Thread: building quad/ham strength for egyptian shimmy

Anybody got tried & true exercises for building strength for sustained egyptian shimmies? Just want an ultra-powerful shimmy. Thanks!

How do you get to Carnegie Hall?


Actually I think holding chair pose either high or low helps to building strength and stamina.

For me it would seem to make sense, since our knees aren't locked out the muscle is in contraction for a good period of time.

But really as for all things I think practice is key, other exercises are supplemental to the skill you are looking to train/improve.

Here a great shimmy exercise I learned from my first teacher, Alia:
Sit on the floor with your legs out straight in front of you. Hands flat on the floor just slightly behind the hips for stability. Rapidly pump your legs by alternately lifting and dropping your knees (hope that makes sense). Lifting the knees just a few inches, that is. This action will also make your feet push away and pull back as the knees go up and down. Keep it up until it feels like your thigh and calf muscles have had enough and are getting uncomfy; then stop. Next day, do it again. And so on.
Rosette

Thanks ya'll. I do the seated shimmy. My egyptian shimmy is good, just not as powerful as I'd like, and I think it's a strength issue. Probably you are right, just drilling the movement is the specific strength training I need, but to speed things along to a more powerful rocking motion in my abs, I wonder if some pilates wouldn't help?

In the case of knee shimmies, it's muscle endurance that you are trying to build, not so much strength.

Rosette/Alia method is a good one, I've seen other teachers teach this too.

Shimmies go wrong when you 1) lose coordination while you are doing it 2) your muscles fatigue. Both can be remedied with simple practice. You really don't need any special exercise. Unless you are having trouble getting the technique in which case there are exercises, like the one Rosette mentioned that can help you to isolate the required technique.

You want to practice to the point of muscle fatigue and then steadly increase it. Make sure when you are doing shimmies that you remain relaxed in parts of the body that do not need to be working. That can depleat your energy faster, than using only what you need.

If coordination (like your knees go wacky or you tend to shimmy more on one leg) is the problem, concentrate on maintaining control, not so much speed, by keeping in time with the music, and keep increasing your time within the music to a steady vibration.

Strength plays a greater role in movements in floor work and deep level changes, etc, where you require certain muscles to bear more weight than they usually do.

I have foung that doing pilates has really stengthened my dance period. I think it would help.

Bike riding.

Originally Posted by AnnaTX

In the case of knee shimmies, it's muscle endurance that you are trying to build, not so much strength.

You want to practice to the point of muscle fatigue and then steadly increase it.

Ahhh. I bet you are right. I bet I am getting frustrated when I fatigue and then quitting (I have a tendency to want to do that), instead of pushing through it.

Anna, by the way, I got a lot out of the book group, and I may even re-read the book. I got a lot out of it.

Originally Posted by Souzan

Bike riding.

Oh i hate bike riding...for the same reason...my knees get so tired and hurt like the dickens. I've always had weak knees. I am gonna get back into swimming now that my hubby is adjunct faculty & we have access to the pool again. I can then do kickboard which always helps ..g.: