating plenty of protein, carbs, and fat to fuel your current lifestyle. If after that you’re still exhausted, take a break.

Another indicator that you’re tired is if you are noticing any cold symptoms. When we are stressed, our immune system depletes. Feeling a sore throat coming on, a headache, or other symptoms might be a signal to rest for a day or two.

Finally, if stopping your resting sounds terrible to you, that’s probably a sign that you need a break. Sometimes, when we are busy, stopping to rest feels like an abrupt slam on the brakes. Instead, I want you to view it as a gentle tap on the breaks to help you safely get around a sharp corner. Your car isn’t stopping, it’s just slowing down so it can remain in control.

If Every Workout Is Intense, No Workout Is Intense

If you’ve been with DWL for a while you know that we believe in mixing up our training.

It’s not optimal (or healthy) to be in a caloric deficit all the time, but there are seasons of life where it’s possible and goals for which it’s necessary.

It’s not optimal to constantly be in a building phase.

Eventually, we want to reach a place of maintenance.

So, if you’re looking to build muscle, do a cut, or any other fitness goal that’s going to require an increase in intensity, talk to your coach first about your life.

What adjustments need to be made? Can those adjustments happen right now?

And if the answer is no. That’s okay. Just because you’re in a season that doesn’t allow for 4 lifting sessions in a week right now, doesn’t mean that it’s forever.

Everything has a season, everything has a time. (Name that show tune!) Adjusting your training to eb and flow with the seasons of life you encounter will change the game for your progress.

Don’t have a coach to strategize with? Click here to learn more about our Body Mechanics program. It’s specifically designed to give you the tools you need to achieve your fitness goals as a dancer – and all with access to a coach

Training Tip Tuesday: Leg Assisted Chin-up

Whether you are on a journey to complete your first chin-up, multiple chin-ups, or you are just committed to improving your back strength and posture, let me introduce you to one of my favorite foundational and supplementary moves to help you get closer to your goal: the leg assisted Chin-up.

The Leg Assisted Chin-up is amazing if you:

-don’t have access to an assisted chin-up machine

-don’t want to mess around with bands for assistance

-are kind of scared of heights

-are still working on your grip strength

-want to increase overall volume of your vertical pull

Set up is pretty easy:

To set up your leg assisted chin-up, head to your squat rack or Smith machine.

Lower the bar to about belly button height then, Set your hips on the ground beneath the bar.

Reach your hands directly overhead to grab the bar.

Then, depending on how challenging you want to make the move, bend your knees tighter to your body for more assistance, or walk your feet away from your body for less assistance (like an upside down plank).

Once you’re in position, pull your chin to the bar and get those gains!

That’s all there is to it!

This may seem like an entirely different exercise than a chin-up. You might even be thinking, but it doesn’t even look like a chin up.

Well, the thing about the leg assisted chin-up is that it not only works the same back muscle groups as a chin-up (making the muscles needed for a chin-up stronger) but it also forces your abdominals to kick on. This recruitment of your abs is the key to any chin-up, assisted or not.

So, it’s fair to say that training in this way will teach your abdominals to join the party when performing this move, ultimately bringing you closer to your chin-up goals even faster.

Do you think you’ll try it?

Let us know if you do! We’d love to celebrate you reaching a fitness goal!

Did you like this Training Tip? Check out these blogs for more fitness secrets: Well, Isn’t That Handy?! An App-Free Guide For Tracking Food, How to Do a Proper Deadlift: The Ultimate Guide for Dancers, Performance vs Outcome Goals: The Role of Each In Productive Goal Setting

y-raise, how to do a y-raise, training tip

Training Tip Tuesday: Y-Raise

Happy Training Tip Tuesday! Today we are telling you everything you need to know about the Y-Raise!

What is a Y-Raise, You Ask?

A Y-raise is a scapular/mid-back exercise that helps us strengthen our scapular retraction – in other words- this exercise helps maintain proper alignment and good posture!

What muscles does the Y-Raise strengthen?

This exercise targets a variety of back muscles including:

Here is a little diagram to help you visualize:

Y-raise muscles used

So How Do You Perform the Y-raise?

Follow these steps:

Set yourself up on a bench angled at 45 degrees and lie with your chest on the pad. You can keep your feet on the ground if you are tall enough, or if you are short like me, kneel on the headrest of the bench so your neck and head extend off the top of the bench.
Hold a dumbbell in each hand (you won’t need a lot of weight to feel this exercise), with a neutral grip: palms facing each other. Allow your hands to drop straight toward the ground on either side of the bench.
Keeping a soft bend in the elbows, raise your arms (keeping that neutral grip) on a slight diagonal to align with your head making a “Y” shape.
Lower arms back down to the starting position.

Still have questions? Here are a few extra technique tips to look for:

Keep your spine aligned and don’t let your head drop
Keep your shoulders down and don’t let them rise into your ears
Keep thumbs pointing towards the sky the entire time

Good luck and let us know how it goes!

Want more training tips like these? Check out: FLEXIBILITY vs. MOBILITY: Is passive stretching overrated?, Training Tip Tuesday: kneeling thoracic extension stretch, What is a Rest Day? The Key To Unlocking Your Progress

Training Tip Tuesday: Smith Machine Hip Thrust

Happy Training Tip Tuesday! Today we are talking about the Smith Machine hip thrust.

Using a Smith Machine to perform hip thrusts is a great way to introduce yourself to barbell hip thrusts.

Because the barbell is gliding on the machine, the Smith machine hip thrust offers more stability. This is great for dancers still building stability in their knees or hips before jumping straight into regular hip thrusts. It’s also a great option when going for a personal record to add extra stability, or, if you find getting under the barbell challenging.

So, want to learn how to set up this lift?

Setting up the Smith Machine Hip Thrust

Set up your bench

First things first, grab a bench and set it up the long way in front of the Smith machine. (The bench should make a sort of wall between the posts of the Smith Machine)

Lower the Bar

Next, lower the bar so it is near where you need it, but there is still enough room to get underneath it.

Get Into Position

Now, set yourself up for the lift. So, just like a regular hip thrust, lean your shoulder blades against the edge of the bench, and lift your hips so they are underneath the barbell.

Now, rotate the bar to release it and gently lower it onto your hips. If you need to use a towel or a barbell pad to protect your hipbones, feel free!

Perform the Hip Thrust

To perform the hip thrust, look down toward your belly button and engage your core. Moving your body as one solid piece (no arching in the lower spine!) hinge your hips toward the floor. (your shoulder blades should be the fulcrum for your balance)

At the bottom, squeeze your glutes to thrust your hips back up to the starting position – again, no arching the back!

Perform as many reps as necessary, then, rotate the bar back onto the machine and take your rest.

Wait, I Can’t Picture It…

That’s okay! We have a form video of Coach Kiersten Performing the Smith Machine Hip Thrust, here.

Her machine has the safeties on so her range of motion is limited. But your setup and form should be exactly the same!

Want more tips like this? Check out these training tips and workouts: Dead Bug Exercises: Variations for a Stable Core, Leaping For Joy: A Dancer’s Guide on How to Jump Higher, Building Power with Poise: Dumbbell & Band Workout for Dancers

Training Tip Tuesday: Three Point Row

The three point row is one of those exercises that looks simple enough, but it’s easy to cheat your form.

That’s why today’s training tip Tuesday is breaking down exactly how to set up and perform the three point row so you can get the most out of your lifting session.

Shall we dive in?

Setting Up

For this exercise you’ll need a chair, bench or box that’s low enough to give you a hinge in your hips, but not so low that your shoulders would be lower than your hips.

Set your weight on the floor next to the bench so you’ll be able to easily pick it up once you’re in position.

How to Three Point Row

Now that you have your bench, hinge your hips (like you’re about to deadlift) and place your hand on the bench.

Ideally this hand is directly underneath your shoulder, though slightly for ward is okay if needed. Just make sure your hand doesn’t go so far forward that you’re tempted to arch your back!

In this bent over position, abs should be knitted together and supporting a strong stable spine. Your hips should be even and you should think about lengthening long out of the top of your head.

Next, pick up your weight. Once the weight is in your hands, roll your shoulder down and back, engaging your lats to stabilize the working side of your body. Don’t let that weight pull your shoulder down and forward- use those back muscles!

Finally, keeping your elbow close to your body, pull your hand back toward your hip to row the weight. You should feel those lats engaging to pull the weight.

As you row, keep your body completely still.

Just like birddogs, three point rows work your stabilizers as much as the muscle group performing the action. So, don’t let your working shoulder twist your body open, and don’t let those hips get involved!

Remember, it’s okay to go down in weight if you over estimated! Three point rows are challenging when performed with excellent form. Take your time getting stronger!

If you’d like to see a form video, check out this how-to from Coach Kierstin!

And there you have it! Everything you need to know about the three point row!

Looking for more fitness tips, nutrition tricks, and dance focused personal training? Give these quick reads a glance: Workout Wednesday: The Floor Workout,Training Tip Tuesday: Confidence Corner, the Gymitmidation Secret, The Pros and Cons of Creatine: Busting the Myths and Revealing the Facts

Training Tip Tuesday: Hammer Curls

Let’s talk hammer curls- a two for one upper body exercise!

As dancers, the upper body is seen as “less than” compared to our legs that do all the work. But in my opinion, the legs may seem to do all the work but the upper body is where the extension of the performance is!

After all, why else would there be countless workouts on social media labeled as “Dancer Arms Workout.” And you best believe my ballet teacher growing up worked our port de bras to the bone at the barre.

And while a lot of us dancers love a leg day because it’s where we feel comfortable, working our arms in the gym is equally important.

That’s why today’s training tip is all about how to perform hammer curls.

Now, hammer curls are a bit different than your traditional bicep curl.

Due to its varied grip, the hammer curl works not only the “biceps brachii but the brachioradialis as well.”

These muscle is helpful in assisting elbow joint and wrist movements, such as lifting and carrying any object or pushing/pulling objects.

So, needless to say, hammer curls are helpful for everyday motions.

If you start adding hammer curls into your routine, you help increase wrist stability and improve grip strength. (Can you say stable inversions and deadlift PRs?)

Let’s breakdown Hammer Curls, shall we?

Start by standing with your legs straight, hips and knees aligned , keeping a tiny bend in your knees. Your arms should start down by your side with a dumbbell in each hand and palms facing inward (like you’re holding a hammer).

Slowly roll those shoulders down away from your ears and keep them relaxed.

Then bend at the elbows and lift the lower arms slowly pulling the weight to your shoulders. Make sure only your forearm is moving by ensuring your elbows remain directly by your sides.

Once you hit the top of the movement (usually a little bit above 90) hold for a one second pause. Again, keeping your palms facing in toward the midline of the body.

Finally, slowly lower the weights to return to the starting position. Again, keep those elbows in place. Don’t let them drift forward to assist you.

Want a clear visual?

Check out this video to see Coach Mel in action!

Take inventory of how this grip makes your bicep lift feel different. Likely, you’ll be sore in a few new places tomorrow or the next day, but don’t worry, that’s just a D.O.M.s. Overtime your body will adjust to the new grip and you’ll be moving back up in weight in no time!

Have questions? Drop them in the comments or shoot us a DM @dancerswholift on Instagram and Tiktok.

Want more tips like this? Here are a few we think you might like: Making a Split Decision: Tips and Tricks on How to Get Your Splits, Leg Day: Perform At Your Own Risk, Practicing Emotional Self Care: Common Mistakes High Performance Humans Make