Staying Healthy On the Road, Part II: Conditioning and Cross-Training for Dancers On the Road
From the trainer’s viewpoint:
How does a person keep any normal activity in their life when they are confined to a seat in the plane that was invariably designed for a person with severe osteoporosis? Flight attendants frown on jogging in the aisles and bus drivers are much the same. These modes of transportation make for great stability training but even that is problematic in close quarters. Standing on stability balls does not work. I have tried.
So now that we have established these difficulties, on to the task of staying in shape on the road. These are often times when every second counts. Schedules are hectic. Things are unpredictable and the forces of the universe collide in an effort to prevent success in reaching or maintaining fitness goals. Hang in there because there are things that we can do.
Since the tour is about performing, make the workout fill in the gaps. Pick exercises that target many groups of muscles at a time. Super set or circuit training can cut workout time in half. Body weight exercises are great because the most important piece of equipment is the one no one could leave behind.
Travel time is also a good injury prevention time. Sometimes it makes sense to just focus on the things that could potentially become overuse injuries due to the hectic nature of a tour. For the dance community, those things would be the feet and ankles (especially the tibialis anterior and posterior). To work on those, one might do the opposite of dance and work on lifting your toes as high as you can. And by the way, that would need to be without rocking your hips back to assist your feet in that feat!
Additionally, the back takes a lot of strain, so working the abs and back is a great goal. For that part of the body try back extensions or sit-ups over a ball and be sure to remember postural attention all the time. Remember: ballet posture is not the goal for the spine. Maintaining a natural curve is essential.
Moving up to the shoulder, there is the all important rotator cuff. These four muscles take a lot of abuse over a lifetime and get very little attention until they are injured and making you wince with every gesture of your arms. There are many exercises for the rotator cuff. Internal and external rotation, 0-30 degrees abduction, clockwise and counter clockwise rotation, and resisted protraction would be a very good five to ten minute routine to stave off the pain.
To locate this important group of muscles, hold a rope parallel to the floor as if you are holding a tray and wrap the ends gently around your palms. The rope should be about hip’s length by now. Gently begin pulling the rope apart then releasing it. You’ll quickly learn where your rotator cuff muscles are if you didn’t before.
Last but not least, don’t forget the muscles that hold up the eight to ten pound weight called the head. To work this area, just “use your head!” Bend forward at the hip joint until your back is parallel to the ground, then move your chin forward and backward, lifting the back of the head up as you do.
From the Dancer’s Viewpoint:
Now, be honest. I’ll bet most of you were thinking about packing and other things than Jan’s travel workout weren’t you? Touring is a double-edged sword. It is a chance to gain experience. Onstage you learn about different places and audience personalities; you improve your timing, floor awareness and sensitivity to the audience. Offstage you learn to stay sane while packed in closely with the same cast for months at a time. But, traveling also requires you learn to “unpack” yourself after hours of traveling—when you feel more like a piece of human origami than a dancer.
The human body is made for movement. Dancer or not, the body needs to move for reasons other than getting from one place to another. The body weakens in prolonged stillness. Circulation is often severely restricted and healing and growth is delayed. Serious blood clots that can be life threatening can form.
Colleges are notorious for recruited students for studies. A number of years ago a study was done on two groups of males. One group was confined to bed for the summer. Another was allowed to keep their normal activities and diets. Other than forced bed rest for one group, the groups were equal. They were followed into middle age. The group that was on forced bed rest had many more serious health problems than the group that had normal activities. Even those in the normal group who drank, smoked, overate and under-exercised were still in better physical shape than the bed rest group.
The human body is a marvelously interconnected, interactive creation. When sitting still, your skeletal muscles are barely working. It is the contraction of those muscles that keeps blood flowing throughout the body, taking care of a myriad of crucial tasks including that blood flow. Extended periods of inactivity—when you are packed in cars, busses, and planes—interrupts this work. Extremities will swell. Feet will “fall asleep” (an uncomfortable feeling for everyone). Blood clots can form from the pooling of blood. Those clots can break loose and settle in the lungs and heart with extremely consequences. If you have an injury, you will need to be even more careful.
Dancers should be exceptionally vigilant about what they wear on long trips. Loose clothing is good. Warm socks are a comfort. Some put paper bags on their feet to help reduce swelling, especially if they didn’t get a bulk head seat for propping up feet. Water is a must. Tennis balls are great for massaging the feet (roll the ball on the floor), hands (squeeze it), and back (put the ball between your back and the seat, being careful not to disturb the poor soul behind you). Pack your resistance tubes. You can use them across your ankles to resist the movement in a seated développé or by taking your leg across in front of the other to work your adductors. (Have your non-working foot as an anchor). Put them under your feet and do biceps curls. Or, simply squeeze your gluteals in a series of reps while seated will help your circulation.
NEVER cross your legs, long trips or not. Want varicose veins? Blood clots? Numb, swollen feet and legs? Then go right ahead. Etiquette:
If you are in a car, you can get away with a few more things such as stretching your legs full-length, endless toe wiggling and equally endless pleas for rest and pliée stops. On a chartered bus, or if all of you managed to commandeer one train car to yourselves, you’ll have aisle room. Use train stops to work in the aisles (don’t get off unless you are very certain of the length of your layover). Use bus rest stops to jog around the bus and do jumping jacks.
Busses and planes have extremely high rules of etiquette for your safety and that of your fellow travelers. On planes, try to time your aisle walk to avoid pre and post-meal restroom trips.
When you have finally unfolded, remember to do your conditioning warm-ups carefully. You will be stiffer than you expect, though it may not feel so at first. Don’t immediately grab your heel and try to get your foot over your head. You will regret that very soon. Bon voyage!