dhen. I find that holding my arms in the correct dancing position is an Isometric type of excercise. I find that I keep good muscle tone in my shoulders an biceps area without having to do any other exercise for that part of the body.

Polished, no doubt about it. No matter how much exercise we have completed in a given week, when we have dance lessons for an hour or more, and most of it is in ballroom position and holding frame, we notice it in our arms and shoulders.
From that standpoint, it is a great strength builder.

I feel I can respond to this because I am regular gym rat and I have been dancing ballroom for two years now.
I am 5'9" tall, 50 years old, weigh 250 lbs and can bench 300 lbs.
I lift in 4 times a week for a hour to a hour an a half. I lift for both strength and endurance.
True I stretch but everyone should.
Yes I have large arms but they do not get tired from holding them up for long periods of time. When I go to our dances I normally sit for one dance per hour. And have energy to spare for an after party when its over.
I feel being strong has many benifits and advantages. For one, I can dip a girl so low her hair is on the floor and she need not worry about being dropped.
I stongly recommend using wieghts to increase your strengh and endurance. You'll enjoy the results.
~Carl

Well I didn't even expect so much feedback , thank you all.

I didnt specify , but of course my gym related question was aimed at cardio/tone programs(low weights , high reps) I don't really like the bulk look and it wouldn't fit me anyway :)

I have proceeded with my idea.
Aside from spending 2-4 hours 5 days a week in the studio , I have enrolled in a gym which Im attending 3 days a week.
Each of those days I do 4-5 abdomen and lower back exercises + one muscle group calves/thighs/back. Pleasing results in tone and endurance so far without weight gain.
As for cardio I find running/biking too boring. Thought I highly recommend roller skating , jumping off verts and balancing on rails is almost a perfect workout for anyone in the dancesport community :) !

For what its worth. When I came back into dancing after a lengthy absence I bought a treadmill. I went fairly hard for two minutes and gave myself a 30 second rest and repeated five times. I did this a couple of times a day. I figured if I had to dance five dances I would be able to stay the distance, which I can at this present time.

I think that if the gym workouts are for development of the muscles that you have discovered in dancing need work, then it is a very good thing.

I know that when I was first beginning, that by showing my trainer at the gym what I needed to be able to do a lot of--like rise and fall--that we then added exercises specifically to work on the strength in my legs, especially in my calves and ankles, for the rise and fall needed for waltz--and it made a huge difference.

We did the same with the muscle groups I needed for my upper body to handle the frame well.

By using the gym workouts in support of my dancing I improved my entire posture and stability in my dancing.

I heartily recommend this sort of use of the gym.

But I would not bulk up like a football player or a competitive weight lifter because it isn't a workout designed for dancing.

I even offered to pay for a class for my trainer and her hubby so that she would better understand what my goals were.