I’m Starting Ballet at 30 with NO Flexibility. Is it Still Possible at My Age?
BY VERONICA VACANZA
3.4.25
Welcome to Flexibility Month here on The Slipper Edit! All month long we’ll be answering your most burning questions and putting your anxieties about building flexibility as an adult ballet beginner to rest.
“I’m a 30 Year Old Ballet Beginner Struggling with Flexibility. Am I Too Old for This?”
So you finally pluck up the courage to take your first ballet class as a 30 year old beginner. And there you are, standing at the barre, looking around in a daze of impressed horror at the flexibility war zone before you:
You’re surrounded on all fronts by bodies twisting themselves into completely unnatural positions while your brain is screaming “RETREAT RETREAT RETREAT!”
Everywhere you turn, young ballerinas, all seemingly made of rubber, are throwing their legs behind their heads like it’s no big deal. Meanwhile, your legs are so tight, you’re struggling to keep them straight while standing still. So now you’re wondering if this whole ballet thing is really for you at all. What’s the point if you’ll never measure up to the army of highly trained contortionists you’re dancing with?
Is flexibility even possible after the age of 30 anyway?
As a former yoga instructor turned adult ballet dancer in my 30s, YES. It’s TOTALLY possible! And I’m going to share 6 super simple ways you can start improving your flexibility TODAY despite your age, experience level or lifestyle. But before we get to that, you need to hear an important truth about what’s really going on in your body.
IS 30 TOO LATE TO BUILD FLEXIBILITY?
Recently, over on my Instagram stories, I asked what your biggest concerns about flexibility were and this was by far the biggest question. And for good reason! Our culture in general, but ESPECIALLY ballet culture, is youth obsessed and makes us feel like we should already be picking out a casket by the age of 17.
So let’s put your mind at ease.
Yes, naturally bodies change with age. And yes, it can be challenging to gain flexibility after 30, but not necessarily for the reason you might expect.
I’ve watched countless women in both my yoga classes and dance classes regain, or build flexibility for the first time, regardless of their age, weight, or experience level.
Because here’s the truth about your age and flexibility:
We do not magically turn into petrified statues just because we blow out the candles on our 30th birthday cake.
THE REAL REASON YOU STRUGGLE WITH FLEXIBILITY AFTER 30
If you’re a human adult with a full time job my guess is that your daily routine looks like some version of this:
Sitting in your car
Sitting at a desk
Sitting in your car again
Sitting on your couch after work
Sleeping in your bed
And all of that likely came after years of sitting in a school classroom for several hours a day.
But then we expect our muscles to have the elasticity of an olympic gymnast in our first ballet class.
As children we often spent a majority of our day really mobile: running, skipping, jumping, dancing. Our modern adult life, on the other hand, expects us to stay chained to a desk for 40-60 hours a week. And then we often spend our precious free time bingeing subpar Netflix shows, scrolling a neverending social media feed, or generally being sedentary.
You’re not having trouble with your flexibility because you’re not 15 anymore. You’re more likely having trouble being flexible after 30 because of the way your lifestyle shifted as you grew older.
When it comes to flexibility, the number of years you’ve been alive isn’t nearly as important as the amount of hours you spend imobile.
There’s not some magic clock ticking down your ability to do splits past 30. But would you honestly expect your muscles to be super stretchy after years of lying dormant?
I didn’t think so.
Let’s face it, even after just a day or two of not stretching our muscles feel a little stiffer. So imagine how they’d feel after YEARS of neglect. But this doesn’t mean we’re doomed to an inflexible life forever. In fact, there’s a very specific reason our muscles get tight after inactivity.
It’s called fascia.
WHAT IS FASCIA AND WHAT DOES IT HAVE TO DO WITH FLEXIBILITY?
Fascia is a cobweb-like connective tissue that surrounds your muscles. In periods of inactivity, like sleep, fascia hardens slightly, causing the muscles to feel less mobile. This is why we’re usually more stiff when we first wake up. But before you go thinking you should NEVER stop moving, remember that sleep and rest are important parts of the dancer, and the fascia, recovery process.
So don’t worry. There are some really simple things you can do to start overcoming a more sedentary lifestyle and build your flexibility after 30.
5 WAYS TO IMPROVE FLEXIBILITY AFTER AGE 30
(Even if You’re Chained to a Desk All Day)
1. Avoid Injury with Realistic Expectations
One of the tendencies adult ballet beginners have, (and I say this from personal experience) is to rush through the flexibility process in order to “catch up” to everyone else. BELIEVE ME when I say, rushing takes longer. You absolutely CAN build flexibility after 30 but it takes patience and dedication. If you overstretch, you risk tearing muscles and setting back your flexibility journey even further.
Don’t expect yourself to do full splits after stretching consistently for 2 days in a row. Commit to stretching routine like 5-10 minutes a day or 1 hatha yoga class per week, and understand ahead of time that it’s a journey to be enjoyed, not a destination to rush to.
2. Fall in Love with Foam Rolling
One of the best ways to break up stiff fascia and increase flexibility is to add foam rolling to your ballet routine. Again, this doesn’t need to be overdone. A 5-10 minute roll out before or after your class can make a world of difference for your muscles long term. If you’ve never done this before it can be slightly uncomfortable as your body adapts but personally, I’m pretty addicted to my foam roller. It’s like a deep tissue massage on demand.
3. Get a Standing Desk
If your job requires you to sit at a desk all day, it may feel like you’re doomed to be stiff forever. But a standing desk can make your flexibility journey much easier. In fact, not only can working on your feet improve your muscle mobility, it can also improve your mental clarity, focus and productivity as well! You don’t need anything fancy for this. If I’m working from home, I’ll often prop my laptop on my fireplace mantle and do standing sessions for periods of 30 - 45 minutes throughout the day.
4. Instate Walking Meetings
On a similar wavelength, there are plenty of activities often we do sitting down out of habit rather than necessity. Phonecalls and meetings could be the perfect opportunity to add some movement into your day by going for a walk outside or on a treadmill. Just make sure to have a good pair of headphones and a walking route that feels safe but not too crowded so you can stay fully present.
5. Try the Pomodoro Technique
The Pomodoro Technique is a commonly praised productivity tool but I’d also argue it’s a great flexibility tool as well. I like to set a timer for every 45 minutes or so to not only remind myself to take a quick break, but to also use that break to stretch. A few simple stretches like this one or this one can be amazing for your hip and leg flexibility.
6. Automate Drinking Water
When I say automate, I mean make the process of getting your daily water intake so enjoyable and easy that you don’t even have to think about it. Staying hydrated is a HUGE part of proper muscle function. There’s a reason why the likelihood of charley horses increase with dehydration. So invest in a waterbottle that you can fill up all at once and drink slowly throughout the day. (This one is my all time favorite).
I also like to think of this as Nature’s Pomodoro Technique, because if you’re drinking enough water, you’ll have no choice but to take a bathroom break every once in a while lol. So why not use that time to build in a quick stretch?
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