Why You Should Reduce Strength Training During Summer Intensives (And What To Do Instead)

Let’s get real:

When your dance load increases, your cross-training should decrease.

This doesn’t mean strength training isn’t important. It just means it needs to be adjusted when your dance volume goes up.

During summer intensives—when you're dancing 5 to 8 hours a day—piling on extra workouts can do more harm than good. If you’ve been taught to “push through” or “add more conditioning,” this post is going to shift your perspective.

Let’s talk about why you should rethink your strength training during summer intensives—and what to focus on instead.

What Happens During a Summer Intensive?

Summer dance programs push your limits—they are both physically and mentally demanding. You’re dancing for 4, 6, sometimes 8 hours a day, which means a massive increase in:

• Cardiovascular endurance

• Muscle energy needed

• Neurological fatigue (yes, your nervous system gets tired too!)

  which means they also spike your risk for overtraining injuries.

And when you add full-blown strength training on top of that, your body doesn’t get stronger—it just gets overwhelmed. When you don’t give your body a chance to properly recover, it spikes your risk of overuse injuries.

The Hidden Cost of Doing Too Much

You might think you're building endurance or staying strong—but here’s what really happens when strength training isn’t scaled during high-volume dance periods:

• You don’t recover fully between sessions

• You start to feel “tighter” everywhere

• Strength and mobility gains stall—or even reverse

• Your energy tanks,

• Your technique and performance starts to suffer

• And most importantly, You increase your risk for overuse injuries

Not ideal.

What To Do Instead

Here’s how to support your body without overloading it:

1. Mobility > Max Effort

Shift your focus to controlled mobility work—especially for the hips, spine, and ankles. This maintains your flexibility, reduces soreness and improves recovery.

2. Lighten the load

Instead of heavy strength work, focus on body weight movements or building stability. Things like deep core activation works great!

3. Keep Strength Training Short + Strategic

Maintain your gains with short (15–20 min), low-impact sessions 1–2x per week. Focus on form, control, and movement quality—not fatigue.

Sample Exercises:

• Lower body: banded RDLs, glute bridges, lateral lunges

• Upper body: scapular push-ups, wall slides, light rows

4. Fuel + Sleep = Non-Negotiables

Dancers often try to "squeeze in" more without honoring recovery. But recovery is training.

Prioritize:

• 8+ hours of sleep

• Balanced meals with protein, carbs, and healthy fats

• Snacks between rehearsals

• Hydration (yes, even if you “don’t feel thirsty”)

You can train hard. Or you can train smart.

This summer, let’s choose the one that actually keeps you dancing.

Want a personalized plan for your summer intensives??

Contact us to schedule your 1:1 consult today!