Dancer bodies?

supertracylynn

A large part is genetics

This... but it's also choice.

I have a "thick" lower body by genetics and broad shoulders. I'm an endurance runner because running is "easy" for me. Shoulders/bi's/tri's day and back/chest day are hard for me... but legs day is my favorite!

As such, I'll never look like a bikini fitness competitor because I lack the motivation/dedication to get to that point. I'll also never be a sprinter because, well, that's just not enough for me. My preference is to run 3 to 10 miles at a time... because that's what I like.

I run because I love it. I strength train to make sure I can run for as many years as i can.

SRH7

I'd better go. Thanks for all of the informative replies, guys. :laugh: And to clear up any misconceptions...

I don't want to be a dancer or look like a dancer, I don't think you can change your genetics, and I don't think you can stretch or lengthen a muscle. I'm just interested in how body composition differs across different athletic pursuits. That's really all!

:flowerforyou: Great gif!

BinaryPulsar

I've been dancing since I was 11 and when I went off to college the dance teachers had a meeting and then asked me to major in dance. No one ever told me that being petite was a barrier to being a dancer (not when I was younger and doing ballet and not when I was in college for modern dance because I ended up preferring it). In fact, I was always told being petite was a plus as a dancer and was what they wanted. I never tried to pursue a career as a ballet dancer, so maybe that's different. Just seems like a lot of people are claiming that dancers that are petite won't be successful. But, dancers are all different heights. Height does not play a part, unless the company prefers only tall dancers.

The teacher that asked me to be in her class and major in dance had also choreographed for Baryshnikov (when he ventured into contemporary dance) and had danced with the Twyla Tharp company and was very successful in many areas of the dance world.

upgetupgetup

George Balanchine (NYC Ballet) HIGHLY selected dancers for a specific look (the 'Balanchine body', google it). This look hugely influenced other companies and schools. Girls and teens and professional dancers (esp in ballet) have been starving themselves for years to imitate it.

Contemporary dancers have strong, beautiful bodies as well, but different aesthetic types are allowed in that world.

mamacita721

My daughter is a blaaerina, she looks amazing and can do things with her body that defy logic.

She also can not run or ride a bicycle but she is no less an athlete. She just trains is a different way for a different purpose.

Ely82010

For your viewing pleasure, I present to you ballet god Roberto Bolle.

OH. Well I'll stick around for that...

May I keep you company?

DavPul

dancers are using their own body weight and do a ton of stretching which will lengthen

I disagree. The training of a ballet dancer is totally different to the training of somebody lifting weights to try to show muscles. Ballerinas use their own bodies as weights.

Hannibal the King also uses his own body as his only form of resistance training

Pixi_Rex

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

agreed...just no

What they said. Majority of the beauties I have on my flist lift heavy and none of them are bulky... Infact unless they flex they have a very soft feminine look.

CoderGal

I'm on a quest. I'm a tall girl with the eventual goal of lifting heavy and still being super flexible dancer girl. We'll see where that lands me. Nothing bad has happened yet.

My first point would be many of those pictures are directed to different things. A picture of me stretching looks a lot different then a picture of me flexing.

The other thing I'll add is one looks shorter then the other hence the other one looks longer.

Genetics have a play on where people carry their fat naturally, keep that in mind. I know heavy lifters with scrawny arms. I always hated my flabby arms because they were larger and started getting slimmer with weight training (yep, even after all those years of dancing since I was 8).

To gain more muscle mass you need a calorie surplus and heavy lifting. To bulk up, you need to eat more.

To lean out you need a calorie deficit, and you can still lift heavy. If you are on a calorie deficit, you will only get thinner. And as someone pointed out, you cannot bulk up on a calorie deficit. Things will only get smaller over time. And yep, pretty much look like that. That's currently the goal in my head. We'll see what happens. So far so good:



If you see someone with a lot of mass they had a lot of effort and calories to put it there or worked hard to maintained a lot of their muscle mass when they weighed significantly more. It takes a long time to put on muscle. All in all, if you continue to lose weight, you will continue to lose it.

SlickFootAnna

Oh Dave, I could lift thousands of pounds and never get chunky muscles. Really.

fittiephd

I want to contribute that zuzana works her arm and upper body muscles a lot and ballerinas (although they do have to hold up their arms for long periods of time) do not work their upper body as much as zuzana does I don't think. Zuz has more muscle mass too I think.

Otherwise I agree with most of the other posters that said the correct things ie can't lengthen muscles, genetics, etc.

leighann881

Your right - I've only been HERE half a year.

and I've only been here a week... apparently life begins with MFP :laugh:

and

Well, the clear winner is the girl with the boobs. Fake or not, I don't care.

That is all.

this ^

leighann881

Carlos, I love ya brother, but this theory is just as valid as the one that johnnyboy is shooting down.

There is no lengthening of muscles. It's total selection bias. You, the OP, and everyone else that is talking about "dancer bodies" or "yoga bodies" or even "football bodies" or "basketball bodies" is picking out pictures of person that was genetically disposed to have the type of body that you like and they you're extrapolating that they did some special form of training to get there.

There are short dancers. And fat dancers. And muscular dancers. Same with yogis, or football players, or whatever type of body you prefer. But you're picking out the one type, tall and lean, that you like while ignoring all the other people with different bodies that do the same exact training.

For your theory of specific training leading to a specific bodytype adaptation, you'd need to provide examples of a dancer (or whatever) that had these short bulky muscles that the OP want to avoid, and then started stretching, and doing BW exercises, and dancer training, and the morphed into the lithe body frame that she is today.

I appreciate what you're saying. By comparing dancers to Zuzanna, I was trying to show something on the opposite end of the scale. Of course, I'm not genetically programmed to look like a ballet dancer, nor am I trying to look like one, but I was interested to know if there is a way to avoid the slight bulkiness that Zuzanna has and achieve something more lithe looking, yet still strong and fit.

You won't get the bulkiness without intending to... a) your body doesn't naturally produce enough testosterone to bulk without intention b) her body fat is very low... you can't get there without trying... really trying... really really trying. c) she works out for a living... again she looks that way because she designed her life to produce that body.

Looking like Zuzka doesn't come "naturally" or "accidentally." Don't worry... it won't happen without significant effort.

BusyRaeNOTBusty

Zuzanna is hot.


Yeah, that's all I've got.

ninerbuff

The muscles look longer because they are smaller. Skinny people aren't elongated compared to fat people. They're just thinner.

THIS. Percentage of actual lean muscle dictates how one will look.

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ninerbuff

dancers are using their own body weight and do a ton of stretching which will lengthen

Defies human physiology if one can lengthen muscle from stretching. Stretching is for flexibility purposes. If your muscles are anchored already from one end of a bone (via a tendon) to another, how do you "de anchor" it from stretching?


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danasings

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?

Genetics.

Gwyn1969

I danced professionally (modern and modern-ballet) for two decades. At my leanest (13% body fat) my arms looked a hell of a lot like Zuzanna's. I did not do anything except dance and yoga and starve myself.

Synapze

Zuzanna is hot.


Yeah, that's all I've got.

Yep, that sums it up for me too.

Yogi_Carl

dancers are using their own body weight and do a ton of stretching which will lengthen

Defies human physiology if one can lengthen muscle from stretching. Stretching is for flexibility purposes. If your muscles are anchored already from one end of a bone (via a tendon) to another, how do you "de anchor" it from stretching?


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To clarify, I am not talking about lengthening the muscle by moving the anchor points. I agree that would be impossible unless by unfortunate accident.

I am talking about maximising the potential range of the muscle between those anchor points. Many people and especially lifters who do not stretch regularly have a lesser range of movement compared to a dancer, yogi, acrobat etc and the visual appearance can be that the stretched muscle is longer more sleek simply because as you extend a muscle it becomes narrower at the midpoint - for example opening up your arm will extend and narrow the bicep, contracting will thicken the bicep.

The photos that are being uploaded to illustrate long muscles in dancers are pretty much all pictures showing extreme flexibility so of course the muscles will look longer comared to the lifter photos where the muscles are being deliberately contracted to maximise the appearance of increased muscle mass.

A body can appear to be both, depending on whether the body is contracted or stretched.

Also, dancers, yogis, gymnasts tend to work with bodyweight rather than extrenal weights. This increases muscle strength without adding muscle mass to a point; a smaller muscle looks relatively longer as has been agreed.

peachfigs

dancers are using their own body weight and do a ton of stretching which will lengthen

Defies human physiology if one can lengthen muscle from stretching. Stretching is for flexibility purposes. If your muscles are anchored already from one end of a bone (via a tendon) to another, how do you "de anchor" it from stretching?


A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
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Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

To clarify, I am not talking about lengthening the muscle by moving the anchor points. I agree that would be impossible unless by unfortunate accident.

I am talking about maximising the potential range of the muscle between those anchor points. Many people and especially lifters who do not stretch regularly have a lesser range of movement compared to a dancer, yogi, acrobat etc and the visual appearance can be that the stretched muscle is longer more sleek simply because as you extend a muscle it becomes narrower at the midpoint - for example opening up your arm will extend and narrow the bicep, contracting will thicken the bicep.

The photos that are being uploaded to illustrate long muscles in dancers are pretty much all pictures showing extreme flexibility so of course the muscles will look longer comared to the lifter photos where the muscles are being deliberately contracted to maximise the appearance of increased muscle mass.

A body can appear to be both, depending on whether the body is contracted or stretched.

Also, dancers, yogis, gymnasts tend to work with bodyweight rather than extrenal weights. This increases muscle strength without adding muscle mass to a point; a smaller muscle looks relatively longer as has been agreed.

By "smaller", do you mean a muscle that hasn't been worked as hard? Or perhaps muscles that have been built without a huge calorie surplus?

EvgeniZyntx

Because this thread needs pilobulus.

dragonfly_em

different poses! bet the ballerinas doing a kettleball swing and zuzanna doing an arabesque might give the opposite impression

DavPul

Because this thread needs pilobulus.

I'm not sure what those dancers are trying to accomplish but for my money they're doing it wrong

ladyraven68

I know a girl who is a professional dancer and she is built like a modern gymnast. Of course, I love that look.

Me too

Hope this works

EvgeniZyntx

Because this thread needs pilobulus.

I'm not sure what those dancers are trying to accomplish but for my money they're doing it wrong

Shush Dave.

DavPul

Better. At least the ratio of penii seems to be improved

jonnythan

Muscles don't get longer or shorter.

A lean person with relatively small muscles has muscles that look "long" and "skinny" the way a tall, thin person looks elongated and skinny.

A lean person with large muscles looks "bulky" and "short" the way an offensive lineman does, despite their height.

Anyone can sculpt their body for either look, though genetics will determine just how successful they are.

EvgeniZyntx

Actually, to all those stating that muscles don't get longer - this might be incorrect.

Muscle extensibility varies both dynamically while tensing and over time with stretching, maybe. Here is an article that covers current theory while cautiously suggesting that greater flexibility is just sensation.

http://ptjournal.apta.org/content/90/3/438.full#content-block

Food for thought, careful about absolute positions.

jonnythan

Actually, to all those stating that muscles don't get longer - this might be incorrect.

Muscle extensibility varies both dynamically while tensing and over time with stretching, maybe. Here is an article that covers current theory while cautiously suggesting that greater flexibility is just sensation.

http://ptjournal.apta.org/content/90/3/438.full#content-block

Food for thought, careful about absolute positions.

First of all, stretching does not increase how long a muscle looks. That doesn't make any sense.

Furthermore, the article you linked to says that, contrary to the traditional view that increased muscle flexibility is a result of small changes in physical length combined with sensitivity, new evidence suggests that there's no increase in length at all!

If you look at the biomechanics, the "length" of the muscle would only be increasing a very small amount, on the order of about half a centimeter or so for something like a biceps going from "normal" to "very flexible." It has nothing to do with the appearance of the muscle.

Small, thin muscles look elongated. Large muscles look bulky. That's just how it works.

A combination of modest musculature with low but not super low body fat gives you the soft, long, lean look. A combination of significant muscle and very low body fat gives you the bulky, muscular look.

For an individual it's all a function of muscle size and body fat. When comparing different people, genetics play a huge role as well. Comparing professionals in one area versus professionals in another gives you an extremely skilled look because in general people who are actual pros are genetically predisposed to a certain look or function, especially in something as image-centric as ballet.