Cross-Training

minicoopergrl started this discussion · 12/27/2010

I know alot of you all hoop on your pole off days, but does anyone else do some other type of exercise to help out w/poling? I signed up for the gym Jan of this year - its been a great suppliment to fill in what I need to get better. It also worked out so if my husband was working late - that I could work out at the gym and not feel bad I missed out on class. My membership expires next month - im still debating on renewing. Its only $20/month so its not really breaking the bank but we got a Wii for christmas and im testing out my moms wii fit and see how I like it so I could get one for myself.

10 replies

horsecrazy12987 · 12/27/2010
I do a lot of HIIT workouts and tons of strength training--push-ups, chin-ups, pull-ups, etc. I also do tons of ab work and I like adding kettlebells into my workouts a couple of times a week. Kickboxing is excellent cardio as well and fun to do, especially if you need to get some frustrations out.
ottersocks · 12/27/2010
I'm currently in rehab/PT for a bad bicep tendon injury. For 3 years I've done almost nothing but pole as my fitness routine. I've always done Pilates twice a week as well, but find that better for stretching than for any serious strength training. My PT said something to me that was a total "lightbulb moment." He said: You cannot use your sport to train for your sport. Football players hit the gym to build strength. Ice skaters use ballet to build grace, flexibility, and tone. If pole is your sport, you can't just use pole to train for it. So I am now seeing a strength and conditioning coach three times a week to work on overall fitness and build the strength and stamina I need to be able to perform at the level I want. I'm continuing Pilates. And I'm focusing more on core-building and strength exercises as my pole warmup. My PT is very wise! 😀
EVamp83 · 12/28/2010
💡 Otter, your PT is a genius 🤓 ! I never looked at it that way, but that makes so much sense!!! I recently started doing some exercises at home (almost) every morning before shower, and I already feel the difference on the pole. I try to switch around the routine a bit to target different muscle groups and keep it interesting. I also try to add some stretching at least a few days a week. It's hard to motivate myself though, so hopefully I can keep this up. I've been doing just pole for a long time too, with the occasional drop-in class in bodyfit or w/e. It does help my motivation to know that these additional mini workouts will help my poling though!
minicoopergrl · 12/28/2010
a very wise PT! I try to do some elevated push ups against my bathtub in the morning while im waiting for the hot water to heat up. I did an hour on the wii fit yesterday. It didnt feel like what I did at the gym but my obilques are killing me today! I do about everything on the wii fit - my favs are the hula hoop (roll your hips in a circle to keep the hoop moving) and soccer for balance ( you lift your foot whichever way the ball comes to hit it). I may keep up for it for a week and see how I liked it. They also make lots of games for it as well. Im slowly getting out of the husband sitting in the same room as me while im working out is creepy feeling. He was on the computer when I was on the Wii.
amy · 12/29/2010
I'm currently in rehab/PT for a bad bicep tendon injury. For 3 years I've done almost nothing but pole as my fitness routine. I've always done Pilates twice a week as well, but find that better for stretching than for any serious strength training. My PT said something to me that was a total "lightbulb moment." He said: You cannot use your sport to train for your sport. Football players hit the gym to build strength. Ice skaters use ballet to build grace, flexibility, and tone. If pole is your sport, you can't just use pole to train for it. So I am now seeing a strength and conditioning coach three times a week to work on overall fitness and build the strength and stamina I need to be able to perform at the level I want. I'm continuing Pilates. And I'm focusing more on core-building and strength exercises as my pole warmup. My PT is very wise! 😀 i'm not quite sure i understand this... this may be a dumb question but... when you guys are warming up for pole classes, what do you do? don't you do pushups and core strengthening?
joni1 · 12/29/2010
I do aerial silk 2x a week and eliptical for 30 mins followed by 45 mins of stretching for the splits 2-3 times a week. In the car,I always have a hand gripper exerciser on 1 hand. I just also purchased the powerball which has so much great benefits for gaining strenth for your wrist, forearm and triceps. I also do 1 1/2 hour of acrobatics 1x a week and pole for 2-3x a week.
joni1 · 12/29/2010
I'm currently in rehab/PT for a bad bicep tendon injury. For 3 years I've done almost nothing but pole as my fitness routine. I've always done Pilates twice a week as well, but find that better for stretching than for any serious strength training. My PT said something to me that was a total "lightbulb moment." He said: You cannot use your sport to train for your sport. Football players hit the gym to build strength. Ice skaters use ballet to build grace, flexibility, and tone. If pole is your sport, you can't just use pole to train for it. So I am now seeing a strength and conditioning coach three times a week to work on overall fitness and build the strength and stamina I need to be able to perform at the level I want. I'm continuing Pilates. And I'm focusing more on core-building and strength exercises as my pole warmup. My PT is very wise! 😀 i'm not quite sure i understand this... this may be a dumb question but... when you guys are warming up for pole classes, what do you do? don't you do pushups and core strengthening? When we warm up for pole class, we usually start by dance freestyle to 1 song. Then stretches against the pole followed by pole pullups.
ottersocks · 12/29/2010
i'm not quite sure i understand this... this may be a dumb question but... when you guys are warming up for pole classes, what do you do? don't you do pushups and core strengthening? Hey Amy, Yes, in our classes about 20 minutes of the hour is devoted to warmups that include core strengthening. I'm talking about now spending up to another 6 hours a week away from the pole working on strength and conditioning. And about another 2 on flexibility. The idea is that I cannot build the strength I need by doing pole alone--and that no athlete can use their sport alone. (Think about Zoraya and the amount of time she spends in the gym...) Make sense?? E
amy · 12/29/2010
yes yes! i should have been more selective in my quote of your post... i was confused when you said " And I'm focusing more on core-building and strength exercises as my pole warmup." 6 hours a week in the gym pumping iron? what kind of strengthening and conditioning do you plan to do?
ottersocks · 12/29/2010
Aha, Amy. In our warmups, I'm making the girls work harder than they're used to. Less dancey warmup, more hard core work. This also quickly gets their body temps up, which is great since the studio is cold this time of year, and helps them stick to the pole sooner. They hate it. It makes me giggle. 😛 As for my 6 hours, I'm doing 3 hours a week with a strength and conditioning coach. (well, 2 with her, 1 on my own doing what she teaches me). It's everything: walking lunges, bosu squats, band work, step ups on a box, ball crunches/side crunches/back extensions, various core work on a mat, lots of tricep/lat/rhomboid training with weights... I'm doing 2 hours a week with a PT. Then about another 1.5 - 2 hours per week of doing my PT exercises myself every night. These are all with therabands and focus on training all my upper body muscles EXCEPT my biceps/pecs, trying to re-cue how my muscles fire. (Note that these are all done at a very very simple and light level. Your muscles would sneer at what my muscles cannot do after 3 months of disuse.) 2 hours a week of Pilates reformer class. 2 hours a week of stretching (should be more...) So actually, more than 6 hours! No wonder I feel like I live in gym clothes lately! 😂