Our Best Tips: Cross-Training

August 22, 2016


National Ballet of Canada’s Emma Hawes swims to strengthen her loose shoulder joints (photo by Daniel Neuhaus)

Every dancer has their own cross-training regime, tailored to their workload, injury prevention, rehab or particular roles. It’s up to you to talk to a physical therapist about what exercises you should be doing to meet your own technical goals. But in the meantime, here are some of our best tips for effective cross-training:

  1. Do it in the morning
    . There are lots of reasons why AM workouts can be more beneficial, but we’re most compelled by evidence that morning workouts might be easier to stick with.
  2. Scale your approach up or down depending on what you’re training for. When it’s summer intensive time, gradually work your way up to peak intensity.
  3. Try something new to keep yourself inspired. Ever heard of aerial yoga? What about TRX suspension training?
  4. Pools are an amazing training resource for everything from cardio workouts to fine-tuning your alignment.

And if that’s not enough #fitspo for you, dig into our Workout archive to find out how the pros keep their bodies in peak condition.