Dancer bodies?

andrederosier

It has been a bit since biology classes in college but mainly it does come down to genetics. People have a genetic disposition to either have better make-up of fast twitch muscle fibers or slow twitch muscle fibers. If you look at an Olympic sprinter they probably have about 80% fast twitch muscle fiber while top marathon runners have 80% slow twitch muscle fiber. On average we have about 50/50 make up but training can cause us to build a higher concentration of one over the other.

Muscle fibers vary in purpose and muscular composition will look different. While many can enhance either there are also some that are stuck genetically with better ability to build one over they other.

catrunsintowindow

The other thing to mention is that (female) dancers don't train their arms all that much relative to their core or legs. So you're posting pictures of these women with very strong chests and arms and comparing them to ballerinas- they're two completely different things.

If you want an better comparison of strength training vs dancers, go look at the aerial dancers in Cirque du Soleil. A lot of the aerialists I know train primarily with body weight, but you'd have a difficult time telling them apart from someone like Zuzanna.

peachfigs

Why do they have such a different look? Their muscles seem longer and more stretched out.

Is this a real thread? Am I being trolled? Muscles are "stretched out"? Some PUHLEEEZE get me an anatomy book and show me pics of stretched out muscles.

Zuska has a lower level of bodyfat to go along with more muscles. Take any one of your dancer bodies and get them down to 14% BF and won't be no mo "stretched out"

Sigh. It's boring when people get all pedantic over my choice of wording.

Choose whatever word you like to describe the OPPOSITE of chunky muscles. Simple. :yawn:

WestCoastPhoenix

I feel like I just watched Dr. Oz.

peachfigs

I'm not trying to be contrary or anything, but I do want to point out that most ballet dancers (at least those who compete or dance professionally) can't afford to have an eating disorder. Most of them practice 3+ hours a day minimum and are constantly working on their endurance, form, and choreography. No human can support that kind of calorie burn without eating. You aren't going to survive competing against other dancers for a coveted position in a dance company if you are light headed or weak from hunger. The stereotype that ballet dancers starve themselves is misinformed.

To answer the original poster a big difference of why the muscles on a woman who lifts heavy and body builds look different than the muscles of a woman who focuses on strength and endurance (other than genetics) is the way they train. You can take, for example, the difference between sprinters and long distance runners. Sprinters have large, muscular thighs to deliver powerful bursts of energy, while long distance runners have thinner legs that are very muscular but not at all large when compared to the legs of sprinters. Different ways of exercising get you different results. No one who wants larger muscles is going to do 30 reps with a light weight; that will tone the muscle and increase endurance, but it will not make the muscle larger. Doing fewer reps of the heaviest weight you can will build you larger muscles.

This is great, thank you :flowerforyou:

catrunsintowindow

Why do they have such a different look? Their muscles seem longer and more stretched out.

Is this a real thread? Am I being trolled? Muscles are "stretched out"? Some PUHLEEEZE get me an anatomy book and show me pics of stretched out muscles.

Zuska has a lower level of bodyfat to go along with more muscles. Take any one of your dancer bodies and get them down to 14% BF and won't be no mo "stretched out"

Sigh. It's boring when people get all pedantic over my choice of wording.

Choose whatever word you like to describe the OPPOSITE of chunky muscles. Simple. :yawn:

It's not pedantic, he's pointing out that there is no 'opposite of chunky muscles'. There are people with more muscle mass and people with less muscle mass, and people with higher body fat and lower body fat. There is no way to 'change' the appearance of the muscle.

If you don't want muscle mass, don't train for strength.

peachfigs

Why do they have such a different look? Their muscles seem longer and more stretched out.

Is this a real thread? Am I being trolled? Muscles are "stretched out"? Some PUHLEEEZE get me an anatomy book and show me pics of stretched out muscles.

Zuska has a lower level of bodyfat to go along with more muscles. Take any one of your dancer bodies and get them down to 14% BF and won't be no mo "stretched out"

Sigh. It's boring when people get all pedantic over my choice of wording.

Choose whatever word you like to describe the OPPOSITE of chunky muscles. Simple. :yawn:

It's not pedantic, he's pointing out that there is no 'opposite of chunky muscles'. There are people with more muscle mass and people with less muscle mass, and people with higher body fat and lower body fat. There is no way to 'change' the appearance of the muscle.

If you don't want muscle mass, don't train for strength.

Well instead of cooing over the fact that I said "stretched out" to describe something I don't understand, I would have just preferred a more insightful response like yours.

etoiles_argentees

[img]file:///Users/wendygale/Desktop/8178519.jpg[/img]

I will never be chunky, it's just genetics.

leighann881

Zuzanna has way better looking muscles!

110% disagree. I'll be keeping an eye on this thread for answers.

Zuzanna looks like she can kick that ballerina's *kitten*. :-) Both have beautiful, athletic bodies. I'm more "attracted" to wanting Zuzanna's body because that is attainable for me whereas there is no way I am growing another 8 inches and losing my boobies. :-P

michellekicks

Here's my broscience educated guess:

The ballet dancer has trained with only body-weight exercises... like, um, dancing, stretching, yoga-like stuff... maybe pushups, pullups, bridges... maybe some pilates with a little weight... high rep endurance stuff.

The other girl probably lifts heavier weights in the 15 and under rep range.

astrampe

Strength training is going to bulk you up, your going to have a toned look and a very visble defined look. When your a dancer you do not want a defined look, you want a smooth gentle look the way a dancer trains her body is by stretching, constricting, balance, and core. Your movements are very controlled and concentration is very important. When your weight training your focused on the muscles your building at the time not every single one at once. If your looking for a true understanding i suggest looking into a dancers workout they have one they have been advertising.

If you want a toned, hard, defined look strength train with bouts of cardio.

If you want a smooth gentle look core, cardio, and balance are key.

pretty much nonsense here

I was looking for a polite way to say this....thanks! :noway: :sad: :bigsmile:

peachfigs

Zuzanna has way better looking muscles!

110% disagree. I'll be keeping an eye on this thread for answers.

Zuzanna looks like she can kick that ballerina's *kitten*. :-) Both have beautiful, athletic bodies. I'm more "attracted" to wanting Zuzanna's body because that is attainable for me whereas there is no way I am growing another 8 inches and losing my boobies. :-P

:laugh: I think I'd like a softer version of Zuzanna, with thinner arms. So maybe something in between both?

leighann881

Rephrase.


Why do some women have the chunkier muscles like Zuzanna, and others have longer, lean muscles? Maybe I'm not asking this question right?

Alright guys, this article is going to jump into the more scientific side of fitness, but it’s still fascinating and something you should know.

Ask yourself this question: Do you want to be able to run ridiculously fast for a short period of time, or do you want to be able to run for hours and hours without wearing down? Believe it or not, your muscles are composed of certain fibers that are already destined to be one or the other. However, with enough proper training you can actually control how much of each type of fiber you have in that body of yours. What are these fibers?

Type I Fibers

MarathonType I fibers are “slow twitch” fibers. They use oxygen to fire, and they take longer to get going, but they can go for a longer period of time without getting tired. The force per contraction on these muscle fibers is spread out over time. People who have trained for marathons and enjoy running long distances (not me) will have a higher percentage of Type I fibers (that are more efficient) than a sprinter or a couch potato.

Type IIb Fibers

picture-3Type IIb fibers are “fast twitch” fibers. These fire anaerobically (without oxygen), they fire extremely quickly, but they get tired easily.

Sprinters and most fast animals in nature (cheetahs, lions, deer, etc.) will have more “fast twitch” fibers: longer periods of rest, followed by ridiculous amounts of quick speed and energy. Guys loaded with Type IIb fibers will tire more easily on long distance runs, but they can definitely beat your *kitten* off the line in a quick race. Because it’s such a great amount of force in such a short amount of time, these fibers are also used in weight training.

Type IIa Fibers

Fence riders…halfway between type I and Type IIb. These are equal parts aerobic and anaerobic. Not great at long distances, not great at sprinting, but pretty good for either. The “jack of all trades” muscle fiber, if you will.

Those are your three different types of muscles fibers. You’re born with these fibers in certain proportions, and they will affect how successful you are at either developing as a long distance guy, or a sprinter guy. Most bodies have 50% of Type 1 and 50% of Type 2 (A and , but many elite athletes (world class marathon runners, Olympic sprinters) can have up to 80% of one or the other. Obviously a sprinter with 80% fast twitch fibers will have a better chance of being fast than somebody with only 30% fast twitch fibers.

Your muscle fiber composition is already built into your genetics. It’s like picking a random race whenever you start playing an RPG: initially, you already have certain strengths and weaknesses (stamina and strength vs. intelligence and wisdom, etc.), but by the end of the game you’ve done enough leveling that you can erase those differences and mold your guy into exactly what you want.

The real world is no different. This study suggests that it’s possible through training to adjust the levels of each of your types of muscle fibers. If yo genetics say you should be a sprinter, but you really want to run marathons…enough training will make your muscles conform and function better with increased amounts of Type II fibers. Of course, had you been born with 80% slow twitch muscles your path to better marathons might be easier, but you can still get there…you just need to bust your *kitten* and work harder!

Moral of the story: your genetics might have you already set up to be better at one thing or the other, but hat doesn’t mean you don’t have a choice. Do what makes you happy, and with enough persistence and solid training you can control how your muscles function. Personally, the thought of running really fast excites me more than running for a really long time, so that’s how my training is directed. Plus, looking like a sprinter isn’t a bad side effect.

Thanks Mr. Wizard!

sally_jeffswife

My guess would be because the dancing improves their posture and they appear that way cuz of really good posture. I know Michelle Khai which is a dancer that does the Kettlenetics workouts has workouts geared toward dancers bodys and it does really help your posture alot and the lighter kettlebells being used that way stretch your muscles out longer maybe.

peachfigs

Alright guys, this article is going to jump into the more scientific side of fitness, but it’s still fascinating and something you should know.

Ask yourself this question: Do you want to be able to run ridiculously fast for a short period of time, or do you want to be able to run for hours and hours without wearing down? Believe it or not, your muscles are composed of certain fibers that are already destined to be one or the other. However, with enough proper training you can actually control how much of each type of fiber you have in that body of yours. What are these fibers?

Type I Fibers

MarathonType I fibers are “slow twitch” fibers. They use oxygen to fire, and they take longer to get going, but they can go for a longer period of time without getting tired. The force per contraction on these muscle fibers is spread out over time. People who have trained for marathons and enjoy running long distances (not me) will have a higher percentage of Type I fibers (that are more efficient) than a sprinter or a couch potato.

Type IIb Fibers

picture-3Type IIb fibers are “fast twitch” fibers. These fire anaerobically (without oxygen), they fire extremely quickly, but they get tired easily.

Sprinters and most fast animals in nature (cheetahs, lions, deer, etc.) will have more “fast twitch” fibers: longer periods of rest, followed by ridiculous amounts of quick speed and energy. Guys loaded with Type IIb fibers will tire more easily on long distance runs, but they can definitely beat your *kitten* off the line in a quick race. Because it’s such a great amount of force in such a short amount of time, these fibers are also used in weight training.

Type IIa Fibers

Fence riders…halfway between type I and Type IIb. These are equal parts aerobic and anaerobic. Not great at long distances, not great at sprinting, but pretty good for either. The “jack of all trades” muscle fiber, if you will.

Those are your three different types of muscles fibers. You’re born with these fibers in certain proportions, and they will affect how successful you are at either developing as a long distance guy, or a sprinter guy. Most bodies have 50% of Type 1 and 50% of Type 2 (A and , but many elite athletes (world class marathon runners, Olympic sprinters) can have up to 80% of one or the other. Obviously a sprinter with 80% fast twitch fibers will have a better chance of being fast than somebody with only 30% fast twitch fibers.

Your muscle fiber composition is already built into your genetics. It’s like picking a random race whenever you start playing an RPG: initially, you already have certain strengths and weaknesses (stamina and strength vs. intelligence and wisdom, etc.), but by the end of the game you’ve done enough leveling that you can erase those differences and mold your guy into exactly what you want.

The real world is no different. This study suggests that it’s possible through training to adjust the levels of each of your types of muscle fibers. If yo genetics say you should be a sprinter, but you really want to run marathons…enough training will make your muscles conform and function better with increased amounts of Type II fibers. Of course, had you been born with 80% slow twitch muscles your path to better marathons might be easier, but you can still get there…you just need to bust your *kitten* and work harder!

Moral of the story: your genetics might have you already set up to be better at one thing or the other, but hat doesn’t mean you don’t have a choice. Do what makes you happy, and with enough persistence and solid training you can control how your muscles function. Personally, the thought of running really fast excites me more than running for a really long time, so that’s how my training is directed. Plus, looking like a sprinter isn’t a bad side effect.

Thanks Mr. Wizard!

That is fascinating. So how would you know which type you are?

_SABOTEUR_

Dancers train their lower bodies much more than their arms (although her back will be pretty muscular.) If you could compare their legs they'll be pretty similar in muscle mass.

Also, ballerina's don't bulk. The power of their movement comes from strength enhanced by lightness, which makes the moves easier to perform.

The other woman has probably bulked at some point to get bigger muscles.

Tanja_CHH

All I know is I just got a new girl crush!

etoiles_argentees

theCarlton

What kind of muscles can I expect if I dance like this?

catrunsintowindow

My guess would be because the dancing improves their posture and they appear that way cuz of really good posture. I know Michelle Khai which is a dancer that does the Kettlenetics workouts has workouts geared toward dancers bodys and it does really help your posture alot and the lighter kettlebells being used that way stretch your muscles out longer maybe.

....No. Anything geared towards 'getting a dancers body' (Other than lucky genetics and 20+ years of ballet training) is actually just geared at getting your money.