A major women's magazine will be reviewing Mambo Mania in its February 2009 issue. Special thanks my favorite writer who reviewed my Flex'n, Stretch'n, Pump'n Mambo Mania DVD for recommending it to readers.
I hope one day soon you'll come by Personal Best so we can Mambo Mania together!
I'll post the publication in January!
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Dancing with the Stars Injuries: Cursed or Klutzes?
Dancing is a very physical art form. Its demands on the body go far beyond the aesthetic qualities of a perfectly extended leg, pointed toes or correct body alignment. A recent query from the press asked why “Dancing with the Stars” participants, pros and celebrities alike, are dropping like flies from injuries. They wanted to know if the dancers were cursed, klutzes, or if their injuries were just part and parcel of life as a dancer.
Well, the pros certainly aren’t klutzes, and for the most, part neither are the celebrities, and chances are, they aren’t cursed. I believe the reasons for these injuries are an aggregate of problems. First off, these dancers/celebrities are over-training. They sometimes spend 3 to 6, even 7 hours a day rehearsing for a show. And that’s over and above their grueling work week from their other careers.
Overuse of a muscle often times causes injury. A dance rehearsal that extends beyond 2 hours of intense movement is very hard on anybody, whether they’re fit or unfit. If the muscles and connective tissue do not receive sufficient recovery time after a hard workout, they are vulnerable to strains, stresses and tears. A good rule of thumb for sufficient muscle recovery is 24-48 hours between workouts. But, when the show must go on… and 3 days of rehearsals have to be crammed into one night- sometimes that equates to 6 to 7 hour of straight rehearsals. Under these circumstances, the muscles haven't had enough time to rest and recover. And when that scenario repeats over and over again, these dancers set themselves up for injuries.
When a muscle is worked to fatigue, a complicated set of chemical compounds shut down muscle function, it's an inherent survival mechanism built into our physiology. When we "manually override" that fatigue, the body recruits other energy sources to continue through the workout. And that “manual override” can cause normally strong and healthy tissue to weaken and become compromised, and in turn, develop strains and stresses. Just like a rubber band, when muscles and their connective tissues are pulled and stretched beyond their limit, they can snap under the stress.
In the case of athletic celebrities turned dancers, they need significant time to systematically acclimate themselves to new movement modalities. Even though they are in great shape and have strong and supple muscles they still need “sports specific training”- training their muscles for specific movements akin to the new sport. For example, Olympic Gold Medalist Misty Mae’s muscles are trained for her specific sport, beach volleyball. Her body is used to digging hard into the soft sand and with explosive power, jump into the air to spike the ball. Then, when she took that tremendous power to a dancer’s hardwood floor- and dug into that surface like she's used to doing on the beach, BAM, her Achilles tendon ripped right off.
Also, doing complicated tricks and acrobatics add an additional risk factor to these dancers. If the balance and positioning is not precise while in the air, chances are the landing will cause strain on a joint or, a landing on the head. Gravity is pretty unforgiving.
I would recommend to Dancing with the Stars participants to condition their bodies in a better fashion. First off, they should all include strength training (resistance training, with weights or even Pilates- where one uses their own body’s weight as the resistive force) as part of their workout regimen. These exercises will greatly minimize the chances of injuries because they’ll increase muscle strength and enhance elasticity.
They should also take extra time to stretch and cool down after each workout to sufficiently relax the muscles and allow for an immediate brief recovery period. Then, they need to rest a good 24-48 hours in between rehearsals- they have a week to prepare for the show so, that’s doable. They should use “economy of exercise” when they rehearse. By marking (walking through the steps rather that dancing full out) in most of the rehearsals and they can save the full out moves for one or two times prior to the show. Then they can give 100% at show time.
It's not worth the injury to do the triple back flip that won't score the highest points- especially if someone lands on their head. So, the short answer to that media query is, these guys aren't klutzes, and they aren't cursed, they simply are not being careful and thoughtful of their bodies. Being a dancer is a very grueling sport, but, it doesn’t have to be that way. In short, as long as one listens to their body, understands their limitations, strengthens their weakness, and creates the best of choreography within the confines of their limitations- they’ll be DANCING WITH THE STARS!
Well, the pros certainly aren’t klutzes, and for the most, part neither are the celebrities, and chances are, they aren’t cursed. I believe the reasons for these injuries are an aggregate of problems. First off, these dancers/celebrities are over-training. They sometimes spend 3 to 6, even 7 hours a day rehearsing for a show. And that’s over and above their grueling work week from their other careers.
Overuse of a muscle often times causes injury. A dance rehearsal that extends beyond 2 hours of intense movement is very hard on anybody, whether they’re fit or unfit. If the muscles and connective tissue do not receive sufficient recovery time after a hard workout, they are vulnerable to strains, stresses and tears. A good rule of thumb for sufficient muscle recovery is 24-48 hours between workouts. But, when the show must go on… and 3 days of rehearsals have to be crammed into one night- sometimes that equates to 6 to 7 hour of straight rehearsals. Under these circumstances, the muscles haven't had enough time to rest and recover. And when that scenario repeats over and over again, these dancers set themselves up for injuries.
When a muscle is worked to fatigue, a complicated set of chemical compounds shut down muscle function, it's an inherent survival mechanism built into our physiology. When we "manually override" that fatigue, the body recruits other energy sources to continue through the workout. And that “manual override” can cause normally strong and healthy tissue to weaken and become compromised, and in turn, develop strains and stresses. Just like a rubber band, when muscles and their connective tissues are pulled and stretched beyond their limit, they can snap under the stress.
In the case of athletic celebrities turned dancers, they need significant time to systematically acclimate themselves to new movement modalities. Even though they are in great shape and have strong and supple muscles they still need “sports specific training”- training their muscles for specific movements akin to the new sport. For example, Olympic Gold Medalist Misty Mae’s muscles are trained for her specific sport, beach volleyball. Her body is used to digging hard into the soft sand and with explosive power, jump into the air to spike the ball. Then, when she took that tremendous power to a dancer’s hardwood floor- and dug into that surface like she's used to doing on the beach, BAM, her Achilles tendon ripped right off.
Also, doing complicated tricks and acrobatics add an additional risk factor to these dancers. If the balance and positioning is not precise while in the air, chances are the landing will cause strain on a joint or, a landing on the head. Gravity is pretty unforgiving.
I would recommend to Dancing with the Stars participants to condition their bodies in a better fashion. First off, they should all include strength training (resistance training, with weights or even Pilates- where one uses their own body’s weight as the resistive force) as part of their workout regimen. These exercises will greatly minimize the chances of injuries because they’ll increase muscle strength and enhance elasticity.
They should also take extra time to stretch and cool down after each workout to sufficiently relax the muscles and allow for an immediate brief recovery period. Then, they need to rest a good 24-48 hours in between rehearsals- they have a week to prepare for the show so, that’s doable. They should use “economy of exercise” when they rehearse. By marking (walking through the steps rather that dancing full out) in most of the rehearsals and they can save the full out moves for one or two times prior to the show. Then they can give 100% at show time.
It's not worth the injury to do the triple back flip that won't score the highest points- especially if someone lands on their head. So, the short answer to that media query is, these guys aren't klutzes, and they aren't cursed, they simply are not being careful and thoughtful of their bodies. Being a dancer is a very grueling sport, but, it doesn’t have to be that way. In short, as long as one listens to their body, understands their limitations, strengthens their weakness, and creates the best of choreography within the confines of their limitations- they’ll be DANCING WITH THE STARS!
Monday, September 29, 2008
Kim Kardashian Knows it & Rocco Believes it - Dancing is Great Exercise
Have you been watching ABC's Dancing with the Stars this season? If so, you have seen the stars learning some beautiful Latin dance moves. Kim Kardashian recently told OK! Magazine that she is hoping the show will help her transform her figure and Rocco DiSpirito said with great enthusiasm that dancing should be America's Health Plan. What a great message to send out to our country.I love watching the men and women in my Mambo Mania classes transform from self-doubters (two left feet) to confident, fit, smiling dancers. We have so much fun doing Mambo Mania and it really is transforming lives. See for yourself here.
I was asked by the New York Daily News to comment about Dancing for fitness - you can read the story here.
What are you waiting for? Get out there and shake your colita America!
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Thank You Avon Walkers! What a Great Day!
This past weekend I had the distinct pleasure and honor to lead the warm-up for over 3,000 participants walking 39 miles in 2 days for Avon Walk for Breast Cancer in Los Angeles.
It was awesome. I'll upload some photos in the next day or two. There was a professional photographer there whom I happened to have known, he was one of my Mambo Mania students from way back. Those shots should be on the Avon site.
It was a very emotional experience for me, which caught me by surprise. I cried as I thought about my friend Toni and how precious our friendship was - how sad it was to lose her to this disease so young. But, I was inspired by the grit and enthusiasm of the participants, some were survivors, others supporters of those survivors and still others, like me, standing up for the cause because we lost a dear and loved one to the disease.
It was quite a thrill watching the sea of hips moving to Mambo Mania. As soon as we made that first swaggering hip movement, the crowd started to roar. They loved it! (Next year we need to bring our own music.) Anyway, it was wonderful and I am completely looking forward to more events like this one.
You can read the press release here.
It was awesome. I'll upload some photos in the next day or two. There was a professional photographer there whom I happened to have known, he was one of my Mambo Mania students from way back. Those shots should be on the Avon site.
It was a very emotional experience for me, which caught me by surprise. I cried as I thought about my friend Toni and how precious our friendship was - how sad it was to lose her to this disease so young. But, I was inspired by the grit and enthusiasm of the participants, some were survivors, others supporters of those survivors and still others, like me, standing up for the cause because we lost a dear and loved one to the disease.
It was quite a thrill watching the sea of hips moving to Mambo Mania. As soon as we made that first swaggering hip movement, the crowd started to roar. They loved it! (Next year we need to bring our own music.) Anyway, it was wonderful and I am completely looking forward to more events like this one.
You can read the press release here.
Monday, July 14, 2008
More Photos from IDEA World Fitness
Wow, what a week at IDEA! We met some amazing people like Shelley at ExerciseTV & Harry at Aleve and Shaya, what a doll!
Here are some more pictures from Friday - we were on the Performance Stage 2 times and it was a blast. Thanks to everyone who came out and joined us for Mambo Mania!!!
Thursday, July 10, 2008
MAMBO MANIA Is Happening in Vegas & It's Not Staying There!
Greetings from Day 3 of IDEA World Fitness in HOT Vegas. Here are some photos of our booth and all the fun we are having!
LOTS more Mambo Mania to come tomorrow - we'll on the Performance Stage at 12:40 & 1:40 pm and dancing ALL DAY at our Booth #1133 of course!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
