Expert: Dianne M. Buxton - 8/14/2009

Question
Dear Dianne,
I am 5'6" and naturally have a bigger bone structure than the petite ballet dancer. I eat very healthy, will be dancing about eleven hours a week in fall (not including weekend rehearsals), and have been incorporating weight training and cardio into class/intensives all summer. My instructor was concerned that I might have an obsession about exercise since I am worried about my weight. She recommended that I take caution with lifting to not build too much muscle. Personally I thought that any fat on my body should be turned to muscle, but I'm not sure how to accomplish this without bulking up. If I stop lifting, wouldn't my upper body loose muscle mass and turn to fat? Would a combination of swimming and pilates give me a leaner body(without weight training)? I'm not sure what to do because I genuinely enjoy working out, but I do not want to end up never landing a place in ballet because I developed improper muscles in the wrong places. I'm fourteen and a freshman in high school this year. Finding balance between homework, class, performances, cross-training, and sleep feels stressful, but if I can correct my body now, I think that I could focus more on technique and less on wishing my body was something else. What do you recommend?

Answer
Hi Milana. It seems to me that your main concern is having fat on your body. And your teacher's concern is that you will build too much muscle. So, do you look bulky? Are you starting to look like a body builder?

First of all, fat never turns into muscle. Fat can be used for energy by the body, and get used up. While you're burning fat away, you can build up your muscle fibers. Muscle fibers get bigger by being exercised a certain way.

If you stop lifting, your upper body's muscle fibers will get smaller. They won't turn into fat.

I think something that would help you is to read the book "Slow Burn" by Frederick Hahn. It is probably in your local library. It is terrific for explaining metabolism, how to eat well, and how to build muscle strength effectively. The weight training program he recommends you do ONCE A WEEK. That's all! In the book, there is a section about 40 pages long that explains this carefully.

"Protein Power" by Eades and Eades is excellent also. Each of the doctors (Mr and Mrs) have a blog.

If you eat properly, ballet would be exactly enough exercise for you. Remember that Pilates is based on ballet, and that is why the long/lean emphasis of muscle development. Ballet already does that for you.

Normal ballet training does not allow for normal muscle recovery. You should have one day of complete rest, no work at all! That will give you time to read the above books, put your feet up, and do extra homework when necessary.

Unless you have a problem metabolizing foods, you don't need to worry. You are still growing and your weight is going to change sometimes as your bones complete their growth. Your hormones will shift annoyingly, and your weight will shift too. But since you are doing so much ballet, the exercise will help minimize those growing effects.

If you naturally build well defined muscle, more so than the "ideal" frail looking ballerina, just doing ballet will cause that anyway. You can't fight it. And yes, focus on your technique. Another great book is "Inside Ballet Technique" by Valerie Grieg. You'll see it on the book display at http://www.theballetstore.com . It focuses on the anatomical correctness (or not) of the way ballet uses the body.

Grab that Slow Burn book - it is going to put everything in perspective for you.

All the best, Dianne