How to Lift From Your Hamstrings in Ballet
Lifting with your hamstrings is an effective way to master proper form in ballet. Although standard leg exercises are necessary and your quad muscles are sure to enlarge, lifting your body upwards in ballet employs the hamstring to achieve maximum extension. Practicing hamstring extensions on a daily basis will help your muscles naturally remember the movement. Begin lifting from your hamstrings in first position before learning the lift in positions two through five.
Instructions
-
-
1
Stand in first position. Touch your heels together. Turn the balls of your feet outward to try and form a 180-degree line.
-
2
Perform a grand plie, or full bend. Bend your knees slowly downward for four counts. Raise your arms to the side as you bend. Raise your heels as you lower into a full bend.
-
-
3
Push your heels down into the floor as you lift for four counts. Engage the muscles in the back of your legs as you rise. Extend your hips and spine upward as you complete the lift.