Running and Stretching
Dancing Smart Newsletter
May 6, 2005
Turn Up your Turnout is off to the printers! I know that publishing a book has beencompared to birthing your child. Ithink that it was easier to birth my children! I'll keep you informed, should be in my hands by the end ofthe month. You'll be the first toknow.
Another quick announcement. I'll be in Atlanta, Georgia, June 10-12th for the AmericanDance Slam Convention. Info can befound at www.americandanceslam.com/
Dance Teacher Magazine summer Conference will be held August6-8 in NYC. I will be teaching twoworkshops, one on Dancing Smart: Analyzing Turnout, and the other on Smart Teaching: Assessment Tests ForYour Students. You can find moreinfo about the conference at
http://www.dance-teacher.com/articles/dtsummerconference05.shtml
Onto the question of the week!
I actually have two questions. One being is it bad for dancers to run? I am only able to take class threetimes a week because I teach the other two days and right now I am notperforming or anything like that so my stamina is not like it was when I wasrehearsing everyday and performing often. So I started running/walking in intervals. One minute walking at apretty good pace and the other minute running and so on for thirtyminutes. I have heard good and badthings about this. My otherquestion was whether or not you could get more flexible than you already are atany age? I am now twenty-five andam still flexible because I stretch and take dance class. But I notice that I get tighter fasterand I have to stretch a little more than I use to before classes. Does this mean that I am loosing myflexibility or am I just doing something wrong?
Thank you,
Patricia
Let's start with your first question, is it bad for dancersto run? The short answer is no, aslong as you are running with good movement mechanics. The challenge is running with good movement mechanics. For example, if you are knock-kneed, orhave excessive pronation (rolling in on your feet) then running could tax yourbody. Is running an evil exercisefor most dancers? NO! Running, along with the ellipticaltrainer (my favorite), Nordic track, swimming, race walking, and othercardiovascular activities improve the health of dancers and non-dancersalike.
You are describing a form of interval training, switchingbetween a higher and lower intensity activity. To better understand the pros and cons of interval trainingI called up Roger Laushman, a biologist and cross country coach and asked himwhat his suggestions would be for a dancer who was using running as a crosstraining activity. It wasfascinating, and I am going to take some of his suggestions and try them when Iwork out on the elliptical.
He suggested that we design our cardiovascular workoutsfollowing the shape of a triangle. At the base of the triangle and where you spend the most time, is onbuilding a good base of aerobic capacity. This is an easy running pace, where you could carry on aconversation. Above that on thetriangle would be tempo running. This is where you are pushing your threshold up, running harder for say4-5 minutes, with a minute recovery. This is NOT a hard push, but more than a comfortable jog. You can then change to the third levelon the triangle as you are doing, Patricia, one minute of running even harder,with one minute of walking. Thislevel helps to build endurance. The last level, where you would spend the least amount of time isrunning almost an almost full out pace for a short period of time, and thenwalking until you feel totally recovered.
He also stated that running surface is important. If you can run on a grassy field orathletic fields where impact is softened, that would be better. When we talked about the fact thatchoreography has become much more athletic in nature, and sometimes dancers'stamina is taxed, getting through their long days of class, rehearsals andperformances, his suggestion was to mix up the 4 types of running during thesame workout. (From our pyramid example) Start slow and easy, then do some tempo running, back to slow and easy,onto the one minute intervals, then to pushing hard, back to slow and easy asone variation. He felt that thistype of workout would work well for dancers, and have them noticing improvementin stamina, energy, and general cardiovascular well being in a short period oftime.
He suggested a book by Jack Daniels called the RunningFormula, for those interested in better understanding the physiology anddemands of different training techniques. I'm going to order his book and see what pearls of wisdom I might gleamfor the training of dancers. Onething that I liked about the first few pages I previewed online was hisstatement that you need to know what your training goals are and understandthere is not one cookie cutter method that will work for all. (My paraphrasing) I appreciated reading that as itsupports my philosophy about dance training. First you need a baseline of understanding the anatomicalprinciples of the body, upon which you place your movement goals with enoughtraining variations to suit the wide range of bodies that are involved indance. Quite a job for danceteachers, eh?
Your second question asks about changes in flexibility andwhether aging and decreasing flexibility go hand in hand. I called Dr. Jennifer Shults, tobrainstorm possible answers to your question. We came up with three possibilities; of course there may bemore.
The first one we both thought of concerned the change in theamount of time you are spending in dance classes now, as compared to when youwere younger. There is researchthat confirms flexibility can be improved no matter what your age, but itrequires commitment and focus. Going from daily classes and rehearsals to 3-4 classes a week is achange for your muscles. It maynot be that you're getting less flexible, but more that you spend less timestretching than you used to. Dancers' bodies are sensitive and finely tuned instruments – wenotice small changes. Like anyelite athlete, changes in our training programs will be felt in our body.
Another possibility could be that the running isconditioning your body in new ways, which need to be countered with morestretching. If there are anymechanical problems with your running style (usually one feels that as strainduring or after running), this will influence your muscles.
The last possibility is the increasing stiffness may be anindicator of a pro-inflammatory state in your body. Often this is caused by dietary influences. At 18 years of age your body is moreforgiving if you are not eating well enough, or getting too much junk food orthe wrong kinds of fats. At 25years of age, or older, our bodies begin to be less forgiving if we don't giveit the right fuel. Sometimes, aninflammatory response can be likened to a chemical allergic reaction to foodsthat our body doesn't appreciate. (Anybody feel extra achy around the holidays when over indulging insweets and alcohol?)
Observe your patterns of eating and training. Play around with stretching more oftenon your non-dance days. See if youcan notice any patterns with food and how your body responds tostretching.
I appreciate all your wonderful questions. Thanks for sending them in!
Warmest regards,
Deborah