Weight lifting - weight-training exercises for young men and dancers - includes information source - Alternative Therapies, part 3 - Brief Article

Dance Magazine, Jan, 1998 by Marian Horosko

In Part I of the series on alternative therapies (November), we described a traditional floor barre. Part II (December) described an untraditional form of floor barre. Part III describes weight lifting as a rehabilitative therapy and a valuable enhancement to any dance program.

Young males are as interested in their physical appearance as are young girls. As they become more shape-conscious, boys strive to develop rippled abs to look more muscular and masculine. Reportedly, the reason more and more adolescents are refusing to take group showers after gym class is their being ashamed of their physique.

Major dance academies now introduce weight training into their male program when boys are about fourteen years of age as part of pas de deux classes. While partnering is not a matter of lifting dead weight but of learning to coordinate with the trajectory of jumps, their placement, and thrust, the man must still expend the greater part of his strength in gently and securely placing his partner on the floor.

Here are a few basic exercises for young males, suggested by Bryan LeBlanc, instructor and personal trainer in St. Charles, Illinois: "As in every physical method, warming up through aerobic activity and stretching before weight lifting is advised. Begin with the lightest weights as a safety measure, using dumbbells or wraparound weights with removable units.

"No matter how heavy the weight or how many repetitions, always perform the exercises with good form for safety and maximum benefit.

"Small or large and light or heavy are subjective terms. If the weight proves to be insufficient, increase the weight the next time you perform that exercise.

"Breathe in when squeezing the muscle; breathe out on the release. You may rest for a few counts between sets.

"Do not measure yourself or your goals by body weight alone. Remember that muscle weighs more than fat -- some say many times more -- and other factors such as bone density and skeleton size, can affect your weight.

"As you increase the weight you lift, you may have to decrease the reps.

"Do not always perform the same exercises for a particular muscle group. The body will eventually adapt to those exercises and not reap benefits from them. Add new exercises for different muscle groups as you progress.

"A full workout with weights can be accomplished in thirty minutes, three or four times a week.

"Here are two common exercises:" Standing bicep curl. Standing with feet a shoulder-width apart and knees slightly bent, hold dumbbells, wraparound weights folded to fit into your hands, or free weights. Breathe in. As you breathe out, raise the weights by bending one arm only at the elbow. When you bend the elbow. the weight should not be higher than your shoulder or close to your body. Exhale as you slowly lower the weight. Repeat with other arm. Eventually, use both arms at the same time, holding weights with palms up or palms down for variety. Flat bench press for chest, shoulders, and triceps. Lie on your back keeping buttocks, back, and head on a bench high enough to permit knees to bend at a right angle and feet to reach the floor, or choose a bench long and wide enough for you to bend your knees and place your feet flat on it. Hold dumbbells at shoulder level, palms down, elbows bent, and breathe in. Breathe out, raise the weights vertically, keeping the shoulders on the bench, and squeeze the chest when you reach to the top. Do not allow the weights to travel outward. Breathe in as you return the weights to the starting position.

For safety's sake, have a spotter, a person who helps another during an exercise, standing by.