You’re a dancer likely still at home. Space is limited. Equipment is limited. Time is limited.
What’s not limited? Your potential.
Apolla Performance has made sure of that. With their world-class Shocksany dancer can stay injury-free, recover better, and get stronger. As a strength coach for professional performers, I have been working to come up with creative ways to increase strength and endurance while training at home.
Thankfully when training in my shocks I’m presented with the perfect pairing of glide and resistance. In fact, I want to share 6 shocking exercises you can incorporate into your home or studio workout routine using no equipment except a smooth surface and your favorite Apolla Shocks.
Your hamstring is the predominant muscle that is bending your knee and rotating your lower leg. Strong hamstrings mean daily activities like walking, jogging, and climbing stairs are easier. For dancers, strong hamstrings result in fewer knee injuries, healthier hips, higher jumps, and better overall stability. So yeah… pretty important. One exercise that will directly target your hamstrings is a supine hamstring curl. Lying face up with your legs extended in front of you, flex your feet and pull both heels towards your bum while simultaneously engaging your glutes to lift your tailbone 1-2” off the ground. Pause in this lifted position for a beat then lower your tailbone and return to your starting position. If the double leg version is too challenging or you start to experience a “cramp-like” sensation in your hamstrings or ache in your low back, start with one leg extended and one knee bent with that foot planted firmly on the ground.
Perform 3 sets of 12 reps total, resting 30-60 seconds between sets.
Push-up Rond de Jambe
This is a total-body exercise. Arms, chest, shoulders, core, and hips. Start in a high plank position; thumbs in line with your arm pits, belly button lifted, and feet together. As you lower to your push-up simultaneously glide to one foot, with your knee as straight as you can make it, out and around toward your elbow. As you push the floor away, the “up” part of the push up, glide the foot back to meet the other foot in the starting position. Seamlessly transition and glide the second leg around as you lower down for your next push-up, again return the leg to the starting position as you press up. If the push-up part is too challenging, hold a high plank position and focus on controlling the leg.
Perform 3 sets of 6-8 reps total, resting 30-60 seconds between sets. .
Pendulum Lunge
AKA “the pirouette prep perfector.” Even if you’re stuck in a space where actually practicing your pirouettes would result in the destruction of precious family heirlooms, you probably have enough space to work on your preparation for turning. This exercise lights up the quadriceps of both legs and the glutes of the stationary leg, meaning you’ll build the power from the quads to explode into your pirouettes and the strength and stability in your glutes to sustain the position and perform multiple rotations. Start in a parallel position, plie and slide one foot forward to a lunge position, both legs remaining bent. Attempt to keep 60% of your weight on the stationary leg, immediately slide the working leg through center and into a reverse lunge position.
Perform 3 sets of 30 seconds per leg, resting 30-60 after completing both sides.
Single Leg Hinge to Lunge to Passe
Personally, I find the beauty of dance is found in seamless and stable transitions from one position to the next. Oftentimes, these transitions come with the transfer of weight and feet. This move demands core and ankle stability in correlation with power. Perform a single leg hinge, reaching your hips back and keeping a straight line from head to heel. As you drive your hips forward to stand up, immediately glide back into a reverse lunge. From here, pull your back leg up into a passe position (releve optional). Balance and return to your starting position.
Perform 3 sets of 10 reps total, resting 30-60 seconds between sets.
Sliding Tucks and Pikes
While many dancers have no problem sitting into deep splits, they often find themselves frustrated when it comes time for developes or battements. The flexibility is there, as evident by their ability to pull their foot to their face, but why can’t they hold that position. Oftentimes, performers believe their hip flexors are weak, usually focusing on the tensor fascaie latae or rectus femoris, and they might not be wrong… but there are a series of connected deep core muscles that play a big role in hip flexion (namely the psoas and iliacus) and thus, by strengthening these muscles we can improve the height of one’s leg. The sliding tuck starts in a high plank position and then draws both knees into the chest before returning to the starting position. Similarly, the pike also starts in a high plank position, but keeps both legs straight and lifts the tailbone upwards as the toes slide forward.
Perform 3 sets of 10 reps per exercise, resting 30-60 seconds between sets.
Lateral Glide to Curtsey
I love this exercise because it forces dancers to work in an uncomfortable but often necessary way: parallel. Ballet and contemporary dancers in particular are constantly working their hips in external rotation (turned out) while neglecting the internal rotators and hip stabilizers like the adductors. Not only can this combo move eliminate hip tightness it will lead toward healthier, more stable knees as well. Win, win! Begin a single leg squat with the foot on the floor. Keep the opposite (sliding) leg straight and simultaneously abduct that leg out to the side of the body. Slide the working leg out only as far as you can without shifting the pelvis or torso, keeping both feet parallel. Bring the sliding leg back towards the midline as you come out of the squat and back to a standing position. Then, transition into a curtsey lunge, reaching the working leg behind you diagonally and sitting into the hip of the supporting leg. Be sure the bending knee tracks forward over your middle toe each time it bends.
Perform 3 sets of 6 reps per leg, resting 30-60 seconds between sets.
Feel free to try these exercises and get creative with your own workouts in and out of your Shocks, then kick back and enjoy your strong, healthy dance body.
For more from Amber Tacy and to learn more about Dancers Who Lift and her incredible programs for dancers, go to:
Promotions, new products and sales. Directly to your inbox.
Apolla socks provide the benefit of a shoe and comfort of a sock. That is why dancer's call them Shocks! They provide all the sport-science features you need in ONE sock.
Patented targeted zones provide arch and ankle support:
The 20-30 mmHg compression zones lift in key points of the feet to lift and stabilize but do NOT prevent range of motion like an orthotic...so you can still build foot strength
The high quality compression assists circulation & recovery by reducing inflammation which energizes your muscles.
This is very similar to the support you will get from taping…except it allows for better movement and comfort.
The stability they provide is raved about from customers with joint hypermobility and are looking for comfort and stability.
Knit-in Energy Absorption:
A 2019 independent study at Ohio University showed Apolla socks reduced force.
Our padding on the ball of the foot AND the heel provides comfort for your metatarsals but is not too thick in shoes.
Additional Features:
Antimicrobial
Moisture-wicking
Durable
Recycleable
Apolla socks are anatomically correct. Click here to see how to wear them properly
ALL OF OUR APOLLA SOCKS HAVE BEEN GIVEN THE AMERICAN PODIATRIC MEDICAL ASSOCIATION SEAL OF ACCEPTANCE.
WHY DO YOU WANT ALL OF THESE FEATURES IN YOUR SOCKS?
Our high-quality, patented compression, and energy absorption combined stabilizes the 26 bones in the foot and the ankle’s tendons and ligaments. This minimizes the amount of inflammation that takes place during your daily life or exercise that occurs due to overuse in your joints and muscles. We encourage you to have a pair for your exercise and a pair for recovery or everyday wear.
Inflammation is a natural occurence in the body, but if it is not removed or given enough time to decrease it can build up to cause chronic pain and issues like plantar fasciitis and tendonitis. Apolla socks help to not only decrease this painful inflammation that exercise and long days on your feet produces, but it also helps remove it. You will notice less fatigue, muscle pain, and they don't prevent range of motion so your muscles can still build strength. When you remove inflammation, you ache less and feel better…and you can do MORE of what you love, longer & stronger!
TRACTION OR NON-TRACTION?
Traction = grip so you don't slip!
There is an Apolla Shock for everyone and we recommend having one of each in your bag to keep you protected on any dance floor, in and out of the studio, from cross-training, to travel, from stage to recovery and everything in between! All Shocks are available WITH or NON traction.
Here are some guidelines to help you choose which option is best for YOU:
Choose WITH traction:
For any dance floor or slippery surface
We recommend if you are going to be using primarily on a dance floor that you always get WITH traction on all styles of Shocks, then wear it down to your preferred grip.
Choose NON traction:
For carpet at conventions
I will be wearing my Shocks in shoes (i.e. tap shoes, sneakers, etc.)
IMPORTANT: YOUR TRACTION WILL START VERY STICKY THEN WEAR DOWN TO THE GRIP YOU WANT TO KEEP IT AT.
This break in period can be 1-3 classes on average
IF you do not feel strong resistance on the first step? Please always contact Apolla customer service so we can help.
Once broken in, start refreshing the grip every class to KEEP the level of "stick" you want.
You must start refreshing your grip with either E6000 Spray Adhesive (this is what we recommend) or other refreshers can be Bloch rosin spray or a regular rock rosin.
If you do NOT start refreshing or you wear your WITH traction Shocks on carpet or in shoes, it may wear down your grip to almost nothing and make it not as effective.
Refresh your traction so you can keep "re-sticking" your grip over and over for the life of the Shock.
Please note:Due to the antimicrobial/moisture wicking properties in every pair, we recommend to treat your Shocks more as you would a shoe. They do not need to be washed daily or even weekly, as water will naturally break down the traction faster. Wash your Shocks only as necessary to possibly preserve the life of the traction. OR wash your Shocks if you want to wear the traction in faster. You will find they continue to bounce back to fit like a glove to your foot the more you wear and wash them. For the Joule, we recommend washing to bounce them back to shape when needed.
Care:All of our Shocks can be washed and dried according to our recommended care instructions and always use your Apolla Mesh Bag when laundering. We also recommend washing the WITH traction Shocks inside out to help preserve the traction.
Why I need E6000 for my Traction Shocks?
The beloved E6000 company has created a non-toxic spray adhesive that is the favorite refresher of traction for all of our Apolla Shocks. Apolla Shocks unique traction has eliminated the bulk and seams underfoot. It starts out sticky then you wear it down to your preferred level of grip. Then you keep it there by using a traction refresher. Some will refresh right away, some may never refresh...it is completely personalized to your need and floors. This is our recommendation. It is a pump spray and when you apply 5-10 pumps to your traction, it dries instantly, and does not damage floors. It helps to "re-stick" the grip over and over for the life of the Shocks. Some dancers start refreshing in the first class, some never refresh, some refresh when needed. It is important you have a bottle in your dance bag or at your studio to use as needed...one bottle last a long time! Your traction will wear down to nothing if you don't use a refresher, so make sure to order a bottle with your traction Shocks today!
Comments: 1
Bridget
Jun 08, 2020
I’m going to try these today