Hi Monique and thank you so much for your question.

This is a common problem for many dancers, and I get versions of this question from students as well as teachers and parents all of the time. It is often worded in different ways, so I will approach all aspects in the answer.

In regard to any kind of cardiovascular training, external to their ballet lessons, often the aim with young dancers is to increase endurance, or to reduce body fat without increasing muscle bulk and this goes for girls as well as boys. This week I had a full time student say that many of the girls in her class had been told to lose weight, but that they didn’t know how to do this safely. An immediate response was to stop eating lunch, which unfortunately is the last thing a dance with a high training load needs to do.

The optimal strategy is one that encompasses dietary considerations (lots of fresh vegetables, Lower GI choices and lean protein) as well as a sensible training regime. When looking at different kinds of cardiovascular exercise, in the full time student I advocate choosing an activity that actually requires different major muscle groups than the ones the use for dancing. In the case of your student, where he is losing strength and endurance in his legs, power walking or running are not the best options, however an activity that pushes his heart rate up by using his upper body and core, such as swimming, will help him train his heart without overtraining his legs.
Technique is always of utmost importance, so if the student is a weak swimmer, this may not be the best option; however any form of exercise that does not place a huge repetitive load on the legs can be substituted. Often dancers like to use a stationary bike, on a relatively low resistance and high speed, as a replacement.

Always consider other areas of weakness that may be irritated before increasing the load too much. If he has had issues with the front of the hips in the past, the repetitive flexion in cycling may be best avoided. If he has had trouble with the knees or back, then swimming breaststroke should be avoided. If he has experienced issues with his shoulders in high ranges with lifting, then freestyle (over arm) may irritate this area.  

Once you have settled on a couple of appropriate options, the type of training needs to be addressed. For any dancer, and especially boys, the fitness required is usually intense periods of performance, and then a period of rest. It is important that this is included in his training regime. We are aiming to improve his recovery time between exertions, so a sustained pace for 30 minutes is not necessarily appropriate.

Please remember that this is just a hypothetical guide to one sensible option for training. Seeking the advice of an Exercise Physiologist or trained coach is optimal, to take into consideration the needs of every individual. This is a guide based on my professional training and personal experience.

To keep an eye on the progress over time, it is a good idea to take note of his heart rate at regular periods during the training. To do this, get him to simply feel for the pulse up in his neck, under the angle of the jaw, and count the number of beats in 15 seconds. Multiply by four and you have the heart rate (HR) for a minute. We want to note the resting HR, a gentle exercises HR, his maximum HR, and how quickly he can recover from maximum to recovery mode (gentle exercise HR). We are aiming to decrease his resting and gentle exercise rate, and increase his maximum HR and recovery time.

I would start off with a gentle warm up, if he is in the pool, just doing a few easy laps, focusing on his breathing, stroke technique and feeling how his body is feeling that day. Note any areas of tension or difficulties’ and after five laps or so, stop and perform some gentle stretches to ease out any areas of restriction. Perform a few more laps at a slightly higher pace to test the body to complete the warm up. Take the heart rate at this point, as this is what he is aiming to return to, after increasing the intensity.

Then I would start to load the cardiovascular system a little. This technique is often referred to as “Fartlek” training after a Swedish Cross Country Trainer who began working with different speeds of training in the 1930’s although there have been lots of people who have advanced the science since then.

Perform a length (or two, depending on the length of the pool and the base level of fitness) at 70% of maximal pace, and then two lengths at his slow pace. Take note (mentally – not necessarily by measuring) of the HR as compared to his resting and pause training until it drops to near his gentle ex rate.

Then perform a sprint of one to two lengths at maximum pace. Record the HR immediately on finishing (15 sec) and then again perform two slow lengths focusing on recovering the breathing and slowing the heart rate to the gentle exercise level. Repeat the slow lengths until the heart rate is under control. In the beginning this may take some time, but it is important to master this process.

Once the HR is regained, perform the sprints again. You can repeat this process several times. Start off gently, with just 3 – 4 sprints, before doing a gentle cool down and getting out of the pool. As recovery times increase, you may try increasing the number of repetitions, and then the length of the sprits, but always ensure that the HR is regained before sprinting again.

This process challenges the mind and body to work together to increase the rate of recovery from exertion. It also places the student in control of their own body, and demands that they become responsible for working at an appropriate pace. Many dancers will want to go full out in everything that they do; however this is not necessarily the best option for cardiovascular training.

I do hope that this process makes sense, and is easy to understand. Remember that it is a guide line only, as there are so many variable for each student, but I hope that it provides incentive to get some students off their feet (meaning less foot injuries) and increasing their endurance in some other ways!

Kindest Regards,

Lisa