How do dancers train for Swan Lake? Rehabilitation and Conditioning Lead Esther Collacott on her go-to conditioning exercises

Lat pull down

How to perform it

Begin in a half-kneeling position in front of your apparatus. Keep an elongated, neutral spine and raise your arms above your head, slightly open, grasping the handles. Pull the resistance down in a smooth, controlled movement, pause briefly at the bottom, then slowly release back to the starting-position.

Key points

• Maintain a neutral spinal alignment.
• Keep the shoulders relaxed and away from the ears.
• Keep the movement smooth and controlled.
• Pause briefly at the bottom before slowly releasing upwards.

Why for Swan Lake?

This exercise strengthens the back muscles, particularly the lats (latissimus dorsi muscles, located on either side of the middle and lower back and responsible for movements of the arms, including pulling them down and backwards), which dancers rely on to maintain the open, expansive arm movements of the Swans. Building strength here helps dancers create the effortless quality required for the choreography, even when the muscles are working hard.

3 sets × 12 reps

Single leg RDL (Romanian Deadlift)

How to perform it

Stand on a softly bent leg and hinge forwards from the hips, keeping your back straight and your pelvis and shoulders level. Lower your torso towards a 90-degree angle before returning to standing with control. A small kettlebell or dumbbell can be added for resistance – Esther recommends around 10 - 12kg of resistance where appropriate.

Key points

• Perform the exercise in parallel rather than turnout.
• Keep the standing foot relaxed, fully rooted to the floor.
• Keep the standing leg softly bent.
• Keep the pelvis and shoulders level.
• Hinge from the hips rather than rounding the back.
• Maintain a long, straight back.
• Avoid rotating the pelvis as you hinge forwards.

Why for Swan Lake?

The single-leg position challenges pelvic control while strengthening the glutes (the three muscles that make up the buttocks, located around the hips and pelvis and responsible for extending, rotating and stabilising the hip) and hamstrings (a group of three muscles located at the back of the thigh and responsible for bending the knee and extending the hip). This makes the exercise transferable to movements such as arabesques, jumps and landings. Strengthening the posterior chain also helps distribute the workload during jumps, rather than allowing the quadriceps (the four muscles located at the front of the thigh and responsible for straightening the knee and helping to extend the hip) to take over.

3 sets × 8 - 10 reps each leg

Single-leg calf raise

How to perform it

Begin on one leg with a flat foot, using a barre or other support for balance. Rise to the highest point of your relevé (rise onto the balls of your foot), hold briefly at the top, then slowly lower back down to a flat foot. Try a one-count rise and three-count lowering phase to emphasise control during the lowering movement.

Key points

• Keep the foot facing forwards.
• Keep the standing leg straight, but not fully locked.
• Avoid allowing the foot to invert, where the sole turns inwards towards the other foot.
• Avoid allowing the foot to evert, where the sole turns outwards away from the other foot.
• Avoid excessive pronation, where the foot rolls inwards and the arch flattens as the foot bears weight.
• Avoid excessive supination, where the foot rolls outwards and more weight is placed along the outside edge of the foot.
• Work through the full range of your highest relevé.
• Focus on a slow, controlled lowering phase.
• Use your support as little as possible to challenge your balance (don't grip onto the barre!)

Why for Swan Lake?

This gym-based version of a relevé builds the lower-leg strength and endurance needed for repeated rises and landings. The slow lowering phase particularly helps develop landing control, allowing dancers to recover smoothly from one movement before transitioning into the next. This is especially important in Swan Lake, where the significant amount of jumping places considerable demands on the lower legs.

3 - 4 sets × 15 - 20 reps each leg

Side plank with clam

How to perform it

Begin in a side-lying position. Lift into a side plank with legs bent, engaging your core (the muscles around your abdomen, lower back and pelvis that help stabilise your body) and gluteus medius (a muscle on the outer side of the hip that helps stabilise the pelvis and control the movement of the leg) and open the top leg into turnout, using the deep external rotators of the hip (small muscles deep within the buttocks that help rotate the leg outwards). As you become stronger, you can progress to a full side plank, add a hold at the top or introduce a resistance band around the knees.

Key points

• Maintain a neutral spinal alignment.
• Keep the shoulders open rather than curling forwards.
• Keep your head and gaze neutral.
• Avoid leaning forwards or backwards.
• Only take the turnout as far as you can control.
• Keep the pelvis stable as the top leg opens – avoid your hips twisting with the movement.

Why for Swan Lake?

This exercise combines core stability, glute strength and control of the deep external rotators responsible for turnout. These muscles are particularly important for movements such as fouettés, where dancers need to maintain control through their turnout while balancing on one leg. It also reinforces that turnout isn't simply about flexibility – dancers need the strength to actively control their turnout throughout movement.

2–3 sets × 8–12 reps

Preparing for Swan Lake

Esther recommends taking dancers through this programme at least twice a week, ideally three to four times, beginning around six to eight weeks before performances. The complete programme takes around 20 minutes. While around six weeks is a useful timeframe for building muscle strength, Esther explains that conditioning isn't only about increasing physical strength. Dancers are also developing muscular control and improving their brain's ability to activate the right muscles – adaptations that can happen much more quickly. Even starting the exercises two or three weeks before a performance can therefore be beneficial. Dancers may also notice exercises becoming easier within just one or two weeks, allowing them to gradually increase the repetitions, resistance or difficulty.

Why conditioning matters for dancers

More experienced dancers, including BRB's Principals, have spent years developing the strength, coordination and muscle memory needed to perform demanding movements efficiently. For younger or less experienced dancers, the same movements can be considerably more physically taxing, making conditioning an important part of building the physical foundations needed to meet the demands of professional ballet and reduce injury risk.

Try it yourself!

Although these exercises have been selected to support the specific demands of Swan Lake, Esther says they can also be useful for anyone who is fairly active. The lat pull-down can be particularly beneficial for people who spend long periods working at a desk, while calf raises can help strengthen the lower legs for those who regularly wear high heels. The RDL targets the posterior chain, helping to strengthen the muscles around the hips and back of the legs, while the side-lying clam with side plank is closely related to Pilates-based strengthening and helps develop core stability, hip strength and control. If you're new to these exercises, you can start with simpler variations – such as performing calf raises on two legs, doing the RDL with both feet on the floor, or simplifying the clam exercise. Most of these exercises can also be performed without a gym, making them an accessible way to incorporate some ballet-inspired conditioning into your own routine.

Disclaimer

The exercises featured in this article are provided for general information and educational purposes only. They have been selected and demonstrated by Birmingham Royal Ballet’s Rehabilitation and Conditioning Lead for the specific physical demands of professional ballet and are not intended to constitute personalised medical, physiotherapy or fitness advice.

If you choose to try any of these exercises, you do so at your own risk. Please ensure that the exercises are appropriate for your individual level of fitness, ability and health, and use suitable equipment and resistance. If you are new to exercise, pregnant, have an existing injury or medical condition, or are unsure whether an exercise is suitable for you, seek advice from an appropriately qualified healthcare or exercise professional before attempting it.

Stop exercising immediately if you experience pain, dizziness, discomfort or any other unusual symptoms. Birmingham Royal Ballet cannot accept responsibility for any injury, loss or damage resulting from the use or misuse of the information or exercises featured in this article.