How Much Is Toooooo Much?

Forever Young started this discussion · 12/8/2011

Hi Everyone! I have a question that has kinda been answered in a lot of other ways in the other threads on this forum. My question is this: how much is too much? I have just started pole dancing and have now got a pole at home. I also have the Studio Veena lessons and I want to make the most of them. Unlike many of you other ladies out there, I do not work full time so I would like to try and focus on the pole dancing, do as much as I can everyday as I would like to qualify to teach next year. In all the threads I have read, and from the lesson planning, it basically says to do strength one day then have a rest day etc etc.... but what if I want to do strength, conditioning, spins and stretching in one day - just spread the lessons out over the course of the day and then continue with training the next day. Will this not work? Will it be bad for me? Will it make me sick of pole dancing???🤮 As you might have gathered, I am not the most patient person in the world, but I know it is never a good idea to push your body too much. The confusion about all the training comes with watching shows such as Dancing With The Stars (as an example) the celebrities start dancing and put in 8 hour days training without any consequences it seems. Also, consider ballet dancers with ballet companies, they dance all day - that is what they do!!! I know I am not a classically trained dancer but I hope this gives you an idea of why I am so confused! I would just like to know if I would be able to make it an everyday occurance where I could train in the different areas (strength, stretching etc etc) without doing any damage? I hope this thread makes sense.... Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks 🌸

16 replies

Lyme Lyte · 12/8/2011
I have been poling about 8 months. At first I was making great progress, but then was off the pole for 10 days vacation. I came back and wasn't able to do much. Since then (Thanksgiving) I have been poling every day! I am working on a Butterfly/Extended Butterfly and can not get it for the life of me. I am very impatient with this, and want to work at it until I get it. BUT Veena said for this move to not work at it more than a few times a week as it can mess up your wrist. I know it is good to give your body rest days, but sometimes we are too stubborn. If you push your body too much, your body will let you know it. When I first started poling, I really screwed up my back and ended up at a Chiropractor from doing to much. Hubby is out of town for the next three days, I don't work for the next three days (except teach a 2hr Friday morning class) but I will be on the pole for the next three days too.
Lyme Lyte · 12/8/2011
I have been poling about 8 months. At first I was making great progress, but then was off the pole for 10 days vacation. I came back and wasn't able to do much. Since then (Thanksgiving) I have been poling every day! I am working on a Butterfly/Extended Butterfly and can not get it for the life of me. I am very impatient with this, and want to work at it until I get it. BUT Veena said for this move to not work at it more than a few times a week as it can mess up your wrist. I know it is good to give your body rest days, but sometimes we are too stubborn. If you push your body too much, your body will let you know it. When I first started poling, I really screwed up my back and ended up at a Chiropractor from doing to much. Hubby is out of town for the next three days, I don't work for the next three days (except teach a 2hr Friday morning class) but I will be on the pole for the next three days too.
amy · 12/8/2011
What do you mean by "qualify to teach"? If you are looking to pass some kind of test, then I would find out what the test is based on and what you will be tested on. if you want to be a great instructor, you can't just learn how to do moves at home. you have to learn how to TEACH. by taking classes from others, learning how they teach things, figuring out the best way to get people to understand corrections and make adjustments. i feel pretty strongly about this, and i hope i don't come off as preachy or discouraging. teaching is one of the most fulfilling things i've ever done, but i take it incredibly seriously. this is a blog entry i wrote a while ago about it. http://aerialamy.com/blog/2011/04/13/becoming-an-instructor/
Kayla007 · 12/8/2011
I have been poling since July so I'm no expert either, lol. From what I've been told you can do cardio, stretching, and floorwork everyday. Strength training, conditioning, and pole work can only be done every other day because your muscles need at least one whole day of rest inbetween to recover and rebuild, this is how your muscles get stronger. If you don't give your muscles adequate time to repair they will be more prone to injury. Sometimes I even need two days of rest if I've had an intense pole session.
emotioncatcher · 12/8/2011
i wouldn´t practice every day, too. I sometimes don´t have a rest day between two practices, but if I one day practiced tricks which need a lot of strenght (like different air inverts), I´ll do some easier stuff the next day. like tricks which need more leg strenght or flexiblity or just transitions or floorwork. If you use the same muscle groups every time a lot you will progress slower. For me it´s the same with stretching, I progress a lot faster when I have a rest day. But it´s very individual with stretching (although most I talked to seemes to prefer one or two rest days, too). Just try which way works best for you. Especially as a beginner you should be careful. You will get problems with your wrist and shoulders if you practice too much. And once you are injured and can´t practice at all for days (or even weeks) you will regret it.
Lyme Lyte · 12/8/2011
OK, after reading all this about "resting" a day, I decided to sit on the couch all day, I am still in my robe, watching movies, and drinking Kahlua and Cream! Hubby is gone for a few days, thought I would rock my pole, but now you all convinced me to rock the couch (and the drinks). So here I sit, unproductive. But relaxed! :)
Lyme Lyte · 12/8/2011
Yeah, maybe with a hangover! But thanks, I will be on it. I have to work tomorrow morning for a few hours. But when I get home, im on it!
sexygyrl · 12/8/2011
Also not an expert, I have a tendency to pole on consecutive days because that's the way my work schedule works out. But I agree with EmotionCatcher. I don't do the same things 2 days in a row. I make sure I do cool down stretches if not deep stretches. I pushed too hard yesterday and my body has pushed back. I too am on the couch, but drinking coffee.🙂 (I❤️ Lyme and wish I had some Kahlua)
ronia · 12/9/2011
I think your body will let you know how much is too much. If your muscles feel sore the next day I wouldn't do strength training on this day. I found out the hard way when I pulled a muscle in my arm that training everyday is too much for me. Seriously, I don't know how professional dancers do it. However, I think you could do some lighter exercises like transitions, dancing, cardio and some light stretching. The key is always not to overdo it.
Forever Young · 12/9/2011
Thanks everyone for the great advice! I am going to set up a practice schedule that takes all of this into account. Lyme Lyte I agree with you totally, I also just want to "get it". I hope you are taking it easy now and did not wake up with a hangover. To Amy; I love your website and am signed up! I do go to classes and at the moment I am doing an intructors training course learning how to teach, how to spot etc etc. I am learning how to teach beginner classes but I so want to be able to do the more advanced moves as well. I know I will get girls in my class that will be younger and slimmer than me (see plus sized dancers thread) and I know they will in most instances progress faster than I have. I just think that if I am going to make a go of this (which I am really looking forward to), I need to invest more than 1 hour per day! Until I start teaching I want to be able to put in a couple of hours each day so that when I finally qualify I am happy with my abilities and I will not only be just past beginner level. My way of thinking is purely this: if you are training for a competition, showcase or whatever, you are going to be putting in a lot more training hours than if you are just poling for pure pleasure. Now in this instance - how much is too much? Perhaps some of you ladies that have competed could share with me your training schedule. I am 100% commited to being a great instructor but for that I need to put in the time and train as much as my body will permit. My age also effects the rate that I progress at and this also has me thinking that I need to put in more time than say your average 20/30 year old! Thanks again for all the great advice!
Robyn West · 12/9/2011
Good for you for your dedication! That's a great quality for a teacher to posess. Don't worry if people progress faster than you do, we all learn different moves at different rates, and what might be an easy move for you to master, someone else might struggle with it. As for training, you should be taking days off in between. When you're pole dancing, it's like lighting weights at the gym. You make tiny little tears in your muscles but they need rest to grow and recover! Dancers don't usually do that kind of lifting so their muscles don't require rest and can dance everyday. If you train the same muscle groups everyday you risk injury and overtraining. Look it up on google, there are lots if side effects, like getting sick, losing or getting too much sleep and depression. This is why bodybuilders and athletes will train legs one day and arms the next. Your muscles need rest to grow :) Above all, listen to what your body is telling you. It's normal to be a bit sore but pain and weakness are definitely going to put you at risk for hurting yourself if you push it. Happy poling :)
Forever Young · 12/9/2011
Thank you for such a positive response Robyn 🐷
amy · 12/9/2011
Phew, okay. You know-- i hate to be so negative about people who want to be teachers, but some people don't seem to want to be a teacher for any reason aside from money =( i think the honest answer about "too much" is that you have to learn to be really in tune with your body. if you're 40+ your training regimen when you start (depending on your prior level of activity) is your baseline, not what i do or what a 25 yr old is doing. robyn gave great advice-- look for symptoms of overtraining, don't overuse one muscle group. work on spins and inverts one day, fluidity transitions and floorwork the next, drill strength moves the next. do what it takes to keep it interesting and exciting, even if that means taking time off until your'e reinspired! =) good luck.
Forever Young · 12/9/2011
Thanks Amy 🌸
PaulettePoles · 12/9/2011
We all want to advance as quickly as possible- but if you trust the rest period ad dont overdo it- you will see much quicker results. You can alternate muscle groups, or work on floor, stretching, etc.. which are all importanat w pole anyway, to give a muscle group a rest. If you train the same muscles everyday, you'll risk injury too. Best is to be aware of what muscles each move uses and not to work those consecutively. I know for me, when I learn a new move Im struggling w- if I give it a break after going through it for a few times, then rest a couple days, when I try again, I can usually get it! If I keep at it, I keep failing! Keep us updated on your progress!
calipolepixie · 12/13/2011
I echo all the other gals comments. A rest day or two in between pole training sessions is essential.1 day of pole and spins, the next day stretching & floor work, the next day pole & spins, next day floorwork & transitions and so on and so forth. It's even a good idea to have a whole complete day where you do nothing and just let your body completely reset, relax and recoup. Most ladies here practice 3-4 days a week. :)