Whether you dance for a team, for fun, or for exercise, you’re probably no stranger to post-workout soreness. Like any other workout, dancing can push your muscles to the limit and make moving around the next day feel awful.
But that inconvenient soreness is just one reason why post-dance stretch and recovery routines are so important for dancers of any level! In fact, building a proper post-dance routine is a vital step toward success and safety, so it’s not really an option—it’s a necessity. Think of it as dancer self-care. You want to do it regularly to constantly stay at peak performance.
Besides keeping that post-workout stiffness at bay, a well-planned stretch and recovery routine will also strengthen your muscles, improve flexibility, reduce chances of injury, reduce your recovery time, and allow you to perform better. Those are some pretty good reasons if you ask us.
Let’s take a closer look at how a proper routine can help you get more from your dance sessions and how to build the right kind of routine for yourself!
The Benefits of Stretching & Recovery After Dance
We briefly mentioned a few benefits of creating a dancer recovery routine, but let’s dive into more details on the what and how of each.
Greater Range of Motion & Flexibility for Dancers
If you think you’re pretty flexible without stretching, you’re about to unlock a whole new level when you start stretching after you dance. Stretching helps your body by targeting both your muscles and connective tissues, both of which are vital to keep you moving smoothly.
Every time you stretch, you lengthen your muscle fibers slightly, increasing their tolerance and flexibility. Stretching also releases muscle tension, which can restrict your overall range of motion if you let it get out of hand. By targeting these issues, you’ll improve how your muscles feel overall and increase your ability to move without feeling restricted.
When you stretch, you also target connective tissues, a massive element of your overall stability and flexibility. You want these tissues to be elastic and adaptable to support a better range of motion that’s as supple as it is sturdy.
Injury Prevention for Dancers
The most important reason to add stretch and recovery to your wind-down routine is to prevent injuries. While it may feel perfectly normal to have muscle tension and soreness after a hard workout, you could be setting yourself up for a nasty injury! Here are a few ways those tight and sore muscles can put you at risk:
· Restrict your range of motion and force your joints and ligaments to compensate in unsafe ways.
· Mess up your coordination, putting you at a higher risk for missteps and falls.
· Put you at risk for microscopic tears, which cause pain and inflammation.
· Distract you during crucial moments, causing you to lose focus and hurt yourself.
These can be avoided by properly caring for your body with a good post-dance stretch routine that keeps your muscles supple, strong, and feeling good.
Faster Recovery for Dancers
Your stretch and recovery routine will also help you bounce back faster from a hard workout.
Every time you push your body to its limits, it undergoes a lot of stress. This is a good thing in some cases because it activates your body’s natural repair process, which builds stronger muscles.
But if you don’t give yourself a chance to recover, your body doesn’t get to the repair stage, and you put yourself in danger by exercising on an unstable foundation! This can lead to excess stress on your muscles and longer recovery times.
That’s the last thing you want, which is why your recovery routine is essential. It puts your body in the best circumstances to repair your muscles and come back stronger.
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Better Performance for Dancers
Lastly, a proper post-dance routine will make you a better performer! Strong and limber muscles set you up for success by allowing you to access more advanced moves, dance harder and longer, have more control over your movements, and reach peak concentration.
Even if you’ve been dancing for years, this one simple addition to your life can be the trigger that takes you from good to great!
Building Your Own Post-Dance Stretch & Recovery Routine
Now that you know why you need one, let’s discuss what to include in your personal post-dance routine.
For your routine to be effective, you should target the major muscle groups you use during dancing (glutes, quads, core, back muscles, shoulders, etc.). You also want to incorporate a few steps to help you relax and improve circulation to speed up recovery.
While you can and should customize your dance recovery routine to your personal needs, here are some guidelines to help you build the perfect one:
1. Post-Dance Warm Down (5–10 minutes)
After your dance session ends, don’t immediately flop on the floor or head to your car. Instead, do a few minutes of light cardio, such as walking or jogging in place. This will help lower your heart rate and body temperature gradually rather than suddenly.
This step is crucial because it helps flush out the lactic acid that naturally builds up in your muscles during exercise. If you get rid of it now, you’ll reduce muscle soreness later. It also keeps you from getting dizzy or lightheaded, which is very common if you sit or lie down right after exercising. Last but not least, these 5 to 10 minutes gradually cool down your muscles and transition your body back to a resting state, speeding up your recovery overall.
2. Post-Dance Stretch (15–20 minutes per side)
Skipping your static stretches can be tempting because they require time. But these extra few minutes now are worth it in the long run. Remember to focus on your major muscle groups, but feel free to throw in stretches that target particular pain points.
You should hold each stretch for 15–30 seconds and repeat 2–3 times each. Here are a few examples you can use to build your dancer stretch routine:
· Quads: Standing quad stretch, kneeling quad stretch, frog pose (double-leg quad stretch)
· Hamstrings: Seated forward fold, single-leg forward fold, downward dog, triangle pose
· Calves: Heel drop stretch, downward dog, toes on wall stretch, seated calf stretch with resistance band
· Glutes: Piriformis stretch, standing or seated forward fold, pigeon pose, seated spinal twist
· Back: Cat-cow stretch, supine spinal twist, backbend, camel pose, cobra pose
· Chest: Bent-arm wall stretch, extended child’s pose, bow pose, cobra pose
· Shoulders: Arm circles, lateral shoulder and tricep stretch, cross-arm stretch, doorway stretch
· Neck: head rolls, ear-to-shoulder tilt, doorway stretch, forward/backward tilt
3. Self-Myofascial Release (5–10 minutes)
A self-myofascial release is essentially a self-massage performed using foam rollers or a massage ball. These simple tools allow you to target particularly tight spots or trigger points on your body for more relaxation.
You lay down on the roller or ball and slowly move back and forth on your targeted area for 15–30 seconds. These exercises stimulate your touch and stretch receptors, letting your brain know it’s okay to let down and release muscle tension.
We recommend watching some guided tutorials to learn where to apply pressure to your trigger points properly and get the most out of your self-myofascial release.
4. Post-Dance Recovery
Once you’re done cooling down and stretching out your muscles, focus on specific steps to speed up your recovery and give your body the tools it needs to heal.
· Drink plenty of water to rehydrate your body and flush out toxins.
· Eat a solid meal with carbohydrates and protein to aid recovery.
· Get a good night’s rest to give your body more time to heal.
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Tips for Tailoring Your Routine
· Listen to your body and focus on the muscle groups that feel the sorest.
· Consider your dance style. For example, ballet dancers may want to focus on hamstrings and calves, while hip-hop dancers may need more quad and glute stretches.
· Talk to your doctor or physical therapist to create a safe and effective routine you can feel confident in.
And now you know the why and how behind a post-dance stretch and recovery routine! While it certainly adds some time to your daily schedule, if you really want to excel and keep your body safe, these extra minutes are an easy choice.
Before long, you should notice a considerable improvement in flexibility, reduced muscle soreness, and overall recovery! And that makes dancing even more fun.
Last but not least, don’t forget that whenever you need new dance and practice gear, Stelle has what you need to perform comfortably and confidently!
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