Abs

[Guest Cballet4me]

I was just wondering... how many situps or crunches would you recommend doing daily? (I have been working on my stomach muscles lately) Thanks!

[Mel Johnson]

Believe me, you don't need to do that many supplementary exercises for the abs as long as you consistently remember to use them correctly during your classes! It's not "held" or "locked" but "up and in" is the general rule, and you can even do these things while you're not in class. People will be astonished at your carriage and posture as well as grace through the torso.

[pigtailgirl]

My teacher said that I should always be focusing on my stomache during class since it is the center, but also that doing two sets of 60 crunches would help me with my technique, etc.

[Mel Johnson]

Keep the abs up and in during barre, too, and you might not need anything outside of class!

[Guest live2dance115]

I usuallly do these different types of crunches where you hold your legs up, and then cross your elbow to your oppisite knee. (I ususally do about 50 a night).

[SeaMonkey]

at school, during rehearsals, if a choreographer isn't working with us, we're supposed to do 200 crunches and as many push-ups as we can, then work on steps we need to work on. Our director tells us on days we're not dancing, we should do 200 crunches and push-ups too.

 

I usually shoot for more than that........I hate tv, and its really cheesy, but the only show I'll watch is old reruns of the Golden Girls on Lifetime. I can't stand just sitting there, so I'll drop and do crunches and stretch while watching it.

[dancer31220]

Hi. My dance teacher just told me that I have to start doing crunches to strengthen my stomach muscles and I plan on doing about 200-300 a day, but more if I feel up to it. I used to do like 500 a day, but I guess I kind of got lazy and stopped. But I guess you should stop doing the crunches(or situps) whenever your stomach muscles hurt really bad. I don't know if this is accurate for other people, but I always know I have done enough when I am sore the next day!

[Guest Cballet4me]

Oh my! 200-300 a night? Wow! I have been missing out! But thanks though! I'm off to do some crunches!

[coffee]

I agree with Mr. Johnson on this one fully. If you are working right in class and not walking around like an average joe outside of class, your stomach muscles should be in excellent shape. If you want to strengthen them further, I reccomed Pilates or something like that over crunches. It is a lot easier to develop your muscles wrong doing crunches than it is in Pilates.

[Guest Cballet4me]

Okay thanks!

[ABT Wannabe]

Do you think that 50 sit ups a night is good enough for a 13-year-old girl?

[Guest Mollieochie]

I think that it probably is. That is the amount that my older sister does each night-- she is a soccer player.

[dancer31220]

I bet 50 situps is fine to do.

 

I'm amending my post earlier in this thread: I did 200-300 crunches last summer so I based my estimate on that. Now though, I am going to be doing about 75 of these new kind of situps that my sister showed me(she is in gymnastics).

[Guest limeymauve]

someone mentioned developing your stomach muscles the wrong way...how do you avoid that? I'm assuming they meant developing them "out" rather than "in," I usually try to make sure that when I'm working the muscles they are used so that they seem to be more inward. But I notice when I'm doing the kind of crunches where you lift your legs up while crunching they stick out. Will that build them wrong? hmm...i just reread that and its not too well-worded, sorry about that, but i can't think of another way to ask that question.

[Guest limeymauve]

P.S. i usually do around 200, or shoot for that, but I make sure I'm doing different kinds, switching every 20 or so. I think I agree with Mr. Johnson, but sometimes I feel like class isn't quite enough, or maybe I'm not working in class enough....i've read that stomach muscles help a lot with back strength, which is something i'm lacking