A Beginner’s Guide to Dance Training
Get to Know Josie
What’s one piece of advice you would give to a beginner in your sport?
Dance for yourself! Don’t dance for others’ validation as it’s your life and your happiness that will be affected.
What’s your favourite song to work out to?
It depends what mood I’m in — I love high-energy music on the days I need a confidence boost, and sometimes I love powerful emotional music on the days I get into my feels. Anything with a strong beat gets me motivated.
What's your most embarrassing moment in the gym?
I overestimated how much I could bench press and put too much on my bar. When I went to do a rep, the bar fell on me, and I had to get a man to lift it off me. He said I was very weak and needed to get some strength in my arms...
What's your proudest fitness achievement?
My biggest achievement is building my stamina. It’s such a hard thing to achieve but I need a lot of stamina to do the high-intensity dance lessons that I do while maintaining good technique. It’s taken me a long time to increase my stamina and it hasn’t been easy, but I can feel it improving a lot and it’s making me so happy to finally see a difference.
Favourite Myprotein product?
Josie’s Supplement Routine
Impact Whey Protein
With over 40 flavours to choose from, there’s something for everyone.
Layered Protein Bars
With 20g of protein and just 1.9g of sugar per bar, Layered Protein Bars will keep your energy up and provide a tasty treat.
Dancer’s Beginner Workout
This workout is aimed at improving balance and core, reduce injury and increase power – it should take you around 30 minutes to complete. Try to complete the exercises with high reps (over 20) in as few sets as possible.
The philosophy of this session is to develop the vessel to allow the body to feel the rhythms and the music.
Warm-up
Complete these 3 movement drills to help loosen up your hips and shoulders for better posture:
Cossack lunge: Start crouched down on one leg on your toes, with the other out to the side on your heel, and take your hips over to the other side. Arabesque: On one leg, take the other one out behind you, and tilt down from the hips while keeping your spine long. Single leg raises: Lie on your back with one leg bent and foot on the floor, and the other straight. Raise the straight leg up and down to warm up the hip and hamstring.
Main Workout
1. Single Leg Deadlifts
Stand upright on one slightly bent leg, and bend forward from the pelvis. Once you’re at a 90-degree angle, extend the back leg fully behind you. Hold onto one dumbbell or a barbell to increase the difficulty.
2. Single Leg Glute Bridges
Lie on your back with your feet close to your body. Bend one knee, keeping your foot on the floor, and keep the other leg straight out but slightly lifted off the floor. Raise your pelvis as high as you can, keeping the hips square as you drive up, before pushing your pelvis back down to the floor.
Complete 3 sets of 15-20 reps.
3. Grande plié in second
Stand with your feet slightly wider than hip-width, with your feet comfortably turned out. Bend down until your pelvis is in a horizontal line with your knees. Engage the glute muscles to straighten the legs, driving through the heels.
Complete 30 reps.
4. Single leg calf raises
Stand on one leg with the other leg relaxed and comfortably lifted off the floor, while holding onto a stable surface. Rise up onto the ball of your foot to target your calf muscles.
Complete 30 reps.
5. Abdominal crunches
Lie on your back with your knees bent at a 45-degree angle, with feet lifted off the floor. Lift your head and shoulders towards your legs, keeping chin off your chest.
Complete 50 reps.
Take Home Message
Whether you’re new to dancing or just want to brush up on some skills, give Josie’s routine a try.
