When I’m in the off-season, I’m always trying to think of creative ways to stay in shape. I think it’s good to take off some time completely from ballet class, just to give your mind and body a break. Sometimes you just need to not think about a plié, you know? During this time, I like to workout at the gym and do exercises that mimic the same muscles that I would normally be using every day in ballet class. When I’m doing arabesques all day, I don’t feel the need to go to the gym and do squats. However, these types of exercises are great to integrate into your workout routine in order to keep your ballet muscles engaged even if you’re not taking class. Here’s a quick circuit that I did that targets the glutes and abs. I love these types of workouts because you really feel them, as they are pretty intense. I don’t normally do workouts like this during the season because I focus on more low-impact exercises during that time. Also, I don’t like being too sore for rehearsal. I completed this after doing a 1 mile jog outside, but you can easily do another warm-up!

  • Warm up: 1 mile run
  • Circuit 1: 30 sit-ups with straight legs
  • Circuit 2: 20 fire hydrants each leg, with a band around the area right above your knees for added resistance.
  • Circuit 3: 10 barbell squats (10 lbs added to each side of the bar) & 10 squat jumps
    • Repeat the three circuits 3x
  • Cool Down: Stretch your quads, glutes, and hamstrings