Hi there,<P>I was wondering if anyone knew any good strengthening exercises that I could use on the whole body to build muscular strength over the summer (as I cant find any schools which are open). My aim is to strengthen my joints (knees and ankles in particular) over the summer so that when I go back to class I wont be worried about them etc.<P>I've heard the suggestions about cycling and swimming but swimming (breastroke) is tough on the knees and I have heard that cycling REALLY tightens up the hamstring muscles, and I dont want to lose my splits.<P>Also - has anyone else bought the NYC Ballet workout video? Do you think that this will help to strengthen the correct muscle groups or could it lead to the same possible incorrect technique habits as learning from a book?

I can tell you from personal experience - that riding a bike (for over 15 yrs.) has definitely not tightened up my legs at all. Of course, I am careful to stretch afterwards - but I would do that with any exercise program.<P>As for working with a video - I really am not in favor of that. It seems to me that whenever you work on ballet technique you really do need a teacher. That being said, of course there are times when there is a break in classes or I have gone on vacation, I have given myself a ballet barre. But I keep it very simple and basic. I don't intend it for progress - but merely in an attempt to maintain where I am.<P>However, it has been my experience that after about a week, even doing a ballet barre carefully and thoughtfully doesn't nearly have the same effect as doing it in class with a teacher. At that point I usually opt for just giving my body a rest rather than working incorrectly. Or I go to something completely different like walking, or riding my bike. Anything is better than acquiring bad/lazy ballet habits.

Thanks for your reply, I did think that serious learning from anything/anyone rather than a teacher may cause bad habits to creep in . . <P>How many hours per day/week would you suggest cycling for? I have a normal bike which i am a bit nervous of since I fell off of it and an exercise bike.<P>Btw, just wanted to comment that the quick responses in this forum are brilliant and much appreciated!

I have a Schwinn Cruiser - one gear heavy balloon tire bike - so it is a real workout. I ride it around a lake road that has fairly gentle hills for 6 miles. It takes me about 40 minutes because halfway around I stop and stretch a bit. I do this approximately 3-4 times per week. <P>Otherwise I walk about 3-4 miles (depending on the schedule for the day) and I take two ballet classes per week. Remember - I am retired from ballet so this is the least amount of classes I have ever had. <P>I also have an indoor stationary bike for bad weather - however, ahem, er, uh, this is San Diego so years can go by that I don't have to use it. When I do use it I go about 6 miles on it with fairly tight gears.<P>I,too, have fallen off my bike a couple of times - once because of some wet slippery leaves on the road - and once trying to avoid a squirrel that ran right into my wheels. He was unhurt - I was sore for quite a while, with several scrapes and bruises. <P>When I hesitate to get back on after a fall, I think of all the times I have fallen just walking down the street.....so I might as well get on the bike, or dance, or whatever and have some fun, cause falls will happen anyway. In fact the worst fall I ever had was stepping up on a very slippery newly painted curb. <P>Thank you for your kind words....everyone at this board works very hard....but we do love what we do, and people like you make it all worthwhile.

I have actually taken jazzercise classes for the month of August when my ballet school is closed. I have used it to stay in shape. The classes typically have 45 minutes of aerobics/cardio and then 15-20 minutes of floor work. I don't know if this is necessarily the best substitute for ballet but I find it a good way to get exercise when I can't take ballet. I find the classes fun, there are many classes offered, it is less expensive than ballet, and it is easy to sign up for only a month at a time (as opposed to a gym). You can search for classes in your area on their website at: <A HREF="http://www.jazzercise.com" TARGET=_blank>http://www.jazzercise.com</A> <P>I also have the NYC Ballet tape. My husband loves the abs exercises on that tape. He uses it regularly just for the abs. It's a killer. I take ballet class 2 or 3 times a week. On weeks that I only take 2 classes, I sometimes try to do the tape- mainly to warm up so I can practice some things at home that I am having trouble with in class. There are some stretching exercises, some floor barre work and then standard ballet exercises. The ballet exercises are very straight forward and simple - tendus, degages - forward, side, back, etc. , for example.

I have the NYCB Workout tape as well, and same here, I do it for the abs section, mainly. The rest of the tape is pretty good too, but I feel that it would mainly benefit those with dance training. The exercises(and this is only my opinion, of course) will not be as effective on one who is not already familliar with the proper placement required of a dancer.

I believe we have discussed this tape before in another thread and the general consensus was the same as it is here. It has to be carefully said that NO ONE is going to learn to dance from a tape. There are many younger people - and adults too - who think that they can learn from a tape. It's a way to save themselves time, effort, and yes, money, too.<P>So it has to be carefully said that this is not the case - one cannot learn from a tape. There is also the probability that working from a tape, or even by oneself, for any length of time, will open the student up to acquiring bad habits. Bad habits have a sneaky way of creeping in, no matter the technical level and knowledge of the student.<P>So, I guess what it comes down to is that a tape for exercise can be fun, and helpful - but should never be considered a substitute for a dance teacher and studio experience.<P> Please understand that I need to say this for our younger and/or beginning dance students who read this board.