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| Many of you will come to this website, and this training page in particular, because you are on a quest to develop not only beautiful and strong dancers legs, but a head to toe / top to bottom fantastic Dancer's Physique as well. You achieve this within a relatively short period of time by taking dance classes regularly and adding a bit of weight training, Pilates, or aerobics ( running, jogging, treadmill, or biking ) to the mix. Thus armed you would have all the tools you need to have in order to develop the "look" that Juliet or Cyd had. Unfortunately, you have to take into consideration your genetics, your basic body structure, and you have to understand how to put together logical training programs that allow you to get the best results from what you do. Without training workout structure knowledge, most of you will simply do too much exercise, or perform the exercises and movements ( including dance movements ) in an incorrect way. Also, far too many trainees have short term and long term goals in mind that are probably unattainable. By that I mean way too many dance, fitness, and exercise enthusiasts will grind on through class after class, workout after workout, day after day, without ever understanding why the results you seek are not happening because the results you seek are not logical in scope. You need a well thought out plan in order to get from where you are now to where you will be next year, and in subsequent years. This LATL training page will give you some practical training knowledge and hints that will point toward a understanding regarding how to get the results you want in a simple and logical manner without struggling, overtraining. Think of this info as insights into the possibilities that are available to you when you can recognize they exist. Read, think, implement. STEP #1
In any project there is always a STEP #1. When it comes to the project that this site is devoted to (developing functional and beautiful legs), I suggest you first start out by purchasing and reading a really good book on dance as exercise ) BALLET IS THE BEST EXERCISE by Cynthia Gregory would be a fine choice in my opinion / THE JOFFREY BALLET SCHOOL'S BOOK OF BALLET-FIT by Allison Kyle Leopold and Dena Moss is another fine title / THE NEW YORK CITY BALLET WORK by Peter Martins is also excellent - You can find these titles at AMAZON.COM ) In the days and weeks to come I will explain exactly how to use the book by Ms. Gregory and other very dance / fitness training books to either supplement your current dance classes or to form the basis of your home personal fitness and physique training program. There are a many books on fitness, bodybuilding, exercise, dance, and ballet training that are helpful and productive, but unless you have actually spent some time in the dance studio and in a exercise for fitness studio or gym with a living, breathing teacher, you won't be able to get much more than shallow results from trying to copy moves from a printed page. I will list a few more good ballet texts for the home trainee in future editions of this page.
STEP #2WEIGHT TRAINING "SECRETS" EVERY DANCER OR FITNESS AND PHYSIQUE TRAINEE SHOULD KNOW ( FROM MY "DANCER'S PHYSIQUE" WEBSITE )Here is a bit of weiht training knowledge that will save you a lot of time, effort, and pain when you decide to add progressive resistance training to your basic ballet barre training in you quest for beautiful legs and a dancers physique. In future additions to this page I will explain why the method of training revealed below has an infinite potential for creating meaningful and functional physical change/improvement that will last for a lifetime. There is more to this information than seems apparent. I will gradually reveal the hidden possibilities so that you can use them for your very own evolutionary progress. Enjoy.
How to Get the Most Out of Sensible Weight-Training
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Taking the Mystery and Confusion Out of Sets and Reps-
There
are a myriad of set and rep configurations that can produce results,
but one has to begin with a simple, basic set & rep scheme upon
which all of the other possible set and rep schemes can be structured
and experimented with. Such a system was developed by nutritionist and
bodysculpting genius Rheo H. Blair (a.k.a. Irvin Johnson) in the late
1940's through many hours of personal research, intense study, and real
world experimentation with the various set & rep permutations that
others had espoused before him. The "system" he came up with was a
brilliant basic set and rep scheme "template" that took the mystery and
confusion out of figuring out how to go about creating productive,
safe, and sensible exercise training routines. In many ways Blair's
"template" is far more useful than the convoluted "exercise
prescriptions" that personal trainers and so called "exercise experts"
dole out to their clients and pupils today. Keep in mind that each
individual will have a "personal" inclination towards certain set and
rep schemes (I, for example, prefer 3-4 sets of 10-12 repetitions with
most resistance exercise movements, but, if pressed for time, I will
often perform a few warmup reps of a certain movement, and then follow
that with a single set of 21-25 "focused" repetitions. At other times I
will opt for two sets of 15 "focused" repetitions. Blair's "template"
allow me to vary my set and rep schemes according to how I "feel" now,
and according to how much time I have to devote to resistance (or even
non resistance) exercise.
A basic variation of the original Blair "template" was as follows:
18-21 reps (or more)>one set
15 reps>2 sets
12 reps>3 sets
10 reps>4 sets
8 reps>5 sets
6 reps>6 sets
3 reps>6 sets
2 reps>8 sets
Now you probably want to know exactly how to use the above template. It
is really very simple. For example; if you plan on performing 18 (or
more)consecutive repetitions of a particular exercise, you will
"usually" only perform one set. If you only plan on performing 6 reps
per set, you will aim at 6 sets. How do you progress using this system?
One way is to add one rep per set, per workout, until you are easily
performing "three" more reps than the rep scheme you started out with
(for example; you begin with 18 reps and work up gradually to 21 reps
over the course of "one" set, or you begin with twelve reps per set and
work up to 15 reps per set over "two" sets). There are a myriad of ways
to make this "template" method work without boring you to death in the
process. Imagine, if you will, experimenting with the 2 sets of 15 reps
"template" for a few months, and then playing around with using 2 sets
of 15 reps as a "gateway" to single sets of 18-21 reps, and vice versa.
The results could be spectacular, or at least pleasing over time.
Still, it is wise to keep in mind that "repetition" schemes and even
"set" schemes are usually the result of "personl preference" moreso
than rigid, written in stone, rules of order.
Those
of you who are thinking that the 2, 3, 6, & 8 rep templates sound
suspiciously like heavy weight lifting rather than body sculpting,
don't worry. You want to more resistance at times both for variety, and
so that you can strengthen and break through "sticking points" that the
higher rep "templates" will sometimes present you with. You will NOT
have to use resistance levels that cause struggling, straining, a loss
of proper body positioning and form, or are the result of trying to
impress others. Most people who exercise on a regular basis are
completely unaware of the possibilities inherent within using a variety
of resistance and set structures to create different physical responses
in terms of both muscular development and strength fitness enhancement.
What is more important than the level of resistance used (or the number
of sets performed) is the mental focus and concentration you utilize in
maintaining proper form from the initial rep to the final rep of each
set. You can increase the intensity and difficulty of a particular
exercise movement (and thus the results produced from such variation)
by merely experimenting with the way you focus your mind during the
movement, rep, or set. If you have a background in ballet, jazz, or
even tap dance training, you already know how you can vary dance bar
workout intensity and difficulty in a flash by merely changing the
tempo of the music you are following. You can even attain amazing
results using a small electronic metronome with an earplug to "pace"
your exercise movements while training in a loud commercial training
center setting. Although it might seem to some that the use of an
electronic metronome in a progressive resistance training setting would
lead to "mechanical" performance of exercise movements, it is not
necessarily so if one knows how to "flow" with, within, and in-between
the metronomic "clicks" rather than do "the robot" to them. If you are
a seasoned dancer you already have a "built in metronome" in your head
and body anyway.
More on this in the weeks to come.
September 29, 2009
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Secrets of Developing A Dancer's Legs - Part One
Hey, everybody would like to have long, shapely legs such as professional dancers display, but the truth is that when it comes to what tpe of legs YOU can develop, everything depends upon the body structure, bone lengths, muscle lengths, muscle / tendon attachments, and how you body responds to exercise stimulus. In other words, you could trainin in exactly the same way as a great dancer and never develop the same leg "look." but what you can do is take what you have been gifted with and make the most of it. Since the vast majority of human beings will never do any intensive and focused dance training or progressive resistance training, your results will make you look astounding in comparison to the average person IF you go about training in a logical, practical, and sensible manner. It would be ridiculous to jump into heavy bodybuilding and weightlifting as a means of developing beautiful legs simply because a mixture of weekly dance classes along with a brief amount of progressive resistance training with relatively moderate resistance levels will almost certainly do the trick. Don't be fooled by weightlifting guru's and personal trainers who try to convince you that the way to get the development of your dreams is by hard and heavy weight training 3-5 days per week. There is a far safer and saner way to get the results you desire. I will outline one such way on this website. Try the methods I outline for 6-8 weeks and you will be amazed at how much your legs and your overall physique will improve without struggling, straining, and suffering with heavy barbells and / or heavy exercise machines. There is definitely a place in your training for barbells, dumbbells, and exercise machines. But, if you know how to use those training tools properly in conjunction with your dance classes, you will be able to develop just about any type of leg development you desire. A lot depends upon properly using your mind and intellect when training as opposed to just going into the dance studio or fitness center with a gung ho killer attitude. Many will disagree with me on this point, but I have proven many times that my approach to leg development / total physique development for classical beauty NEVER fails. More on this subject in the weeks to come.
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DIRECT QUESTIONS TO: H. APRIL / PUBLISHER * P.O. BOX 5619 * CHICAGO, IL * 60680-561
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STEP #3
COMING SOON!
This upcoming article will explain why Pilates and Ball training are probably bad for you.
***************************************************************************************************************************** -MY NEVER ENDING FASCINATION WITH BALLET TRAINING-
I have always been fascinated by ballet and the incredible physical technical abilities of ballet dancers ( male and female ). So much so that I spent a protracted period of time studying the basic elements of classical ballet training because every jazz dance and modern dance teacher I have studied under told me that the core of their individual technical ability came from intensive ballet training at an early age. That is why you will find that whenever you observe or take a jazz, modern, tap, or ballroom dance class you will note that the warmups are done at the "barre," and consist of "barre drills" that warm up the legs, waist, midsection, upper torso, arms, and shoulders prior to the actual "class." To see a professional ballet dancer warming up at the "barre" is akin to watching a flower blooming in the span of 10-20 minutes ( or more ). "Barre" warmups will humble even the most flexible and athletic individual who does not have a deep background in classical ballet. Quite often an adult will become involved in a course of ballet instruction and lose sight of the fact that if you have not begun training at a very early age, you will not be able to come close to the skill and movement sets of experienced dancers. They quickly become depressed with their lack of progress in "mimicing" what the professional dancer is capable of at the "barre." So, they quit the class and move on to something easier like aerobic dance or bodybuilding / fitness training. They thus end up missing the fantastic progress in body strengthening, body control, posture improvement, and a "sense of flow and grace" that all dancers display, and is possible for anyone of any age through classical ballet "barre" training. Ballet "barre" work will ( over time ) "sculpt" your entire body into an image of classical symmetry and balance that will turn heads and make others find joy in watching you. The "barre" training will instill perfect posture and the ability to "flow" as you move in daily life in or out of the dance studio. That, my friends is the golden value of classical ballet "barre" training for the adult male or female trainee who has begun ballet study late in life. And you can "potentiate" that golden value and the overall results if you know how to add just a bit of "cross-training" with free-weights and certain exercise machines ( all of which is clearly outlined in my soon to be published LATL TRAINING GUIDE ). For those of you who think that you can engage in "real" ballet training, and become a "real" ballet dancer just because you create that goal in your mind, I suggest you view the documentary film BALLERINA by Bertrand Norman. That film will open your eyes and your mind to the "reality" of classical ballet training in abrupt fashion. Below I have listed links for two reviews of the film BALLERINA by Chicago based film critics ( Hedy Weiss of the Chicago Sun-Times, and Michael Phillips of the Chicago Tribune ), and a review of the film by a New York based critic ( Michelle Orange for the Village Voice ). It is a superb documentary film that will reveal just what it takes to become a "real" ballet artist of the highest order. For even more on the documentary BALLERINA, click HERE Ballerina TO VIEW AN ABSOLUTELY MIND-BLOWING CLIP FROM THE FILM BALLERINA CLICK "HERE" ******************************************************************************************************************** SATURDAY MORNING DANCE CLASS DANCE ART STUDIO BALLET SCHOOL-LUZERNE, SWITZERLAND ****************************************************************************************************** The rare snapshot below of Juliet Prowse just having fun during her early years in California is proof positive that when you develop a great body and / or a great pair of legs, you will look beautiful even when caught in non-studied, playful moments in life when you are not in "lean and mean" physical condition. | |
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