Does anyone work out?

Stas started this discussion · 5/25/2009

Besides the pole? Like weight training? I have a hard time with my upper body as I lack strength completely and have known this all of my life. It's a little more depressing getting on the pole these past 2 days ((newbie here)) and not being able to lift myself. Anyway, for those of you who work out, do you find that working certain upper body muscles i.e biceps, triceps, lats etc benefit you on the pole? If not, what do you do on a regular basis to strengthen your upper body? And since we are on the subject, the ones who do weight train, what supplements are you taking if any? I am always looking for better protein shakes and much better pre workout drinks. Any suggestions? 🌸

19 replies

Veena · 5/25/2009
I do I do 🥂 I'll give you my work out plan later on.....my kids have a friend over. Oh one question are you having your protein before your work outs???? I have a great protein shake too. I'll post all that later OK. 😀
Stas · 5/25/2009
Thanks Veena! That would be great! I was going strong for about 2 months then got hit with Pneumonia and was bed ridden for a week. 😕 So now that I am back in the swing of things, having to start all over really, I am re evaluating my split workout and supplements. At this time I drink a shake when I wake followed by a few meals/snacks throughout the day. I do not drink a pre workout shake but I do have a pre workout drink...I mean one that really gets me amped up. I am currently drinking White flood, and I do not like it too much. I have Purple wrath and green magnitude also and will be experimenting with these this week. After my workout I have my post workout shake mixed with water ((actually I hate milk and all my shakes are mixed with H2O 🙄 Anyway, my final shake is before bedtime. I am really focused on adding mass more than just toning. So when you get the time, let me know what you do. I am really addicted to this weight training and I really hope to gain the same enthusiasm for pole fitness and soon. I just feel like I am never gonna get it, I am like pole illiterate 😲 I am telling you. Oops forgot to mention, I am currently drinking Muscle Milk as it is the ONLY protein that tastes delish with water ☀️
Veena · 5/25/2009
I was gonna include my routine but its pretty intense. OK can I ask why so many supplemental drinks? Honestly I'm not a big fan of supplements, drink, pills ect.. they are expensive and in almost every case unnecessary. The only thing I ever use is some protein powder, and I save that for after my work outs. Your body benefits most from protein shakes after heavy exercise like pole dance and strength training. I feel you can get all the nutrition you need from food, even if you are into weight training. Weight training is my second love!! I have been weight training for 9 yrs. You can see improvement in strength from just pole dance but if your feeling like you have hit a plaque or want to speed things up a bit, weight training is the way to go! So if you do want to include weight lifting into your routine, I would recommend doing it the same day as pole dance, so before or after. If you do it after you wont have to worry about warming up 👍 so thats a time saver. As far as what to train....every muscle group! 💪 you don't want to focus say... on just chest, because you can create an imbalance...not good. So if your going to do a full body work out, make sure your leaving a day of rest in between and that goes for pole dance too, because its a full body work out. I cannot stress how important it is to let your body REST!!! Here is my recovery shake, its high calorie for weight gain too!! 8 oz milk 1 pk of carnation instant breakfast (chocolate) 1 banana 1-2 table spoons of natural peanut butter one scoop of protein powered....if you want its not necessary because it already has a lot of protein. 438 cal 17g protein with out the extra scoop 70g carbs 10g fat
rubberstarlet · 5/26/2009
yea i workout also... trying to slim my tenderloin thighs and belly fat O_O i try runing twice a week. And i left heavy weights. If you dont have a gym just run, jump rope and do squats. every morning and night... if i remember... i do push ups and abs.
Stas · 5/26/2009
I was gonna include my routine but its pretty intense. OK can I ask why so many supplemental drinks? Honestly I'm not a big fan of supplements, drink, pills ect.. they are expensive and in almost every case unnecessary. The only thing I ever use is some protein powder, and I save that for after my work outs. Your body benefits most from protein shakes after heavy exercise like pole dance and strength training. I feel you can get all the nutrition you need from food, even if you are into weight training. Weight training is my second love!! I have been weight training for 9 yrs. You can see improvement in strength from just pole dance but if your feeling like you have hit a plaque or want to speed things up a bit, weight training is the way to go! So if you do want to include weight lifting into your routine, I would recommend doing it the same day as pole dance, so before or after. If you do it after you wont have to worry about warming up 👍 so thats a time saver. As far as what to train....every muscle group! 💪 you don't want to focus say... on just chest, because you can create an imbalance...not good. So if your going to do a full body work out, make sure your leaving a day of rest in between and that goes for pole dance too, because its a full body work out. I cannot stress how important it is to let your body REST!!! Here is my recovery shake, its high calorie for weight gain too!! 8 oz milk 1 pk of carnation instant breakfast (chocolate) 1 banana 1-2 table spoons of natural peanut butter one scoop of protein powered....if you want its not necessary because it already has a lot of protein. 438 cal 17g protein with out the extra scoop 70g carbs 10g fat I have 3 protein shakes a day because I have always had a hard time eating, I know that sounds silly, but I never find the time to eat, its like I get to busy. I am not a big breakfast person so the morning shake works, the after workout shake with a scoop of L-Glutamine for muscle recovery, is a must. and the one before bed is only if I haven't eaten well that day. I don't want to lose weight per se, I am focusing on bulking and since I workout so much, I need to up my protein intake. I run around all day with school, my two boys, t ball you name it, that sometimes I really can not stop and have a good meal, lol that is so sad, I know but its been this way for me for a long time. I can snack on fruits and raw veggies all day but that isn't enough. The pre workout drink I am taking right now is White flood mixed with h2o, it just gives me that extra boost I need in the gym 🤸 . Other than that I take cod liver oil, and my Opti women vitamins 😬 Oh and I can't drink milk, it makes me so sick. I think its the lactose, I am not sure, its just always made me nauseous since I was younger. Muscle Milk has no lactose so that is a plus for me and it tastes great with water!! I'd LOVE to see your routine Veena, I am always changing things up and since you have many years of experience, I know I could benefit from you there as well 🌈
amcut · 5/26/2009
I like WHEYBOLIC with fruit juice. I've never tried it with water since it's so vanilla-ey, and I really dislike vanilla (why do you buy it then? because I'm not going to have chocolate protein all the time, let alone nasty strawberry). my routine is pretty pansy when I look at it. I do squats and deadlifts- which looks really good at the top- but then I do circuit machines- which immediately makes me a pansy. I know my muscles are even more imbalanced because of it... but I can barely do what I'm supposed to do in the heavy lifting area. I convince myself that they're all looking at my butt and they don't like it. 😢 I also am a pansy because I go to the gym to use a bosa ball. ehehehe. you know, the half exercise ball? Whatever. I just stand on it, vary how I'm standing on it, pass a ball around while standing on it.. and soon enough, my abs are screaming.
RoxyPink · 5/26/2009
The only thing I do is pole...although I do fairly heavy stretching everyday which is a work out in itself(trying to get my straddle back...almost there!!)! Oh yeah...and I constantly chase my two VERY BUSY kids around! 😀 I'm not big on supplements...I feel that if you eat the right foods you don't need supplements!
SissyBuns · 5/26/2009
I lift too and I loooooooove muscle milk. I'm lactose intolerant so I love it's tastyness and even the premixed shakes are lactose free so it's right up my alley. For my post workout protien I use a whey powder...I forget the name now but it's got 52g of protien which is sweet but it's got that chalky vanilla thing going for it (I feel your pain amcut) so I don't enjoy it as much as the Muscle Milk but it gets the job done. As far as supplements I don't take anything else but flax,borage and fish oil. I take biotin for my skin and nails (I'm a dermatology nurse so I'm obsessed with skin) and a daily multivitamin. I experimented in the realm of fat burners for a while but I'm all natural now 😉 I lift specific muscle groups alternating days. Sometimes I squeeze full bodies in there but I usually like to give each muscle group it's own time LOL. I do super sets with heavy weight to build mass and strength. The whole "toning" thing didn't really seem to work for my body type LOL. Lifting definitely helps with poling the only tricky part is trying to safely alternate pole dancing with weight training sessions while still giving your body time to rest. Liek veena said, rest is very important 😁
Veena · 5/26/2009
I know were all busy ladies, (trust me I KNOW) 😂 but I think its really important to get your energy/nutrition from whole foods, not supplements...drinks included. So here are my little tips Make meals on the weekend or during your off time and freeze them for later in the week if you make double the amount you'll have leftovers for lunches too!! cut up fruit/veggies right away when you get home from your shopping trip and store them in individual grab and go containers. keep granola bars handy (make sure they don't have high fructose in them) or cliff bars...my fav!! nuts are fast, filling a great for protein and other necessary nutrients. dried fruit is easy to take with. You can make a mix of nuts, whole grain cereal, raisins, and even some chocolate chips. What ever you like. mix in a big bowl and divide into little grab and go bags. Kids like them too! yogurt is fast so those are just a few ideas 💡
azzwoo · 5/26/2009
Ok so this is probably bit off topic as I don't work out as such... never liked the gym! But I do do lots of activities that are good for building upper body strength. Probably the most beneficial upper body ones I do are surfing, which is a massive upper body builder (you can substitute this for vigorous swimming if you can't get to the sea)! And rock climbing if you have a climbing wall near you its fab for building your upper body (you're lifting your whole bodyweight!) x
litlbit · 5/30/2009
I lift...been doing it now for just over two years, now bulking to get ready to compete in March 2010...FOOD IS VERY NECESSARY!! BREAKFAST is a MUST!! I never used to be able to eat until I slowly made myself..just a few bites at breakfast then a snack 3 hrs later, then lunch, then a snack, then dinner...it wasn't long and my body needed the food and my progress excelled! I do a shake and a simple carb right after working out, I take a Casein protein shake before bed to keep my metabolism going for 7 hrs. It is very important to get your carbs and healthy fasts because protein requires carbs to synthesize (YOU CAN NOT BUILD MUSCLE WITHOUT CARBS), the basic rule of thumb is 40% protein (1gram/per lb of your lean body mass), 40% complex carbs (Nothing with white flour is complex), and 20% Healthy fats (Omega 3's, 6, and 9's) which you can find in fish, nuts etc. I can't eat much fish so I supplement with flax seed oil with omega 3's three times a day. I am lifting heavy and my workout changes every two weeks. I do have a basic one that will help anyone jump start a strength training program...let me know if anyone is interested and I will post it! 😀
SissyBuns · 5/31/2009
I lift...been doing it now for just over two years, now bulking to get ready to compete in March 2010...FOOD IS VERY NECESSARY!! BREAKFAST is a MUST!! I never used to be able to eat until I slowly made myself..just a few bites at breakfast then a snack 3 hrs later, then lunch, then a snack, then dinner...it wasn't long and my body needed the food and my progress excelled! I do a shake and a simple carb right after working out, I take a Casein protein shake before bed to keep my metabolism going for 7 hrs. It is very important to get your carbs and healthy fasts because protein requires carbs to synthesize (YOU CAN NOT BUILD MUSCLE WITHOUT CARBS), the basic rule of thumb is 40% protein (1gram/per lb of your lean body mass), 40% complex carbs (Nothing with white flour is complex), and 20% Healthy fats (Omega 3's, 6, and 9's) which you can find in fish, nuts etc. I can't eat much fish so I supplement with flax seed oil with omega 3's three times a day. I am lifting heavy and my workout changes every two weeks. I do have a basic one that will help anyone jump start a strength training program...let me know if anyone is interested and I will post it! 😀 Have I told you that you rule lately?
Toccara · 6/2/2009
Ok so Im trying to workout and get a little, well a lot more toned and in shape in preparation for the arrival of my pole, which im not sure when that is because im still saving to buy it, lol. But has anyone tried the nutiva shakes? Ive heard they're good for say breakfast shakes or protein. Veena, could you possibly recommend some exercises to do at home? thanks
Veena · 6/2/2009
Veena, could you possibly recommend some exercises to do at home? thanks I do have strength training moves to prepare you body for pole dance in my online lessons, only one of them needs the pole (the pole up) with trains your upper back, but all the rest can be done with out a pole!! 😀 There is also some nice stretching at the end of the cool down in the lessons. The best thing to do is train your whole body, in pole we use our whole body. You'll love having a pole at home ☀️
litlbit · 6/3/2009
Here is a "jump start" strength training workout. I got this from a professional personal trainer/stunt man that trains celebs on short notice...I know it works as I used it myself and do it about every 4 months to stay on top of my training. Make sure you are consuming at the very least 1 gallon of water a day. 😀 Date_________________________________ Body: DAY 1 /LEGS and BUTT leg extension 1x12,1x12-15. BB squats 1x12,2x10-12 superset with Leg curl 1x12,2x10-12. Leg press/feet high stance/1x15,2x12-15. Dumbell lunges1x10,2x10-12/per leg/superset with Stiff leg dead lift 3x20 *Before the workout 5 min stepper and 20 minutes after the workout!! Date__________________________________ DAY 2 /Chest Delts and TRIS Seated machine bench press or incline 1x12,3x10-12 superset with Seated dumbell shoulder press1x12,3x10-12 superset with Triceps pushdowns with rope (or tri dips) 1x20,3x15-20. Date__________________________________ Day 3/ABS Hanging leg raising3x15-20 superset with Sit ups 3x15-20 superset with Seated leg raising 3x15-20. *Stepper is the same as Day1! Date___________________________________ DAY 4/Legs and BUTT Leg curl 1x20,3x15-20 superset with Stiff leg dead lift 4x20. Climb up lunges on a bench1x15,3x15-20/per leg Leg press 1x30,3x20-30/feet wide stance . Dumbells squats 1x15,2x15-12 *Stepper is the same as DAY1. Date___________________________________ DAY 5/BACK and BIS Pulldowns 1x15,3x12-15 superset with Seated dumbell curl 1x15.3x12-15 /ABS/Sit ups 6x30 *Stepper is same as DAY 1 day 6 start the cycle, repeat the cycle 4 times for a total of 20 days with no rest day DIET (recommended during strength training) Breakfast/100% protein shake and 1 spoon peanut butter, Mid morning 200 grams meat with salad and vegetables, Lunch 150 grams fish with salad and vegetables, Mid afternoon protein shake. Dinner 200 grams meat or fish.....after workout again protein shake, 6 tablets amino acid per day 3 after workouts and 3 before bed. multivitamins and minerals every breakfast, every 7th day Dinner, pizza or burger to shock the metabolism.
Former member · 6/3/2009
what a great thread! i love this one 🙂 i've made veena's protein shake, when i was having my jaw issues i couldn't fit anything in my mouth bigger than a straw, and MAN THAT DRINK IS DELICIOUS! it tasted fantastic! i have a question though, is it ok if you DONT strength train?? i only have 4 more passes to the gym before i can 't go anymore, and aside from veena's strength training vids in her lessons (get them if you dont have them, they're amazing), is that ok to do nothing else but stretch?
Jessilee · 6/16/2009
Ok so Im trying to workout and get a little, well a lot more toned and in shape in preparation for the arrival of my pole, which im not sure when that is because im still saving to buy it, lol. But has anyone tried the nutiva shakes? Ive heard they're good for say breakfast shakes or protein. Veena, could you possibly recommend some exercises to do at home? thanks I love Nutiva hemp shakes. I mix it with vanilla rice or almond milk, or dairy if I am out of those. I also like to add fruit mostly strawberries or a banana, but I just got an antioxidant mix from whole foods that has blueberries, strawberries, and goji berries and I like it too. I have also been adding a little coconut water for potassium. They have some cool recipes on the containers that I haven't tried yet. I feel really good in the morning since I have been drinking Nutiva shakes. It is a thicker shake and seedy compared to anything else I have tried, but I am addicted! They have tons of protein and fiber. I need to do more working out. I mostly do stretching and yoga stuff. I want to add cardio and strength. I have really noticed how weak my arms are since getting my pole.
PoleDanceABCs · 6/16/2009
I love wheat germ and psyllium. Both are a great source of fiber and protein. I love to jog with the doggies... Bellydance... Yoga & pilates and other strength traingin workouts... "Let's get physical!"
Poledancefan · 6/16/2009
In the summer I alternate Bike Riding (35 miler), Health Club (exactly 90 minutes), and Pole. So it's each activity every third day. But if it is pouring rain, then Bike day is Treadmill day. And of course, Winter means that Bike day is always Treadmill day. I don't have a regime at the Bally's. I use the machines I can get on that are not crowded. But I try to get my fair share of upper and lower body stuff. I go after work, so it's kind of insane--you just get the machine you can get, and that's about it, LOL! I'm too lazy to prepare Supps...but I usually grab an over the counter shake by one of the organic companies, like Odwalla. They usually have either soy powder extract or whey powder extract--or something like that. They are kind of chalky, but I actually like the taste now! There just happens to be a tiny little upscale grocer right off the bike path in LaGrange...he's got a whole rack of shakes for about 2.99$ a bottle... Joel