What is good conditioning for ballet?

aveline89: What is good conditioning for ballet?
I’ve been doing ballet for the past couple of years and I’m wondering what types of conditioning and cross training will help me develop critical muscles…I’m in pretty good shape, but because I cannot do ballet more than 3.5 hours a week I need other ways to improve my strength. Also, running hurts my knees so does anyone know what types of cardio are good for ballet?

Answers and Views:

Answer by Dulcinea
water aerobics are good because you can exercise without causing strain to your muscles

Answer by julieann_OK
Pilates and Yoga work well with ballet and keep your muscles in check. There are cardio workouts for both of them.

Answer by trinitytough
Pilates. Just be careful not to hurt yourself.

Answer by Dancer101
Yoga because it relaxes the muscules.

Answer by bootsbootsbootsboots
I have been dancing for 13 years and personally, yoga and pilates, while good for stretching and some muscle development, aren’t really enough. add things like swimming and using an eliptical machine to get a more complete fitness picture that’s compatible with ballet. also, in your free time, WALK. aounds silly, but it’s so good for you and your ballet muscles. take long strides.

Answer by republicansarecruel
Pilates, if you have a good teacher, is a fabulous way to keep in shape. It was partly developed for injured professional dancers as a way to rehab and maintain their health and fitness.

You should also try doing cardio as frequently as possible. This will keep you from being so winded during combinations.

You can also go through your barre routine each and every day at your home. Hold onto the back of your couch and plie’ away.

Push-ups are also good because they help the shoulders & chest – both very important for your arm positions.

And of course, lots and lots of stretching.

Answer by ballerina_kim
Pilates is amazing and almost zero impact on the knees. It makes your core and legs really strong and help with flexibility.