How Good of a Workout is Dancing, Really?
The amount of benefit you get from dancing depends on, like most exercises, the type of dancing you’re doing, how strenuous it is, the duration and your skill level.Says exercise physiologist Catherine Cram, MS, of Comprehensive Fitness Consulting in Middleton, Wisconsin, “Once someone gets to the point where they’re getting their heart rate up, they’re actually getting a terrific workout. Dance is a weight-bearing activity, which builds bones. It’s also “wonderful” for your upper body and strength. “Plus, dancing requires using muscles that you may not even know you had. “If you’re dancing the foxtrot, you’re taking long, sweeping steps backwards. That’s very different than walking forward on a treadmill or taking a jog around the neighborhood … Ballroom dancing works the backs of the thighs and buttock muscles differently from many other types of exercise,” says Ken Richards, professional dancer and spokesman for USA Dance, the national governing body of DanceSport (competitive bal
