Swing dancing is not very much exercise. If you want to get better at the athletic aspects, you have to do something else.
The good news is that that isn't actually something that's impossible. I've got a lunch break. Or I just got off work. Or maybe I just realized that exercising more than around 40 minutes at a time gets you less benefit than those first 30 minutes give you. Whatever your reason, I have about 30 minutes to exercise, no equipment, and no real good spot to get down on the ground. I do, however, live and work in a place with abundant sidewalks and roads. I can run, and can do so safely. So what should I do? I could run the entire time. Or I could try and push myself a little harder some of the time, and take it easier some of the time. Will one of them make me better at dancing than the other?The Pros and Cons
| Thing added/increased | Running | Sprinting |
|---|---|---|
| Cardiovascular endurance | ☑ | ☑ |
| Muscular endurance (slow twitch muscle) | ☑ | ☑ |
| Cardiovascular efficiency | ☐ | ☑ |
| Strength (fast/medium twitch muscle) | ☐ | ☑ |
| 2-4 hours of increased metabolic rate | ☑ | ☑ |
| 24 hours of increased metabolic rate | ☐ | ☑ |
| Low risk of injury | ☑ | ☐ |
| Low risk of fatigue | ☑ | ☐ |
| Little to no pain | ☑ | ☐ |
| Can make large strides to improve running form | ☑ | ☐ |
| Energy (more central nervous system endurance) | ☐ | ☑ |
| Toughness (shields against injury) | ☐ | ☑ |
So What Do I Do?
I do both. They're both good. However, I do sprinting more than I do flat-out running because, as you can see, it looks like it does more for more in the timeframe that I give to it. And this is the main meat of what I do so that I can dance for as long as I want to without having my body give out on me.I encourage you to do the same, but this is only one route. What do you do to stay fit to dance?
Cardiovascular efficiency is increased by running just at a slower rate then Sprinting. Also, Running can improve strength as well people who run but don't weight train have better lower body strength then people who do neither I've seen in my experiences of training. Running also increases CNS endurance but just for a different movement pattern you just won't have to worry about Neurological fatigue as comes to sprinting.
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