A 30-Day Dance-Inspired Leg Workout That'll Shake Up Your Exercise Routine

Nobody understands leg strength quite like dancers do. Whether you're Misty Copeland, Beyoncé, or some level in between, having strong and powerful legs is key to pulling off many of the movements we do on a daily basis — on and off the dance floor.

Dance is a great way to build and support some of the leg muscles that you may neglect during your other workouts, explains Sam Ostwald, assistant training director at DanceBody, a dance-inspired boutique workout in New York City. If you think about running, indoor cycling, or even traditional HIIT workouts, for example, most of them revolve around the quadriceps and hamstrings, Ostwald says. "With dancers, there's so much rotational, transverse movement, so we try to work around those muscles," she says.

That's why we've created this 30-day dance-inspired leg challenge, which focuses on strengthening the inner and outer thighs and glutes, Ostwald says. This routine is inspired by dance, so the moves will test your balance, coordination, and flexibility. While they might be a departure from your usual squats and deadlifts, they'll give you that long, lifted "dancer look" that many of us think about when we picture our favorite dancers.

Read on to learn the exercises, and get grooving.