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Improve your Irish dance toe height, explosiveness, & strength with only one muscle group

Updated: Feb 16, 2023


Irish dance toe height exercises, power in Irish dance, glute strength in irish dance, how to jump higher irish dance, dance skills, exercises to jump higher

Due to the repetitive nature of Irish dance (always kicking forward with limited time extending your leg behind your body) and spending the majority of our day sitting down at school or work, we aren’t using an important muscle group for our daily lives and Irish dance, our glutes!

Your glutes (the muscles in your bum) are critical to preventing injury and improving performance for Irish dance. Looking to improve your toe height (especially that pesky back foot toe height)? Activate your glutes. Want more explosiveness in your jumps? Target your glutes. More power in your hard shoe rhythm? Yep, glutes.

Let’s get to work on your glutes with one of my favorite glute series.

Happy Training!


Ellen G Waller, Irish dance strength and conditioning


Irish dance toe height exercises, power in Irish dance, glute strength in irish dance, how to jump higher irish dance, dance skills, exercises to jump higher

SINGLE LEG GLUTE PRESS

  • place the top of your back on a bench, chair, or couch

  • walk your feet out to be under your knees

  • lift one leg and lower your hips to the ground

  • using your glutes, press your hips up

  • be sure to keep your hips tucked under - not arching your back at the top


Irish dance toe height exercises, power in Irish dance, glute strength in irish dance, how to jump higher irish dance, dance skills, exercises to jump higher

LUNGE SWITCHES

  • begin in a lunge stance with both knees in 90 degree angles (front knee should not go past your ankle)

  • press from under your front leg and glute to quickly snap your legs together to stand

HIP TRUSTS


Irish dance toe height exercises, power in Irish dance, glute strength in irish dance, how to jump higher irish dance, dance skills, exercises to jump higher
  • stand with your legs slightly wider than your hips, holding a weight between your legs

  • squat down then using the power in your glutes, thrust your hips forward and engage your glutes

  • from the momentum of your hip thrust, your arms will swing with the weight (you are not actually lifting the weight up with your arms)

GLUTES SERIES

repeat this series 3 times

single leg glute thrusts

10 each leg

lunge switches

10 each leg

hip thrusts

10 times

INTERESTED IN IRISH DANCE-SPECIFIC TRAINING VIDEOS?

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