Ballet Beautiful: Transform Your Body and Gain the Strength, Grace and Focus of a Ballet Dancer (10 page)

Stretching, a huge part of a dancer’s daily life, keeps muscles loose and the body limber. Dancers are always working to be more fluid and agile—we stretch at the beginning, middle, and end of any dance class, rehearsal, and, yes, even a workout! As you will see in the workout chapters, I encourage you to stretch before you begin exercising, whether your workout is for 15, 30, or 60 minutes. I also suggest that you stretch and release your muscles between movements. You will find that, as the muscles you are working become fatigued during a workout, it’s important to stop, take a quick sip of water, and stretch out these muscles to keep them long and lean. If you are a beginner and just getting started with the program, taking extra time to stretch between exercises and performing fewer reps will also help you to modify your workout, giving your body a chance to rest as you build strength over time.

One of the key reasons I remind you to stop and stretch in between movements throughout the Ballet Beautiful workout is to keep your body as fluid and warm as possible. Can the exercises and stretches in Ballet Beautiful help you gain flexibility and improve your movement? Absolutely. If you are feeling stiff and achy, that’s just your body’s way of asking you to move. Gentle stretches and the Ballet Beautiful exercises will make an incredible difference in how you look and feel and how your body moves. The program keeps joints strong yet mobile and muscles taut but long. While I’m not promising extreme flexibility and an immediate center split, I can promise that daily stretching will increase your flexibility over time and help relieve stiff, achy joints. If you spend a lot of time driving, sitting, or hunched over a computer, these stretches can also lessen back pain and keep you limber.

I look at daily stretching as a necessary luxury and an important part of my beauty routine. It keeps my muscles released and gives me a chance to relax, focus on my body, and just enjoy the moment. When I was performing with the New York City Ballet, setting aside some quiet time to stretch before warming up always helped me prepare my body for the stage and calm and center my mind. After finishing my hair and makeup, I would pack on the layers of legwarmers, dance sweaters, and a huge fleecy sweatshirt with a zipper (easy to remove without disturbing my hair and makeup!) and
head backstage to find a quiet corner to stretch out before the show. Because my muscles are used to being constantly stretched, I find that they crave it every day. Stretching is like a healthy addiction—my body always wants more!

My approach to stretching is different than many other exercise programs. Instead of thinking of stretching as an add-on, as something to do before or after a workout, I think of stretching as necessary and ongoing throughout the workout. Stretching helps release and lengthen muscles as you strengthen and tone them and plays an important role in your recovery after a workout. Remember that the ballet term “tendu” means “stretched” or “pulled”? Keep that in mind as you go: many of the instructions for my exercises will urge you to extend and stretch long through your limbs for the best results.

Here are the basic stretches you will use throughout the BB workouts, whether you are doing the 60-Minute Classic or one of the four 15-Minute Blasts. Hold stretches for anywhere from 10 to 90 seconds, depending on how much time you have available and how tight your body feels.

a
Sit on the floor, with your legs in front of you. Bend one knee in and stretch the other leg out long in front.

b
Lean your upper body up and over the extended leg with the goal of reaching toward your foot. If you cannot reach your foot at first, just focus on reaching in that direction, moving your hands down your leg and shin as you gain flexibility.

c
Exhale and extend forward, further down into the stretch, as you let your opposite hip drop down toward the floor.

d
Don’t worry about whether or not your hip reaches the floor or how low it is; everyone’s hips are different. Your hips will loosen and open over time.

e
For a more advanced variation, add a twist in the upper body. While extending forward with the upper body, lift the arm on the same side as your extended leg into the air, looking up and back behind you and taking a gentle twist with the spine. Open through the chest and stretch long through the arms.

f
Repeat on the other side.

This hip opener works miracles, but be patient and gentle as your body loosens.

a
Begin seated on the mat. Bend your front knee in toward your hip and stretch your back knee out long behind you.

b
Sit up high and open through the chest, pulling your stomach in.

c
Gently bend toward the bent knee for a stretch through the spine. As with the first stretch, don’t worry about whether or not your hip reaches the floor or how low it is—your hips will loosen and open over time.

d
Repeat on the other side.

a
Begin seated on the mat. Extend one leg out to the side as if preparing for a center split and reach toward your foot. Bend the other leg into a passé position, slightly to the front.

b
Stretch the knee of the extended leg and lift your opposite arm up into a port de bras, curved above your head, reaching up and over toward the extended leg and stretching through the upper body. Curve your other arm low in front of you.

c
Release through the side and back.

d
Repeat on the other side.

a
This stretch can be done sitting or standing. Lift both of your arms up high to fifth position (in a circle over your head), staying relaxed through your neck and shoulders.

b
Drop one arm down to fourth position (curved in front of you, low, at your hips), pulling your stomach in and connecting to your center. Take a breath in and then lift up and over, with the top arm extending out.

c
Bring both arms down through first position (curved in a circle in front of you), then lift both arms back high to fifth position with the arms.

d
Repeat the stretch on the other side.

This is a great stretch for the Blast Series work, as well as a terrific way to release your muscles at the office or even between classes at school!

a
Bend your right leg in and grab the top of your foot with your right hand, pulling the foot up toward the butt, opening up through the front of the hip and thigh. For balance, pull in through your center or hold on to a wall or chair.

b
Change legs and repeat.

c
Extend your right leg in front and bend your body forward over that leg in a tendu (foot pointed and stretched out in front of you), keeping the knee straight. Pulse and release through the back of the leg and hamstring. Come up and change legs.

Stretching doesn’t have to be technical, so don’t obsess over your form, which will vary from day to day based on how tight you are and what you have been doing with your body. Be certain that you work within your range of motion and that the release of your muscles feels great as you go.

Now here are three variations on my basic Ballet Beautiful stretches. Feel free to weave them into your workout!