Let’s be honest, going to the gym every day of the week can get a bit monotonous especially if you stick to the same routines and exercises. If you find yourself trying to avoid the gym because of this boring regimen, you might need to make some changes. We’ve put together a list of dance styles for you to consider in your quest for better health.

Ballet for Lower Body Strength

If you are bored of doing leg presses and calf raises, perhaps it’s time to release your inner Misty Copeland? You should try doing some ballet moves for a lower body workout. You could work the whole of your lower body depending on what you do. If you do not want to take a ballet class, you should consider doing some arabesque lifts to exercise your lower back and glutes; battlement kicks to exercise your hamstrings and quads; and élevé to exercise your calves.

Ditch the gym
Misty Copeland, the first African American Female Principal Dancer with the prestigious American Ballet Theatre

You should put your arms parallel to the floor and out to the sides when working out your legs if you want to fight bad posture. As you squeeze your mid-back, you should pull your shoulders back to target the area of your back that hunches after spending too many hours in front of a computer screen.

 

Pole Dancing for Full-body Exercise

We believe everyone should try pole dancing. If you do it properly, you will engage your back muscles and abdominals fully, giving them a thorough workout. Whenever you do a pull-up move on the pole, your biceps will help your back muscles to lift the body.

To give your calves a good workout, walk around on the balls of your feet in the beginning of pole dancing classes. As your moves become more advanced, you will start working out your hamstrings, inner thighs, and glutes. If you want to lower your body fat, build some confidence, alleviate pain in your lower back, and increase the definition of your muscles, you should take up pole dancing. If you’re keen, book a class with one of our fitness faves, Kelechi Okafor, founder of Kelechnekoff.

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Picture credit: Kelechi Okafor, founder of Kelechnekoff

 

Afro Beat Dance for Rhythmic Cardio

This high intensity, rhythmic cardio style is fun and set to pulsating Afrobeat genre of music. In this dance, the movements originate from different parts of the body, giving a thorough workout. Simply google ‘Afrobeat Dance Class’ for inspiration, but one of the standout stars of this dance genre is Sherrie Silver, choreographer of the hugely popular This Is America video by Childish Gambino.

 

Tap for Cardio

If you have ever watched tap dancing before, then you know that tap dancers use a lot of energy. Because of this, a fad called cardio tap is on the rise because it helps people to work out their calves and cardiovascular systems. You should not worry if you have two left feet; tap classes involves repeating the same moves over and over again.

 

Hip-hop for Glutes and Core

If you want a work out that will get your body in shape, you should try a hip-hop dance class. Guaranteed to take you back to your youth, with the ‘breaking’, ‘lockin and poppin’, okay, maybe that’s a step too far, but sign up for this if you want an intense work out that will remind you of your oblique muscles. Hip-hop also involves lots of squats and knee bends that work out the glutes.

If you’re not quite brave enough to join a class, shove in a Diversity DVD and get dancing.

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Diversity

 


If you are genuinely bored of your regular gym routine, you should consider switching things up and trying out some of these dance styles. Not only will they help you to keep fit but you will no doubt have a lot of fun too.

 

This article was written in collaboration with  Justforkix.com, a large dancewear site.

 

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