By: pointnshoot

“Ballet builds flexibility. It also builds strength, speed, agility, balance, mental focus and endurance, which might explain why ballet workouts are the latest fitness craze, benefitting elite athletes but also those looking to add a little bounce to their exercise regimes.

(…)

When NHL goaltender Ray Emery was facing the premature end of his hockey career in 2010 as a result of a debilitating health issue that required surgery to his hip, he took up ballet. Less than a year later he was back playing as a member of the Anaheim Ducks.(…)

In a 2011 Brazilian documentary, World Heavyweight Champion Evander Holyfield is seen doing pliés at the barre as part of his overall fitness regime. “When I was fighting the big guys I needed to have something that they didn’t have,” he explains. “These guys were bigger so I had to have a game plan. And flexibility was the key.”

Now, the benefits of ballet training have got amateurs ponying up to the barre. And they’re not all women.

Toronto marathon runner Cory Pagett has been studying with [ballet dancer Jennifer] Nichols for the past five years.

“This has been of great help with the endurance aspect of long-distance running,” says Pagett, a marketing specialist. “The cardio portion of the classes helps with heart strength, breath control and that non-physical attribute, will power, when facing particularly gruelling courses or hills which require me to dig deep for that extra amount of drive.”