I want a ballerina body

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Replies

  • michellelhartwig
    michellelhartwig Posts: 486 Member
    :smile:
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,028 Member
    Just a note: You "cannot" achieve "long, lean" muscles. You either have them or don't. Muscles insertions and shapes are determined by birth. You can't "elongate" a muscle. You can "visually" make it look longer by reducing body fat or losing muscle (through catabolic means) to look more "lanky" (my term). But no program is going to change muscle length or shape unless you're doing one where you're adding muscle.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
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  • Plates559
    Plates559 Posts: 869 Member
    Just a note: You "cannot" achieve "long, lean" muscles. You either have them or don't. Muscles insertions and shapes are determined by birth. You can't "elongate" a muscle. You can "visually" make it look longer by reducing body fat or losing muscle (through catabolic means) to look more "lanky" (my term). But no program is going to change muscle length or shape unless you're doing one where you're adding muscle.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    Yep this, Stretching/toning routines won't make your have long lean muscles either. If you are a girl and bulky you have either A. eaten too much, or B. used drugs.
  • Stick with the pilates and you'll get there. And a lot of cities have ballet-esque dance studios like Pure Barre.
  • Derpina7
    Derpina7 Posts: 552 Member
    Taking up dance classes is a great way to get in that lean body shape! But keep in mind, a lot of proffesional ballet dancers are naturally that thin because they've done it all their life - their muscles are conditioned for it. Dancers that start later on in life or non-proffesionally while of course can be in great shape, tend to be not as slender. (At least in my experience with dancing ballet up until my teens this is what I've seemed to notice). Dancers have a lot of pressure to be thin, and eating disorders are sadly very common. The ideal weight for a professional ballet dancer is about 85lbs at 5' tall and add 5lbs for every inch taller - this is considered underweight on a BMI scale!
    By all means though don't let that discourage you, just be mindful of your health :P - dance is one of the most beautiful forms of art, it's a great source for inspiration!!
  • Plates559
    Plates559 Posts: 869 Member
    The ideal weight for a professional ballet dancer is about 85lbs at 5' tall and add 5lbs for every inch taller - this is considered underweight on a BMI scale!

    Yes but you can't really trust a BMI anymore since its so outdated. I do agree that many dancers are pressured to be skinny.
  • islandmonkey
    islandmonkey Posts: 546 Member
    Unfortunately, to some extent your body type is your body type. I'd love to have slender legs, but I have Mary Lou Retton legs instead. I wear size 6 or 8 bootcut jeans, have 18.5% body fat and need wide calf boots. My daughter has a Jennifer Lopez butt and big boobs but slender legs. You can ditch the fat, but you can't change your basic body type.

    That said, if you're not taking steroids lifting won't make you bulky.


    ^^^ This.
  • 1SlimShaylee
    1SlimShaylee Posts: 204
    I have done ballet since I was 5 years old. I started being classically and professionally trained before I entered high school. Ballet does give you an amazing body, but there are other work out's that can give you a similar look. Yoga is one of the best!! There is a dvd called "yoga booty ballet" that is a-ma-zing!!!:heart:
  • hesn92
    hesn92 Posts: 5,966 Member
    do ballet?
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,028 Member
    The ideal weight for a professional ballet dancer is about 85lbs at 5' tall and add 5lbs for every inch taller - this is considered underweight on a BMI scale!

    Yes but you can't really trust a BMI anymore since its so outdated. I do agree that many dancers are pressured to be skinny.
    Well IMO BMI is still low on the scale for most. At 5'8 BMI states I'd still be normal at a weight of 130lbs. Yeah, I'd be a stick since I was 126 when I graduated from highschool and was a stick.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • Trechechus
    Trechechus Posts: 2,819 Member
    Dancers are very muscular. I had to sit in on some dance classes to write a paper for college and they beat the hell out of themselves with strength exercises. Work on strength, don't take steroids and you will be lean, and not "bulky." You aren't going to look like a man if you lift heavy.
  • jadedone
    jadedone Posts: 2,446 Member
    I agree with everyone else, it may not be your natural body type. But you can always try classes like the Barre Method. They are challenging in a different way than lifting heavier weights. If there isn't a studio near you, they have videos.

    In my area, the crowd who goes to the Barre Method is very "ladies who lunch." Not really my scene.

    Also, try more yoga.

    All of these things are still beneficial, but don't put too much stock into making your body into someone else's, focuses on being the best version of you, you can be.
  • makemewannadie
    makemewannadie Posts: 401 Member
    Doing ballet would actually help! I did ballet from when I was 4 and only stopped 3 years ago- it's fun, makes you graceful and flexible... but it is very, very hard work and requires a lot of discipline.
  • jadedone
    jadedone Posts: 2,446 Member
    I totally agree with all the comments so far - especially the ones about "body type." Still, I want to add another suggestion that may help you achieve long lean muscle. Look into a Bar Class - for example "Karve (located in Arizona & Utah, I think), "Bar Method" (all over U.S.) or "Dailey Method." Also - a good Pilates class and even a good Yoga class (i.e. Asthanga) will help you provide similar results with dedication! Good luck - and most important - Be Strong & Healthy! :o)

    Didn't realize Dailey Method was national. I went to a couple of classes. Lots of yoga and pilates like moves.
  • HeidiYogi
    HeidiYogi Posts: 81 Member
    Have you heard about or looked into Tracy Anderson's Metamorphosis program/Method? She has 4 different body types - mine is Hipcentric. I started last year in May and within 2 months had tightened and toned and was beginning to get back my ballet body from way back when. ;-) Even when I was practicing ballet 5-6 days a week for many, many hours, I still had slightly bigger thighs but a super tiny waist, upper body - very, very strong body except upper body. The thing that Tracy's Method has given me is a super strong upper body, lean/sculpted arms, and after a few injuries last year and getting off-track due to Bikram Yoga injuries, I am back on the Tracy wagon and it's all coming back again. She is also a former dancer who never had that perfect "ballerina body" but check her out now. Her stuff works!! You can check out some of her workouts on YouTube but I am a subscriber to her Metamorphosis program - I'm about to start Continuity #2 in a few days! She keeps sending you new workouts and changes it up every 10 days - keeps your muscles guessing but keeps them long, lean, strong, and healthy!! Check it out!!

    If you can handle ballet classes (I tried going back a few years ago and my body just can't take it anymore - knees, etc) then do ballet. If you do it at least 3 times a week you will get closer to that look you want. Your body type sounds like mine.....smaller upper body, smaller waist, and then a heavier butt/thigh region. It's doable!!! :-)
  • tajmel
    tajmel Posts: 401 Member
    My good friend has been a ballet dancer all her life. She's naturally curvy and only 5'1", but when it's ballet season and she's training six hours a day, her legs are long and lean and she and she has no problem achieving the "willowy" look. Of course, she'll never be tall enough for some roles.

    If you want to look like a ballet dancer, take ballet, but be aware that for most dancers it's a full time job. I'm going to echo above posters and say that it's a far better idea to embrace your own personal beauty and body type, rather than trying to fit into some arbitrary mold.