Never before have ballet workouts been as popular as they are now but the main reason for this isn’t the movie Black Swan, it’s the focus on multi-directional movement patterns that burn tons of fat, boost endurance, and promote healthy joints, good posture, and high energy levels. Ballet fitness fits in perfectly with the current holistic fitness trend that’s all about healthy movement. The best part about ballet workouts is they can help you get a lean toned body much faster simply because they work on a multitude of fitness factors at once.
Types of Ballet Workouts: There are three types of ballet workouts including isolation, endurance, and fusion. They all have similar movement patterns but each type has a slightly different focus.
. I’ve tried both the book and the DVD and really enjoyed this moderate paced workout. I felt taller and leaner and more stable after just two weeks of this workout. The classical music along with narrated instruction makes you feel like you’re in a real ballet studio. Some reviewers on Amazon find this style boring but I found that it helped me to focus on excellent technique. Endurance ballet workouts are similar to an advanced ballet class where you combine more complex movement patterns at a faster pace. These workouts are great for boosting cardio endurance, fatloss, muscular endurance and toning results. A great example of this type is Xtend Barre: Lean & Chiseled
which starts out moderate and then kicks it up about 10 notches for an amazing total body fat burning toning workout. Another amazing one in this category is Ballet Body. Most of the DVD’s in this category include some light weight upper body toning exercises that are also ballet inspired as well as floor work for the abs and glutes. This category provides the most well rounded ballet workout of all 3 types.
, a combination of ballet and boxing! Fusion is a great fit for those who like to have fun and try new things but not so great for people with mobility, flexibility, or core stability and balance issues.How to Choose the Right Type of Ballet Workout: The most important factors to consider when choosing a workout are fitness level, goals, and preferences. Be honest about what your body needs at this point. If you prefer a faster paced fusion type workout but your body is in dire need of stability and rehab you might want to compromise and start with some isolation ballet then work your way up to endurance then fusion. If you already do other forms of cardio for fatloss and you want a better core and increased tone then you can stick with isolation and mix up with endurance for an occasional challenge.
If you are very advanced with a strong core and amazing stability and balance and you want an interesting challenge try fusion and endurance but don’t be surprised if they are very challenging. Ballet is all about three dimensional movement patterns that are not as easy as they look especially to athletic types who are very used to one dimensional movement. Remember to always put your body’s need’s first when choosing any type of workout. Got questions? Please post them in the forum. I'm a dance workout junkie so I would be happy to answer your questions in the forums.
