Health & Body

The Best Beginner Weight-Lifting Moves For Dancers

December 18, 2018

There’s a common misconception among dancers that lifting weights makes you bulky and should be avoided at all costs. But that couldn’t be further from the truth, especially if you’re trying to build strength in specific areas. Dance Spirit turned to Chelsey Wilkens, a personal trainer at SoHo Strength Lab in NYC, for her top muscle-makin’ moves.

Photos by Jayme Thornton. Modeled by Gabrielle Kerr.

Exercise #1: The Kettlebell Clean to Squat

1. Start standing with your feet shoulder-width apart, your hips back, your knees bent, holding the kettlebell between the arches of your feet.

2. Pull the kettlebell up from the floor, lifting your upper body and straightening your legs. Catch the kettlebell in front of your chest

3. Engage your abs and sink into a full squat. Then pop back up, drop your upper body into a deadlift, and return to the starting position. Slowly lower the kettlebell until it touches the ground.

Exercise #2: The Pyramid Press

1. Start standing with your feet a few inches past shoulder width and your right arm overhead, with the weight in your right hand. Turn your left foot out slightly.

2. In one fluid motion, slowly sink into your right knee and press your right hip out. With your palm facing out, let the back of your left hand guide your left arm down towards to the ground. Lower your right arm, making sure it stays behind your rib cage, then press it back up to the starting position, keeping it close to your ear

3. Using your oblique muscles, slowly pull yourself back up to the starting position. Repeat this 6 more times, then switch sides

Exercise #3: The Single-Leg Deadlift

1. Start standing with your feet shoulder-width apart and the weight in your left hand.

2. Keeping your left leg planted firmly on the ground, use the weight to slowly guide your left arm down towards the floor. Slightly bend your left knee and raise your right leg up behind you, until you hit a tabletop position. Make sure to keep your right foot flexed and turned in and your hips squared.

3. Return to the starting position, then continue the exercise for 8u201310 reps. Rest for a minute, then repeat the exercise with the weight in your right hand and your left leg behind you.

A version of this story appeared in the January 2019 issue of Dance Spirit with the title “Keep Calm and Weight-Lift On.”

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