How to get back into dance form after a long break

Dancers usually don't get long breaks or extended vacations from dance(why rest from what brings you pleasure?). But life throws unexpected turns of events sometimes, such as illness, exams, or world pandemics, circumstances in which there is no place for dancing. And for a while, you have to forget about your studio. 

When returning to training after a break, you must consider the following? First, it is important to understand what happens in your body when you deprive it of its usual load.

During the first week ... almost nothing happens. Physiologists say that negative muscle changes begin about ten days after you stop exercising. So you will hardly notice missing a couple of training. Moreover, it may even be helpful for those who practice fanatically and never rest - the body will finally have time to fully recover. After a short rest, dancers often feel energized and train with renewed strength and hunger. 

But if the body has fully recovered, and there is still no training, muscle strength begins to fail, endurance decreases, and coordination worsens. Over time, muscles, joints and ligaments lose their tone, so the first exercises after a break are significant stress for the body.

How can you help your body safely return to training

• Don't try to catch up with a triple strength. On the contrary: the return to the training process should be gradual.
• Pay extra attention to the general warm-up before each workout. Remember, your ligaments have lost their elasticity, and your joints have lost mobility. By not paying attention to them, you increase your risk of injury.
• Do not try to remember your variations in detail at the first practice; this is not the most important task right now. Better to do some basic exercises. This will bring you back into shape faster.
• Train the basic technique, do not go deep into one movement in the first workout. Do different exercises.

Remember: your primary goal right now is to restore your overall shape.

• If you are using weights, do not squeeze to your maximum. You won't set a personal record right now, and if you overload your muscles, muscle pain will prevent you from fully exercising at the next training.

And here's another handy tip: returning to the dance after a break is an excellent opportunity to revisit your basic technique. Often, you realize that you need to correct your technique, but that usually means taking a step back. Unfortunately, that means that the overall choreography of your dance may suffer: you may lose speed or amplitude, some elements will not fit musically. 

Now is a great opportunity! To improve your technique! Return to great shape and increase the quality of your dance.