Exercises to increase leg strength

[Jacepauly]

I have danced competitively for about three years focusing on hip-hop, just recently (about 2 months ago) I have started to switch my focus to ballet and have discovered my legs aren't very strong. What are some exercises I can do at home to make my legs stronger?

[MJ]

Plies, releves, and jumps. Basically taking ballet will make your legs stronger. Weight training will likely not help

[Garyecht]

I agree with MJ. If you have just switched your focus to ballet (whatever that means) in the last two months, my guess is that you just haven't sufficiently developed the motor pathways used in ballet. The way you handle that is to take ballet classes as often as you can. Even then it takes time, more time than you think. I often think that when ballet students encounter a difficulty they attribute their problem to some physical weakness when in fact their problem is that they just haven't been patient and done enough repetitions.

[gcwhitewater]

I agree with the previous posts. Attending lessons is more valuable than weight training. The muscle strength developed while using turn out is not easily duplicated in the weight room. Weight training in my experience develops more of the large muscle groups which creates a greater imbalance with the smaller muscles which are integral to the outward rotation of the legs. So, develop the whole leg in a ballet lesson