BodyFx: How Does Dancing Build Core Strength?

Dance is one of those things that is so much fun that people often forget it is also great exercise. Whether watching a video in your living room and dancing by yourself or performing on-stage with a professional partner, dancing is an effective way to burn calories, improve flexibility, and build core strength.

Dancing and Core Strength

Your body’s core is composed of muscle fibers that give you stability, protect your organs, and enable you to bend and move. It is no surprise then that being a regular dancer usually means having a strong core.

Aside from its hobby or professional aspects, there are many great workouts over the years that have been built around dance. These include everything from Zumba to Barre and others like BodyFx.

BodyFx, in particular, focuses on fun weight loss that specifically targets the mid-section. By doing BodyFx dance routines, you are working nearly all of your core muscles. These include:

• Abs: Ah, the abs. The abs are many people’s favorite muscle. Unfortunately, they are also some of the most difficult muscles to build. Not only can ab muscles not be loaded with much weight, but they also tend to get covered easily by fat. Depending on the individual person’s physiology, the stomach area covering the abs may be the first area that the body uses to store fat. If you pack on a few pounds, in other words, abs may be the first thing to go. Beyond their aesthetic value, the abdominal muscles also play a major role in the movement of the torso and overall stability of the body. Whether you are sitting up straight at your desk or bending over to pick something up—your abs are almost always involved. BodyFx’s dance routine has a strong focus on ab core muscles as a way to help people both look and feel better.

• Obliques: Your obliques are those muscles on the side of your abs or torso. We all actually have two sets of obliques—internal and external, and both are important. Obliques are very important for stability and movement. The twisting and turning involved in dance are perfect for building and strengthening the obliques.
• Erector Spinae: The erector spinae are a group of muscles and tendons that run along the left and right side of the spine. It is very important to your posture and overall health to have healthy and strong Erector Spinae muscles. Dance movements are great for strengthening your Erector Spinae.
• Latissimus Dorsi: Your Latissimus Dorsi muscles (or lats) are in your upper back and help to give your body an attractive shape. Not only that, but your lats are important for picking things up and all kinds of movements that you make on a regular basis.
• Trapezius: Your Trapezius is another small muscle in your upper-middle back. Your traps can be a difficult muscle to train, but dance will effortlessly help you improve your trap size and elasticity.
• Gluteus Maximus: The upper parts of your glutes can also be considered part of your core. Your glutes are some of the largest muscles in your body and help you with virtually lower body movement as well as most upper body movements.

Why Is a Strong Core Important?

Aside from burning calories (and helping your stomach look more toned), there are a variety of other benefits that doing the BodyFx core building routines are good for.

• Back Health: Having a strong core is critical for a healthy back. Not only that, but a strong core will improve your posture, which will help you feel and look better.
• Balance: Balance may not be something you think about on a regular basis. But having good balance plays a big role in your movements and how you feel. A strong core is very important for having a good balance.
• Chores: Everyday chores become so much easier when you have a strong core.
• Hobbies and Fun: If your core is weak, all kinds of fun hobbies and activities became a burden. Strengthen your core to have more fun!

There you have it, how dancing builds your core strength and why that matters!