Dance
training program
Jump higher, land softer, and hold clean technique deep into a routine — power, control and stamina for the stage.
One month free, then A$24.99/month. Cancel any time. iPhone and iPad.
Why this program exists
Dancers are told for years that lifting will make them bulky, so the only strength work they get is the routine itself — and then the ankles and hips wear out.
Jump height and landing control, not maximal load. The program trains explosive jump, turnout and hip strength, soft controlled landings, and the postural endurance to hold clean technique at the end of a routine. Testing measures jump and control rather than a one-rep max, because a one-rep max is not a dancer’s number.
A default dance week
This is the sport’s own template — the starting point before it is fitted to your days, your equipment and your season. Team nights and game day are protected; everything else moves to the days you are free.
What dance is won with
These are the qualities the program is built to develop, in priority order. They come from the sport, not from a generic template.
- Explosive jump height
- Turnout + hip strength
- Soft, controlled landings
- Core + postural endurance
- Full-range mobility
| Session | Type | Duration | Focus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lower Power + Landing | Gym | 50–60 min | Jump height + soft, controlled landings |
| Routine Stamina | Conditioning | 30–40 min | Hold technique without gassing out |
| Core, Full Body + Mobility | Gym | 45–55 min | Postural endurance + full-range control |
| Studio Rehearsal | Skills | — | Technique practice |
| Aerobic Base | Conditioning | 35–45 min | Recover faster between rehearsals |
The season changes the program
- Pre-season
- Between seasons — set volume ×1.2. Build the engine and the strength base.
- In-season
- Performance season — set volume ×0.7, prescribed weights hold. Maintain, don’t drain.
- Off-season
- Off-period — baseline volume. Rebuild general strength and fix the niggles.
- Block structure
- Four-week blocks: three weeks accumulating, one week deload. The block’s character changes across the year rather than repeating.
- Game day
- Protected. The day before gets a 20-minute explosive primer with no running, no heavy legs and no prehab block bolted on.
The dance testing battery
Five numbers, re-run every eight weeks. Chosen to match what dance programs actually measure — and the results re-price your training weights and reset your conditioning paces.
| Test | Measures | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| 2km time trial | The aerobic benchmark your program is built around. | mm:ss |
| Max push-ups | Pressing endurance and trunk control with no kit required. | reps |
| Handstand / pike press hold | Overhead pressing robustness at your own bodyweight. | s |
| Standing vertical jump | Lower-body power in its purest form, and the cheapest fatigue check you own. | cm |
| Single-leg hop for distance | One-leg power and the left-right gap that predicts injury better than either leg alone. | cm |
Staying available
The prehab block is matched to the region of the session it sits in and to the tissue this sport actually punishes — not a generic mobility flow bolted to the front.
Prehab only works if it happens, and the reason it usually does not is that it has nothing to do with the session it is attached to. Rotating a pool by session number puts shoulder work before a squat day and Copenhagen planks before a bench press. Technically covered; nobody does it.
In Train Smart each movement is classified by the region it protects and matched to the session, and the pool rotates across the week so you cover all of it rather than doing the same three moves three times.
More on prehab that people actually do →
Dance training questions
What does the Train Smart dance program include?
When is dance pre-season?
Can I follow this program if I only train twice a week?
What tests does the dance program use?
Do I need a full gym?
Get your dance program
Pick dance, answer eight questions, and your week is built — around your team nights, your game and the days you can actually train.
One month free, then A$24.99/month. Cancel any time. iPhone and iPad.