weight training question

My background is in ballet, and now that I have a family I dance for fun and it will always be a part of me. My question today is about weight training.

I do very light weight training for my upper body, I use dumbells and do bicep curls (hammer & curl) Shoulder press, Tricpe dip, Latter lifts side and front. When I do these standing I get so bored so I started adding in a little leg movment. I feel like it's working my legs and my balance at the same time.

For example when I do a hammer bicep curl, as I curl the weight up I stand on one leg and with the other leg I draw the toe up my leg to meet my knee on the standing leg. (like a posse position). When I do a regular bicep curl, I extend one leg out stright infront of me, when I curl whe weight up I left my leg, when I take the weight down I tap my foot on the mat.

Anyways I'm rambling... is it okay to work both arms and legs at the same time in the kind of "style" that I do?

thanks
D

Tue. Oct 31, 12:23pm

yes. many people do squats, lunges, ect while working their upper body. i don't see how what you're doing would be any different. might as well kill 2 birds with one stone. just make sure you're in control of the weights. so keep workin it, girl!

Tuesday, October 31, 2006, 12:29 PM

I think it is a great idea. I would see if you could up the weight you use, and see if you can do the leg movements, I am willing to bet it will test your balance.

Tuesday, October 31, 2006, 12:43 PM

Yep, of course you can do it, but you may have to choose a priority eventually. I favor going after the upper body weights more seriously, which will mean heavier weights over time and I think eventually it would be hard to bring it all together. If you stay with lighter weights, you probably won't have a problem, but there won't be much training effect after a while. It's your choice.

Tuesday, October 31, 2006, 1:08 PM

at my gym there are these little pink things that are filled with air - you can stand on them while doing weights and it makes it even harder as you need to stabalize your entire body - so you end up using your core and leg muscles more...

See if your gym has these. (sorry I don't know the name, I just know what they look like)

Tuesday, October 31, 2006, 2:00 PM

OP here...

Thanks for all the comments! Doing weights for the upper body while lifting one leg, standing one leg, or bending knee on one leg really does work your balance and core. One thing I have noticed is that my posture while doing both upper and lower body at the same time is a lot better, I'm more focused on it. I use really light weights I don't go over 12lbs.

Tuesday, October 31, 2006, 2:39 PM

You can stand on a Bosu or sit on stability ball. To work your legs you can: squat and hammer curl on the way up or shoulder press on the way up. You can also do a "bench assisted lunge" where your back toes are on a bench or platform (usually about knee height) behind you and dip in that position and hammer curl or shoulder press or deltoid lift as you come up.

Incorporating legs with upper body will definitely cause you to concentrate more on your form.

Have you tried decline upper body exercises? Compound sets? Cable weight machines?

There usually only a couple of ways to overcome boredom which is usually by increasing difficulty, weight and incorporating legs.

Tuesday, October 31, 2006, 5:23 PM

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