Cheryl Burke of ‘Dancing With the Stars’ works new muscles on NBC show

SHARE Cheryl Burke of ‘Dancing With the Stars’ works new muscles on NBC show

By Cindy Pearlman | Big Picture News Inc.

She just can’t do that.

Cheryl Burke of NBC’s new competition series  “I Can Do That” (9 p.m. Tuesdays, WMAQ-Channel 5) hates heights. “I hate being flipped backwards,” she moans on an early spring morning in Los Angeles.

So what happened a few weeks ago when she had to do a backwards dance flip mid-air?

“I got pretty nauseous,” Burke insists. “And we only had a few days to do it. But this is my philosophy: When you actually put your mind to something and you have no choice but to do it, you can actually get through it and reach your goals”.

The 18-season veteran of “Dancing With the Stars” alum has that same theory when it comes to physical fitness.

How does she psyche herself up for physical challenges or to push herself to the next level?

“I’ve been dancing since I was 4,” she said. “You have to push your body to a whole other limit.

“Seriously, you have to look at it like you have no choice. In dance, you don’t want to let your partner down. You don’t want to let down the people teaching you.”

And if no one is pushing you … but you?

“You just have to do it,” she said, invoking the motto of her new series, where she and rivals including Nicole Scherzinger, Joe Jonas and Ciara take on intense challenges. “You’re never prouder of yourself then when you push through your fear and get to that next place.”

For that particular airborne stunt,  “I was constantly taking Dramamine and sucking on these ginger candies because I was literally in tears. Like, all the blood was rushing to my head.

“When you do stuff that’s scary, it’s all about repetition,” she said. “So, I was in the air, scared of heights. I felt like I was going to fall out of my harness a million times. And then I was just bruised all over my hips because they put it on too tight.

“I was like, ‘Listen, better tight than me falling 100 feet down and killing myself.’ ”

How does Burke, 31, stay in such great shape? Gone are the brutal days of training for “DWTS.”

“I was used to seven days a week training eight hours a day,” she says. “That was the best workout.”

Now on “I Can Do That,” Burke combines her dance background with other ways of staying healthy. “I live a pretty active lifestyle,” she says.

But her personal fitness plan has changed over the years. “I used to be a runner,” she said. “But then I found that dance is the best workout because you’re working everything from head to toe — not just in your body, but your mind as well.”

She has ditched running and other things. “I’m not really into lifting weights,” she says. “I go through phases like everyone else. For instance, I’ll have a trainer. Then I’ll go hiking. I even do yoga once in awhile.”

The new show really allows her to mix it up. In fact, it has been a surprise to her on many levels.

“People are so used to me being this crazy strict dance teacher on ‘DWTS,’ ” she says. “I think it’s so refreshing to just be able to be me and for audiences to see a different side of who I am. I’m not just the crazy strict dance teacher. I actually have a personality.”

She’s also willing to take chances … down to the costumes she wears.

“I was a little intimidated by it, like, ‘Do I have to wear the onesie?’ I’m used to wearing dance costumes that have skirts on them and heels. I had to dance barefoot and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh.’ ”

She adds, “I really had no idea what I was getting myself into. I knew there were going to be challenges. I actually didn’t know they were going to be as physical as they are.

“Every week, you’re actually working out a different part of your body,” she said. “You can’t prepare for what will happen. You just kind of have to be open to doing whatever they tell you to do.”

Is she open to another stint at “Dancing with the Stars?” She laughs. “As for now, there are no plans of me going back,” she said. “After 18 seasons of doing something, I just felt the need to move on and feel challenged and inspired again.

“It was the hardest decision of my life obviously leaving that family, but it was exciting to learn something completely different.

“Now, I’m out of my comfort zone feeling vulnerable, nervous, excited. That’s nice to have in my life.”

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