I'm supposed to be in great shape. I knew then that dancers had really lousy lung capacity and little tiny hearts. In fact, Maheras knew from his training that 60 to 85 percent of maximal heart rate is considered only a moderately intense cardiovascular work. Well, classical barre class is only 38 percent of maximal heart rate. The training is neuromuscular.
Dancers have great legs.
We just can't do very much for very long with them. Maheras now teaches two classes at ASU each semester of Classical Conditioning Barre. Claudia Murphey, chair of ASU's department of dance, sees Maheras' work as an attempt to bridge the distance between art and physiology. Wayne Willis, a biochemist and ASU professor of exercise physiology, was Maheras' mentor in graduate school. Willis' own research is usually based in the laboratory.