To get a dancer’s body, you need strength training for muscle tone and some cardio for fat loss. This full body workout combines both for that long, lean dancer body look.
The fastest way to a dancer body.
Many women love the dancer’s build. Lean but muscled, she appears elegant yet strong.
But I doubt any of us, outside from professional dancers, have the fortitude and time it requires to actually earn that body. It’s a full time job just to train.
Thankfully, with a few pointers, you can fake it:
>>A workout that combines strength training and cardio.
The word “tone” is misleading. You can’t “tone” a muscle. You can only build it, and lose fat to reveal the muscle shape. Combining strength training and cardio in one workout is called metabolic resistance training, and it’s my special sauce. Not only do you both build muscle and get your heart rate going for strength gains and killer fat loss, you get your endorphins going, feel great, and get done in record time.
>>Do mostly full body workouts.
I mention all the time how you won’t get bulky lifting weights. And you won’t. But this is your body and you get to choose how you sculpt it. That’s the beauty of fitness. And if you’re after a dancer body, then you want muscle shape without too much size. Full body workouts still build muscle, but without the intensity on one body part, you’ll build size more slowly while concentrating on the metabolic benefits. Just be careful when doing full body workouts on back-to-back days. Make sure you’re not concentrating too intensely on the same muscle groups.
>>Include calisthenics/bodyweight exercises.
Dancers do lift weights sometimes, but it’s secondary to their training. Most of that muscle tone is from hours of dancing, which is a type of bodyweight training. However, this workout includes added weights to save us time while still amping up the intensity in as little time as possible. And incorporating bodyweight exercises for metabolic and stabilizing benefits will help give you that dancer’s agility and grace.
>>Really milk the reps.
Dancers don’t dance to work out. They dance to express, feeling the movement through the entire body. Like a dancer, finish each rep fully. Extend as much as you can extend. Jump as high as you can jump. All these little efforts will add up big time, perfecting your form, burning more calories and building more strength.
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Instructions
Dancer Body Workout
Part 1:
15&45×15
- Alternating weighted back lunges
- Reptile run push up
- V-ups and hollow coil
- Weighted side lunges
- Skater jumps
Part 2:
15&45×12
- Step-throughs
- Thrusters
- Single KB/DB clean and squat, alternating
Video Instructions.
Watch me for instructions and modifications! (And please, please don’t make fun of how horrid I look. I filmed the intro afterwards and I had sweat pouring down me, lol.)
Exercises.
Alternating weighted back lunges.
From standing, hold two dumbbells or kettlebells, hanging at your sides. Step one leg behind you so front leg and back leg are both at about right angles. You should feel this in the butt as well as the leg. Let the back knee kiss the floor before reversing the movement, returning to a standing position. Repeat on opposite side and continue alternating.
Reptile run push up.
Start in a push-up plank then lower down to a push-up as one knee bends outward. Stay in the down position, with your elbows bent, your body straight but slightly off the floor, with one leg out to the side. Then jump and switch your legs three times, keeping your body as immobile as possible, still close to the ground. Then come up, placing your leg back to neutral. You should have switched legs during this rep. Continue. Each rep should alternate sides.
V-ups and hollow coil.
For the v-up, from hollow position with hands held straight above your head, lift your legs and torso off the ground, making a “V” shape. Return to starting position. Then do a hollow coil: With a band, towel, or shirt held taut between your hands, from that hollow position bring your knees and chest together, knees bent. Then thread your knees through the loop made from your two arms and the band, and straighten your legs. Reverse back to the starting position. One v-up and one hollow coil is one rep.
Alternating weighted side lunge.
From standing, with either two dumbbells hanging down your sides or one kettlebell held by the horns at your chest, bend down with weight mostly on one leg while the other leg is sticking out to the side. Be sure to keep your knees behind your toes and your butt back. Go down to where your thigh is parallel to the ground, and return to standing. Repeat on opposite side.
Side skater jumps.
Jump laterally from one leg to the other, and place the non-weight-bearing leg behind you straight, similar to a speed skating stance, and touch the floor with your hand as you bend down. Repeat on opposite side, and continue. This should be a fairly fast motion from side to side.
Step-throughs.
Get in bear position by putting your hands and feet on ground, with knees bent and your back straight. Toes should be curled under you and your knees off the ground but at a right angle. Lean back on your legs, then step your right foot forward next to your hands, while simultaneously lifting your right hand up. You should now be in a low lunge position. Now take the left foot and bring it forward, threading it through the hold between your right leg and left hand, and extend it straight in front of you. Reverse movement and repeat, alternating sides. The movement should be fairly quick, and you can even jump your feet forward into the lunge if you are able.
Thrusters.
With a pair of dumbbells or kettlebells held up at your shoulders, squat down, then as you come up, lift your hands up in the air in a shoulder press.
Alternating single kettlebell clean and squat.
Stand with legs a little wider than shoulder width, with a kettlebell on the floor between them. Bend knees slightly (but not as much as a squat), hinge at the hips and bend to pick up the kettlebell with one hand, then stand upright as you clean the kettlebell, rack it, squat to parallel and stand. Place down between your legs and swiftly move to the next rep with the opposite hand.
Keep track of your scores!
I always suggest writing down your scores in a workout journal. It helps to show yourself how you’re progressing, if you ever do this workout again.
Happy workouting!
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- Women’s Lower Body Workout for Amazing Legs and Glutes
- Dumbbell Lower Body Workout for Badass B*tches
- Short, Intense Full Body Kettlebell Workout | Salty Dog Workout