Cross-Training for Dancers

So far, you’ve read about the myths of working out, the most common misconceptions about exercising for dancers, and why you should stop believing those who say that running is bad for dancers. All of these articles discuss the varied beliefs surrounding cross-training for dancers. But what exactly is cross-training?

Cross-training is a term that has been around since the mid-80s and it simply refers to training in more than one sport or physical activity. The concept of cross-training came about as a way to address the shortcomings of sport-specific training, like muscular imbalances and an increased risk of developing overuse injuries. Cross-training is designed to improve the body’s physical fitness (cardiovascular fitness, muscle strength or endurance, flexibility, etc.) while reducing the negative effects of sport-specific training. Properly-selected cross-training routines can also fill in the gaps in functional ability that sport-specific training can have.

Cross-training is primarily used to refer to cardiovascular training. Since improving or maintaining cardiovascular fitness is the most common reason dancers choose to exercise outside of dance, cardiovascular cross-training is the type of cross-training that will be discussed here.

Type of Activity

The type of cardiovascular cross-training activity (or activities) performed should be selected based on the type of cardiovascular fitness required by the activity you’re training for. Luckily for dancers, a dance performance or rehearsal requires cardiovascular endurance and bouts of short-duration, high-intensity activities (aka jumping). This means that dancers can benefit from endurance activities, sprint-based training, and interval training (a mix of endurance and sprint-based activities), so their choices for cross-training are only limited by resources or preferences. Dancers can cross-train by:

• Swimming
• Biking
• Working out on the elliptical machine
• Running
• Playing recreational sports like basketball, soccer, racquetball, flag football, or ultimate Frisbee (but please wear closed-toe shoes!)
• Using a rowing machine

Amount of Cross-Training

In-season

Depending on how much you dance each week – generally speaking: if you are a professional or pre-professional dancer or a student dancing 3 days per week or more – you really only need to train outside of dance 2-3 days per week. When planning your exercising schedule, be certain that your body has an entire day off (so if you dance 6 days a week, don’t work out on your only day away from the studio).

"Out of Season"

For some dancers, “out of season” may not actually exist, but if your amount of dancing does decrease for a set time during the year, you can exercise more frequently during this time to improve your fitness level without putting your body at risk of developing injuries. This does not apply if it’s just a 2-3 week break over the winter holidays; you should use this time to let your body recuperate from the first half of the season. However, if you attend a summer intensive, you really need to be careful with training outside of dance, since the schedules and amount of dancing often seen at summer intensives or camps can cause your body to break down and become injured and painful.



Use cross-training to increase your cardiovascular fitness and improve your dancing. Now get out there and exercise!