5 Exercises 5 minutes A Day To Improve All Your Latin Dances

How to get a Dancers Body - Improve Your Latin Dances

Want to strengthen your body, increase your flexibility, build your balance? All while you also improve your latin dances? With some  additional residual endorphins to feel good…. ALL of that in just 5 minutes a day! What are you waiting for? Let’s go!

Exercise #1: Planking Taps

2 sets of 10 reps. (1 rep = tap left and right)
​Rest 10 seconds in between sets.
​Benefits: All Powerful Full body Strengthening.

​Tips:
1. ​Keep your hips in line with your shoulders.
2. Keep neck neutral (don’t look towards your feet).
3. Bring back to the center of the body without moving anything else

Exercise #2: Ball Presses

2 sets of 15 reps. (1 rep = both heels up and down)​
​Rest 10 seconds in between sets.
Benefits: Builds Core Balance. Strengthens Ankles, Feet and Calves for better leg lines.

Tips:
​1. Keep your heels as high off the floor as you can.
2. Keep your spine tall.
3. Keep your knees straight.
4. Pause briefly when both heels are up.

Exercise #3: Toe Squats

2 sets of 15 reps.
Rest 10 seconds in between.
Benefits: Builds Balance. Strengthens Pelvis and Quads for stronger leg action. 

Tips:
​1. Keep your heels as high off the floor as you can.
2. Don’t stick your butt out.
3. Keep your tail bone pointing towards the floor.
4. Don’t hunch over. Keep your spine straight.

Exercise #4: Seated Twists

2 sets of 15 reps. (1 rep = twist to right and left)
Rest 10 seconds in between.
​Benefits: Isolation of the ribcage. Increase flexibility in the back. Helps with building a strong and stable frame. 

Tips:
1. Sit on the edge of the chair with both feet planted firmly on the ground.
2. Keep the towel taut and elbows straight throughout.
3. Don’t let any butt cheek creep up. Push your bum into the chair throughout.
4. Focus on engaging the abdomen and back muscles.

Exercise #5: Hip Twists

2 sets of 15 reps. (1 rep = twist left and right)
Rest 10 seconds in between
Benefits: Increase Isolation of the ribcage. Build flexibility in the hips/ side body. 

Tips:
1. Keep the towel taut throughout, so the upper torso doesn’t move around.
​2. Keep shoulders parallel to the floor.
3. Focus on squeezing the abdomen and back to deepen the rotations.
4. Keep your spine and head tall.

A last word about ways to improve your latin dances:

Cross Training is an important element for any sport. It builds muscles and activates muscle memory in a more targeted manner that is very effective for when you get back onto the dance floor. The point of these exercises is to create internal resistance, without the use of any weights. So, the slower and more controlled you can do them, the more you will reap their benefits to improve your latin dances.

​Any questions? Feel free to leave me a comment below!

PS: I love planking and all it’s variations! If you’d like a post about planking, drop me a note!

Comments

  • Ashley Johnson
    July 23, 2019

    I liked that you said that exercising every day will improve your flexibility and balance, allowing you to improve your Latin dance. I would imagine that exercising and dancing would also allow you to relieve stress and tension from your busy schedule with work and school. I would be sure to consider exercising and taking dance classes in order to help me improve my health and release the built-up stress and tension acquires through various responsibilities.

  • Estelle
    June 20, 2017

    Great exercise ! Very helpful ! Thank you so much !

    • Dance Insanity
      LiWen Ang
      June 20, 2017

      Hello Estelle! Thanks for letting us know. So thrilled that these exercises help. 🙂

  • Dennis Javelo
    May 15, 2017

    Thanks for sharing these! I’ve been doing most of them during my break time at work, but I have to do the planks at home because the floors at work are really dirty!

    • Dance Insanity
      LiWen Ang
      May 16, 2017

      Yay! That’s so awesome, Dennis. Totally get it about dirty floors… Let me know how it feels after you’ve done these for a while. Keep it up! :))

  • Gloria Santiago
    May 7, 2017

    Awesome awesome girl! These exercises will benefit us ( students) thank you!

    • Dance Insanity
      LiWen Ang
      May 11, 2017

      Thanks Gloria!!! It is also helpful for us to get feedback. Love seeing everyone improve. 🙂

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