Strength & Flexibility training for Dancers and Aerialists
Crosstraining programs designed especially for performing artists, from a Certified Personal Trainer and Mobility Specialist.
These programs feature the creme-de-la-creme of exercises that Britta has prescribed to performing artists over the years to reach their goals and get strong & bendy AF.
Let me let you in on a little secret…
When you’re new to lifting, you can pretty much do anything and you’ll make strength gains. The simple presence of a new type of training is going to push your muscles in a way they’re unfamiliar with.
You that you need a fancy, expensive, customized program to start lifting. This is why the Level Up Beginner Edition exists; learn the basic movements, make some gains, and then move on to one of the more specific programs, or the Intensive when you’re ready.
Experienced in the gym? There’s a program for you too. Keep scrolling!
You may be asking:
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Yes. I’ve worked with innumberable hypermobile and/or EDS/hEDS diagnosed athletes who have had a ton of success in gaining confidence in their body and mitigating injury using lifting. The quick science: Loaded movement (lifting) forces muscle fibers to contract during the eccentric phase, resulting in increased confidence of the tissues and nervous system in lengthened positions.
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Level Up requires ~3 hours per week of moderate intensity training. If you already spend time crosstraining (active flex classes or conditioning classes) I recommend replacing those with the Level Up program for the time being.
Level Up is designed to fit seamlessly into an existing movement practice, you do not need to take time away from teaching, gigs or class. Think of Level Up as a vitamin for your movement practice, not a meal replacement.
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Each Level Up program comes preloaded with exercise demo videos, as well as recommendations for load and progressions, so you know exactly how much to lift to push yourself while staying safe.
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No, and you don’t always need a custom program.
If you have unique considerations for your body and goals, and are experienced in the gym, you’re looking for The Intensive.
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For best results, I recommend having as many tools available to you as possible.
The equipment provided in a full gym provides us with so many loading variations to grow into and use to level up (pssst, hypermobile folks, cable machines are your bestie!). Plus, you’ll likely outgrow your home dumbbells quicker than you think.
If you’re on the fence, you can always download the program and get your start with home dumbbells, then fire up your gym membership when you’re ready.
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Conditioning uses drills on the silks, pole, trapeze, lyra, floor, ice rink, (whatever your apparatus is) to improve your movement quality in tricks, moves and combos.
But when that loses it’s shine…enter crosstraining. Crosstraining uses a different modality than your used to, in this case, lifting weights and training contortion.
You can get a lot of stength and flexibility benefits from conditioning and learning skills, but the most potent and direct line to strength and flexibility gains comes from training the tissues directly using weights and bending. AND, it’s pretty f***ing fun.
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Nope. Level Up is a pre-prescribed program. I created Level Up from the creme de la creme of the custom programs I use for dancers in the Intensive. This helps keep crosstraining accessible to all, AND, if you’re new to my style of training, serves as an introduction before diving in to the Intensive.
If you know you want to sign up for the Intensive, I highly recommend Level Up as an “information gathering” phase. Download a program, and pop your name on the Intensive Interest List here.
Level Up for Beginner Edition
The 6 week strength and flexibility program, modified for beginner who are just starting out on their lifting journey.
Please note that this includes the program ONLY. If you require coaching with Britta, add on a 1-1 Advisory meeting to your program purchase at check out.
$99
Level Up: Barbells, Big Lifts, and Bends
6 weeks of Strength and Flexibility Training for performing artists who need big strength gains to produce force for dynamic moves and jumps, while getting bendy of course.
$99
Level Up: Strength Endurance and Stretch
6 week strength and flexibility training program for artistic athletes who need to increase strength capacities in their existing ranges, while working to expand their ranges in shapes like splits, bridges, and straddles. This is a supercharger for movement artists looking to improve their movement quality and control in their combos, as well as muscular endurance.
$99
What Equipment Do I Need?
For Level Up, I highly recommend a gym membership. This is so you have all the best tools at your disposal.
You will need:
A gym membership
A set of looped mini bands
Make sure your gym has:
Multiple weights of dumbbells
A plyobox or bench
A barbell and plates
Cable machines
A pull up bar or machine
For Strength Endurance Program: A smith machine (barbell sub is ok)
For Barbells and Bends Program: Boxes high enough to challenge a box jump
Yep, Muggle Gyms here you come!
Whether you just joined one and want a plan for what to do, or love movement in all its forms, even the muggle gyms. This is the program for you.
You’ll have me in your back pocket throughout the whole workout, so you’ll never be wondering what to do.
Can I do it at home?
It has been done before, but for best results, I recommend the gym membership. The reason being that most performing artists underestimate their strength, and outgrow home gyms quickly.
Recognized by world-renowned performing artist physio Dr Jen Crane
As a performing arts physiotherapist, the majority of the injuries I treat are a direct result of insufficient strength and flexibility programming. While performing artists excel at training their respective disciplines, creating and executing a supplemental strength and flexibility regimen is not typically part of our culture at large; and injuries often ensue as a direct result of this omission.
That's what makes the "Level Up!" programming so brilliant: Britta has combined her knowledge and experience as a performer with her expertise as a strength coach to create adaptable, discipline-specific programming. Not only will this evidence-informed programming bullet-proof movement artists' bodies against injuries, it also functions as a performance optimization booster for artists who are serious about leveling up to achieve their goals.
— Dr Jen Crane, PT, DPT, OCS, ATC
A look inside the programs:
What performing artists are saying:
Level Up for Beginner Edition
The 6 week strength and flexibility program, modified for beginner who are just starting out on their lifting journey.
Please note that this includes the program ONLY. If you require coaching with Britta, sign up for a 1-1 Advisory meeting at check out.
$99
Level Up: Barbells, Big Lifts, and Bends
6 weeks of Strength and Flexibility Training for performing artists who need big strength gains to produce force for dynamic moves and jumps, while getting bendy of course.
$99
Level Up: Strength Endurance and Stretch
6 week strength and flexibility training program for artistic athletes who need to increase strength capacities in their existing ranges, while working to expand their ranges in shapes like splits, bridges, and straddles. This is a supercharger for movement artists looking to improve their movement quality and control in their combos, as well as muscular endurance.
$99