Calling all dancers / Fitness experts

jademarriott94
jademarriott94 Posts: 25 Member
edited November 20 in Fitness and Exercise
currently in my second year of professional dance training and have told I need to lengthen my quads more as they have really bulked up recently. I am hypermobile so I need to make sure I'm as strong as possible to protect my joints but it just seems like any exercise I do my quads take over and worried they will continue to bulk.
Any suggestions?xgmczj7motae.jpg

Replies

  • VintageFeline
    VintageFeline Posts: 6,771 Member
    When I was dancing we did pilates at least twice a week which can help achieve a longer line but really, if that's your natural physiology then there's not much you can do about it and your tutor is placing unrealistic pressures on you. Unless you want to dance with a classical ballet company then there's no need in the current dance world to be less muscular. Research your favourite companies and their dancers and look at their bodies, you'll see that it's a lot more diverse than even 10 or 20 years ago.
  • VintageFeline
    VintageFeline Posts: 6,771 Member
    Oh and strong quads with a nice flexi strong achilles means great jumps!
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    The bad news is, you can't "lengthen" your quads. You can lose fat, gain muscle fat and muscle, but you can't change the length of your muscles. The good news is you are gorgeous, and that is just your physique. I checked your stats and for 5'4", you don't want to lose TOO much more weight, but a couple pounds might help slim them a little, though you never know because we can't decide where the fat comes off. What kind of training have you been doing, besides dancing?
  • jeffpettis
    jeffpettis Posts: 865 Member
    edited June 2015
    You can't change the physical shape of a muscle outside of making it bigger or smaller. Your genetics determine the actual shape. So in other words you can't "lengthen" your quads and whoever told you this has no idea how the human body works.

    Having said all of that, if you were to lose body fat covering the muscle it may give the muscle a different appearance but the actual muscle shape is going to remain the same.
  • jademarriott94
    jademarriott94 Posts: 25 Member
    I'm hoping to lose a couple of pounds but that usually comes off my top half ( I'm bottom heavy) but I do Pilates, and the usually cardio at the gym like running and on the cross trainer. My legs are something that I have always been self conscious of because they are very un toned so I focus a lot of them at the gym with the glute, inside thighs and hamstring machines. But people have told me to accept the fact that maybe that is just my body and that my legs won't tone. When I say untoned I mean I genuinely have extremely baggy and un even skin.
    I feel like I've just worked so hard for years to try and change them but no change in the tone and as my dancing has become more serious they have bulked up a lot
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    jademarriott94 wrote: »
    I'm hoping to lose a couple of pounds but that usually comes off my top half ( I'm bottom heavy) but I do Pilates, and the usually cardio at the gym like running and on the cross trainer. My legs are something that I have always been self conscious of because they are very un toned so I focus a lot of them at the gym with the glute, inside thighs and hamstring machines. But people have told me to accept the fact that maybe that is just my body and that my legs won't tone. When I say untoned I mean I genuinely have extremely baggy and un even skin.
    I feel like I've just worked so hard for years to try and change them but no change in the tone and as my dancing has become more serious they have bulked up a lot

    I'm 5'4" with very thick thighs as well. I just gave up on them because there's only so much I can do. You can see my ribs between my chest at this point and I don't want my face to slim any more.

    I wish I had better advice. The only thing I can tell you is, there is no such thing as "toning"-only because it might help you figure out your goal better. You can lose fat eating at a deficit to reveal muscle and slim down, you can eat at a surplus to gain muscle along with fat, or you can...stay the same haha.
  • jeffpettis
    jeffpettis Posts: 865 Member
    edited June 2015
    The only thing you can do is continue to lose body fat and eventually it WILL come off of the areas you want it to.

    As arditarose said there is no such thing as "tone". But in a nutshell, to "tone" means to lose enough body fat that the muscle underneath is visible.
  • lishie_rebooted
    lishie_rebooted Posts: 2,973 Member
    Back away from the machines and get some free weights.
    you'll have far better results with free weights
  • VintageFeline
    VintageFeline Posts: 6,771 Member
    Also, you're not bulking, you have lost weight so have just revealed more existing muscle by there being less fat covering it. It's really damn difficult for women to build more muscle than is naturally already there and as you've been losing weight you are even less likely to have built anything at all.
  • jademarriott94
    jademarriott94 Posts: 25 Member
    lishie_rebooted wrote: »
    Back away from the machines and get some free weights.
    you'll have far better results with free weights

    What is the reason behind this?
  • jademarriott94
    jademarriott94 Posts: 25 Member
    I don't think I'd be half as insecure about my legs if they weren't so wobbly and uneven. Yes I have extremely thick thighs for your 'typical dancer' but it's definitely the tone of the legs that effects me more
  • lishie_rebooted
    lishie_rebooted Posts: 2,973 Member
    jademarriott94 wrote: »
    lishie_rebooted wrote: »
    Back away from the machines and get some free weights.
    you'll have far better results with free weights

    What is the reason behind this?

    The machines are doing some of the stabilizing for you, robbing you of the benefits. Using free weights will strengthen the stabilizer muscles and help you in dance and running.

    And certain machines also force you into an unnatural pattern of movement.
  • VintageFeline
    VintageFeline Posts: 6,771 Member
    That's nothing to do with "tone" and more where your existing body fat is. Only way to change that is to lose more weight but you are already very slim and I wonder if it's more about your perception combined with comments from tutors (who haven't caught up with current dancing and don't know jack about physiology) than reality.
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