does ballet give you thick calve leg muscle?

Question

ok i know that sounds extremely trivial and pathetic but i'm thinking of taking ballet just as a casual hobbie to straighten my posture and get a elongated, graceful neck line not to mention grace in general cos i'm such a klutz. but my friend who's done it for 6 yrs told me ballet gives you really thick legs(and she kinda does)...and i already have rather thick legs.. oh and plz don't take me disrespectful for people who are actually serious about ballet and i know it's a very hard, disciplined dance. but i'm only thinking about taking it as a casual hobby.

Answer 1

Most ballet dancer have thick calf muscles because you need a lot of strength in your legs. Not only in your calves but your thighs as well. Ballerinas are usually slender but do tend to have thick legs that are almost pure muscle. I have thick legs and am very proud of them because they have unbelievable strength that is needed for dancing en pointe everyday.

You will have strong legs if you take up ballet and eventually pointework. Yours might not be thick, depending on height and personal strengths, but without a doubt strong. You will also develop the posture and grace you wish to have. Good luck and I hope you decide to take up ballet. It is fun and worth the while. You will enjoy it.

Answer 2

I am a ballet dancer (16 years) and I know that taking classes will definitely help with the posture, grace, and your overall health. As for the calf muscles... only if you do it wrong. And usually only if you are in pointe shoes. I wasn't taught the key to keeping lean calf muscles when I was first taking classes, so I developed slightly larger calf muscles than normal people. But, to be honest, most of my dancer friends have extremely lean legs because of dance. And mine really aren't that large. I complain about them constantly, but most people say they really don't look big unless I flex them and you are looking for that. The key **listen to this part!** is to pull up out of your legs. You should feel like an invisible string goes vertically through the center of your body, pulling your whole body upward. Then you are not only doing it properly (and therefore looking better), but you are also going to develop the correct muscles. In addition, and probably most importantly, if you are just taking casual lessons as a hobby (maybe once a week or so) you most likely won't develop any seriously different (like visually noticeable) muscles. Especially in your calves, triceps, back, etc. Though there will be some overall toning. Good luck! I hope you enjoy your ballet lessons and come at them with no fear of an unsightly body.

Answer 3

Ballerina Calves

Answer 4

I had thick leg muscle from marching band and colorguard, but yes, ballet does tighten up your leg muscles. But, overall, it is really good for your core, posture, self control and arms as well. I loved every minute of it. As a casual hobby it was perfect. I took classes while in college and it was a fantastic de-stresser.

Answer 5

If you're just thinking of starting ballet now, don't worry. Only proffesional ballerinas and people that have been doing it for years have the thick leg muscle that is required when doing pointe. Also you won't need the"poppin' out" thick leg muscle as much until your on pointe and that can take years so you'll be fine!

Answer 6

Interesting, read this.

http://www.pponline.co.uk/encyc/0382.htm

"The study is interesting because it suggests that dance training doesn't change the composition of dancers' leg muscles. Instead, individuals with high er percentages of slow-twitch fibres - and therefore greater endurance and a heightened ability to withstand long training sessions - are drawn to dance as a sport. In addition to suggesting that muscle composition influences an individual's selection of a sporting activity, the Swedish investigation indicates that many competitive dancers would make excellent endurance athletes."

Answer 7

i have a friend who takes ballet and her legs are really strong and they look fairly normal (except for when she flexes her legs, they like pop out!)
i think ballet would be a nice hobby, and it probably does help give you grace and balance.

Answer 8

If its genetic then its pretty hard to change. Just tell her to do some leg exercises like lunges and stuff like that to shrink any fat and make the leg look leaner and longer.

Answer 9

YAH DOOD

Answer 10

some what