PoleWithSoul started this discussion ·
Hi I am curious to know how you all plan out your practice time. Do you follow a schedule (every two days, MWF, etc)? How long do you workout in one session? How do you choose what to focus on? What are your current goals? Do you do other exercise besides pole? I'd love to hear from ladies of all levels, beginners, intermediate and advanced.
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Well, to start with I am 66 and have had frozen shoulder issues for the last couple of years. So I'm concentrating on building strength and correct form so I can invert again. Inverts were always my very favorite thing! Strength gains in the shoulder area are very slow, so I am progressing carefully to avoid more problems. I run 4 days a week, right now only 2-4 miles each time. I warm up hula hooping and do the pole strength routine M-W-F( Veena's lessons are really good for using your shoulder properly), maybe a few spins and some floor work, with foam roll and stretching afterwards. I try to swim for my shoulder a couple of days a week, on non-poling days. I ride my bike for fun, but not as a workout. And I've found that it's better to work out early in the morning, before other things start interfering with your practice. So for me a run and my pole workout or swim take about 2 hours total per day. Good thing I'm an early riser. That's what works for me - hope this helps.
grayeyes ·
I'm 49 years old and probably an intermediate to advanced poler though currently have a shoulder injury so haven't really poled for almost 7 months (which really sucks). When I could I usually only poled once or maybe twice a week but sometimes even less like once every two weeks. I lift weights, run, kayak, roller skate, hike, etc. For me if I set a rigid schedule that I have to do X, Y and Z on certain days of the week I find that the schedule inevitably gets interrupted and it made me feel like I was failing and threw off my plan. What works best for me is to try to do something (anything really) most days of the week. At times I don't feel up to much so I'll just say I'm going to do something short and pretty easy (maybe a walk outside or on the treadmill) and I almost always end up doing more than that. This philosophy has led me to currently working out 6-7 days a week at least doing some form of cardio or some form of weightlifting but sometimes doing both. I also try to keep the fun in it. If one day the only active thing I do is kayaking (which I consider more fun than workout) I count that. Any time I'm doing something active and not sitting on the couch eating I consider it a win. For me the more I workout and see results, the more I want to. I have learned that I get injured much easier than I used to and it takes forever and a day to heal now so I'm also careful not to overtrain or lift too heavy, etc. It's just not worth it anymore to go overboard.
@polegramma it does help, thanks. I'm trying to be more focused and disciplined but I don't want to overdo things either. I do have the time for a two hour session and I might bump up to that since I usually do something for thirty minutes only.
@grayeyes I don't think it's ever worth t to go overboard haha. I like the idea of doing something everyday. Pole is my only exercise right now though, do you think you pole better from outside activities or is it more of a way to stay active not necessarily reach specific pole goals faster?
Hi PoleWithSoul, remember that 2 hours is my total exercise session, it's not all poling. And as Greyeyes mentions, a really structured schedule doesn't work for everyone. Something always comes up. Again, that's why I found years ago that the early morning workout was the only way I was going to get those workouts done! I've left time in my schedule to "make up" days if I've had to miss a workout - ie only 4 days running, which leaves me 3 other days to catch a missed run, etc. I've learned over the decades to "let it go" if I have to miss a workout for some reason, and just concentrate on the future.
Veena ·
There are many programs here https://www.studioveena.com/lessons if you're interested in not having to plan a regimen.
@polegramma I hear you! I'm trying to find the right balance. @Veena I'm definitely using your app and have made all my progress from doing so!! I'm just at a point where I want to get more serious about meeting certain goals like elbowstand and chopper and I wondered if I was making the right time commitment and seeing how others go about planning their training out. I don't have a physical studio I go to.
If you look at Veena's lessons, you'll see there are many programs that offer a progression toward particular moves, like the caterpillar program. If the program requires a certain amount of strength or skill, Veena usually tells you what you should be able to do before starting, and suggests which routines or programs to use to work up to that level. And you can always ask here if you need to figure out what's the best approach.
grayeyes ·
@polewithsoul I do other things to try to stay well rounded physically and not specifically to get better at pole goals. I was reasonably athletic when I started poling with no fear of being upside down and generally sort of a monkey kind of person (if there's a playground around I'm getting on it). I took to pole pretty easily, was able to invert first try, etc. I will say during my current shoulder injury I've taken many months off of pole but kept lifting weights during some of it and wen I was briefly back to pole I hadn't lost much strength (though had lost some confidence). That was a big surprise to me so I do believe they translate and cross over.
nyxed ·
I've been doing Veena's programs and it's the only time I've ever even remotely stuck to a schedule or done anything more than like a week. XD Sometimes I miss days because I don't feel well (I have a chronic illness) and sometimes I skip days for rest to accommodate classes at the studio. I probably average about 3 days a week of conditioning, plus physical therapy twice a week, plus one class at the pole studio, sometimes overlapping. Do you have a time you want to meet your goals by? If you keep doing it consistently like for an hour once a week you will still make progress, it will just be slow. If you do it twice a week you'll progress faster, three times even faster, etc. I would concentrate on when/why/how you want to practice for your own goals, rather than what the rest of us are doing. (This is basically the same advice that was given to me recently ;D) For instance, I wrote down in a google doc that I wanted to be able to climb up my pole by August 1, and that that would require sticking to my 3-4 times per week program and also practicing climbs every conditioning day.
Intended workout schedule: Yoga erryday, weight lifting M/W/F, running Tues/Thurs/Sat, and then Pole from Monday to Saturday for like an hour. ACTUAL current workout schedule: Weight lifting M/W/F (mostly), running twice a week if it's not too hot out, and pole once a week at class. I have a lot to work on, tbh, and yes, I know that it seems like a lot of physical activity! But, yoga is great for my back, and can be scaled for my needs if I'm very sore or tired, or if I want to kick it up a bit. Running is awesome for my knees, and usually helps with a lot of muscle soreness. Weights are something I don't go super hard on, and I find the routine to be very good for me. Pole... well, I have a really hard time self-motivating, and a lot of activities take a lot of planning and prioritizing, as well as many other things my ADHD brain is really bad at. So, I'm working on it. It's hard to keep going back, especially when mostly it's just boring and the same thing over and over. It's hard to do alone, too. But, I have a lot of notes on what I would like to be working on! Mostly, I'd like to learn a new exotic dance each month, and I have 3-4 moves to work on at home. My classes are almost like a different world lol ;)
@nyxed I guess the timeline I want to do my elbowstand and chopper is just as soon as possible haha I never looked at it as by a specific date but that might be a good way to think about it!!
@runemist34 yeah it is harder to do alone! it would definitely be easier to stay on track if I had a pole studio I was going to but that's why I am trying to stay on myself to be disciplined heehee
