Will running help my dancing????

Question

I am a dancer, and my mom wants me and my sis to go running 2 or 3 times a week. I heard it builds bulky muscles and you could get bad knees from pounding on them. Will running help my dancing (i do ballet/pointe)??? Pros? Cons?

Answer 1

Running will definitely not help your dancing. I do ballet myself, and my dance teacher told me that by running you are tightening all the muscles that you work hard in ballet - thus your flexibility in them will go away. In ballet that could definitely be a big problem.

Answer 2

I'm a ballet dancer as well. I ran track and cross country the same year I got my first pair of pointe shoes. When I ran cc i noticed my kness swelling when i went on pointe; this never did happen before cross country. Track was really good though. Try short distance sprints. Run a few 100's or 200's each day. It develops great calf muscles.

Answer 3

I do ballet. I run everyday about 3/4 of mile. I do it not to necessarily build muscle but to build stamina. I really doesnt hurt to run. I has only helped me if my stamina. Plus it makes the legs stronger easier to do jetes and pirouettes and stuff. It does help.

Answer 4

YES!!!! I run all the time and i also dance. Its gets your body ready! You should probably run an hour before your dance class. That's what I do and my dancing has in proved.

Answer 5

Yes runing will help. It will increase your stamina immensley and it wont hurt your knees. It souds good to me!

Answer 6

yes it will help you=]  it will make you have stronger legs and your feet will not hurt as much as it might, it will keep you in shape, but the cons are you could over due the running and you might have a chance of getting an injury like achilles tendon problems, foot problems, and maybe some other ones too but i would do it because if you only do dancing and you guys get a break for like a couple of weeks then when you start to dance you will feel it!!

Answer 7

well, here it is broken down:

pros: you will build stamina, which is important for ballet and pointe and you are keeping yourself healthy

cons: you will build bulky muscles which do not look attractive as a dancer, the muscle you will build will be on the top of your thigh, and as a dancer, you have to use the bottom of your thigh, which will make using the bottom of your thigh challenging, it could potentially give you knee problems

these pros and cons won't necessarily happen if you only run two or three times a week, but beware, if you start getting a little more intense with running.  also, if you begin to get knee problems, it can usually be fixed by getting a brace from a doctor (you don't need to go to a specialist, you can even go to a physical therapist).  this happened to my sister, who is also a dancer, and she just wore it when doing intense activities (dance, gym, running, etc.).  i think you shouldnt worry too much about it, if you only run two or three times a week and don't push yourself too much, then this will help you in the long run

i hope this helped you! =]

Answer 8

running doesn't build bulky muscle, it'll help tone your legs which will probably help with your dance. (I don't dance, I play basketball so I've never really though about building muscle as a con.) It will help with your endurance and stamina. And it's just good for you. It'll help keep you healthy and in good physical condition. If you are worried about your knees, run on sand or grass, the cemente might do the most damage. But no worries, you'll be fine in that regard. But if you still hvae a tidge of worry wear knee braces while you run. I wear them just becasue I've disloacted my knee. So you can wear them just as a precaution.

Answer 9

Women just do NOT bulk up, ever. The female weight lifters you see are all on steroids. Running will definitely help you when you need to leap and it will help your cardio capacity so you can do vigorous dancing for long periods of time without breathing hard. Also, it burns the calories and will keep your weight down, which is critical for ballet dancers. Directors prefer slender women. (Just don't overdo it!)

Answer 10

yeah i guess the bulky muscle thing could be a problem but your legs would be stonger. running would also help your endurance which is a definite pro. maybe you should just go once a week so that you can get some of the pros and less of the cons. i don't know, just my opinion. personally i hate running but i do think it could be helpful.

best of luck!

Answer 11

It would definitely help with your leg strength & if you dance intensely, it will help you build cardio strength.

Running will help you lose weight, & as for the muscle problems everybody has different genetics. So while people can run forever and not get bulky, someone can run for a year and get bulked.

As for the injuries, if you take all the precautions and safety tips of running, you shouldn't get too many problems. Maybe a sore muscle here and there but that's it.