Cost Benefits Analysis for Strength Training in Dance

The biggest takeaway from this discussion? Even if all of us might not agree on an exercise, you should always do an analysis not unlike the above around why you’re including an exercise in a program. If you can’t justify an exercise beyond “I thought it was cool” or “I saw this on Instagram and wanted to try it,” then you’re at risk of wasting valuable time in the gym. That’s time and energy in particular that dancers don’t have to waste.

Jason HarrisonJanuary 18, 2020Present Tense FitnessCable row, Romanian deadlift, posterior chain, lats, glutes, hamstrings Comment

The Lats: A Primer for Dancers

Strong lats are critical for any athletic movement, in other words, so it’s important that we understand the interplay between them and posture, injury prevention, and performance. When we consider how often dancers are in spinal extension—think arabesque or the standing posture we often associate with ballerinas—then we begin to understand the delicate balance between latissimus dorsi strength and latissimus dorsi mobility.

Jason HarrisonApril 27, 2019Present Tense Fitnesslats, latissimus dorsi, spinal extension, shoulder flexion, shoulder health, shoulders, spineComment