Core Exercises for Salsa & Bachata Dancers

Posted on Jen's Blogs, Uncategorized 0 Comments

Salsa & Bachata dancing (and dancing in general) requires a strong center or “core” to keep your body in correct alignment while dancing. Salsa & Bachata dancing itself can be an effective abdominal workout when you use proper body mechanics.  Take time to step things up by adding core workouts to your regimen will significantly improve your overall dance technique and balance and give you amazing abs in the process. Your core consists of your abdominals, back, pelvic girdle, and hip muscles.  Training your core in its entirety will correct many of the imbalances dancers struggle with. My suggestion is to choose a workout that engages your entire core.  I like my workouts engage everything while placing emphasis on the abdominals.  Below are three exercises that have given me fantastic results.

EXERCISE #1 “The hundreds” is a simple Pilates move that engages the entire core. Begin this exercise on your back, with your feet flat on the floor and knees up toward the ceiling. Place your arms next to your side, palms down facing the floor. Now, lift your shoulders off of the floor and roll your chin toward your chest.  Slowly extend your legs straight out. Make sure that your lower back stays in alignment at all times, if you feel stress on your lower back, raise your legs up toward the ceiling, or bend the knees slightly whichever feels more comfortable. Here we go….The Hundreds:  Holding this position, inhale and lift your arms about six inches off of the floor, and pump them vigorously for twenty pumps. Exhale and pump twenty pumps again. Continue this pattern until you reach 100 pumps.

EXERCISE #2 Other fantastic exercise is the paddler which completely engages your obliques (the muscles that form your waistline) and strengthens the sides of your stomach.  This is perfect training for Latin Dancing with all of  the twisting and turning dance moves we encounter. Here’s how to do it:  Begin this exercise sitting upright on your buttocks, with your feet flat on the floor and knees up toward the ceiling. Hold a towel or resistance band with both hands and gently lean back until you feel your abdominals tighten, with no stress in your back. Keep your back straight — do not curve your spin in or arch your back. Holding this position, paddle your hands to your left hip, back to center, then to your right hip. Repeat this movement for 5 sets of 20 until your competed 100.

EXERCISE #3 The front-to-side plank is an advanced core exercise that combines two yoga moves. Begin lying face down on the floor, with your elbows next to your sides and palms flat on the floor. Curl your toes under and slowly lift your entire body off of the floor, supporting yourself on your toes and forearms. Hold this position, front plank, for ten to thirty seconds. Slowly shift your weight to your right arm, find your balance, and slowly lift your left shoulder onto your right while extending the left arm straight up toward the ceiling. Hold this position, side plank, for ten to thirty seconds. Release your left arm back to the floor and go directly into front plank. Repeat on the opposite side, extending your right arm up toward the ceiling. Repeat the entire sequence three to five full cycles. 

A strong, healthy core is essential for dancers strength and longevity.  Get started today!