How To Stay Strong For Pole In Lockdown

Have you been wondering how to train for pole at home?

Staring at your pole lacking inspiration, wondering what to do next?

Perhaps you don't have a pole and you're trying to figure out how on earth to stay strong for pole without one!

Either way, everyone needs a little guidance 🙂

So, whether you're stuck at home pulling your hair out with boredom. Or stressed from looking after little ones and missing your 'me time'.

If you are out there crazy busy, working on the front line doing vital work (Thank you so much!) and need your escape from the world when you get home.

No matter your situation, I've got you covered!

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What You Will Learn

• How To Continue Your Pole Training At Home
• How To Stay Strong For Pole At Home
• How To Improve Your Active Flexibility At Home
• Exercises To Maintain Grip Strength
• My Top Self Care Tips For Hibernation

How To Stay Strong For Pole At Home

To start the article off, I'm going to go right ahead and first speak to those of you who do have a pole. The rest of us are super jelly by the way!

Don't have a pole at home? Just click here to skip this section 🙂

If you are interested in ordering a pole for your home, I would recommend checking out;

Europe: X-Pole or Lupit Pole
USA: XPoleUS, Lupit Pole or Lil' Mynx

For more details you can check out this Ultimate Guide To Buying A Pole. Please be aware that some companies shipping may be affected by the current outbreak of Covid-19..

So with the business end out of the way, let's take a look at a couple of great places to find lessons and tutorials online!

Online Pole Tutorials

The best way to stay safe while training on your pole at home, is to find some structured guidance.

That's why first up, with over 1,000 tutorials in their database and the biggest array of lessons, is 123-Poling.

Covering pole tutorials from beginner through to advanced, 123-Poling offers a 15 day free trial.

With so much to choose from, from exotic pole to floorwork and chair dance. Liquid motion, twerking and more, why not take advantage of their fantastic offer!

If you love it after your trial, they have various monthly membership options. You can even choose one time payment options for lifetime access to individual lesson types.

Online Pole Studio

If individual online tutorials are not your cup of tea and you'd like a more structured training plan, this is for you.

Holly over at PoleFreaks Studio is ready to take you by the hand and guide you on your pole journey.

PoleFreaks Studio has hundreds of tutorials available in the members area. Holly regularly adds new content and it is growing week on week!

This online studio is suitable for beginners, as Holly has a dedicated 12 week training plan to get you started from the very first time you hold a pole.

If you are an intermediate or an advanced pole dancer, she has you covered there too!

I also love the transparency at PoleFreaks, as you can browse all the moves to see what's available before you even become a member.

Training For Pole Without A Pole

So this is the hard one, most of us started pole because we just don't do well with regular workout routines right?

If that sounds like you, following a few home workout videos on Vimeo or YouTube probably isn't going to cut it!

Here are a few things you can do to keep you interested and keep you strong for pole from the comfort of your home <3

Online Flexibility Training

So you don't have a pole at home? No problem!

You can use this time away from the pole to your full advantage. Why not take some time to train the things you might have been neglecting.

Whether it's because you just didn't have time in a busy world, or you aren't sure where to start.

The excuses are up, and it's time to get bendy! Why not start by achieving the active flexibility for splits that you need to level up your pole training...

Open for a limited time only, The Splits Flexibility Formula combines the best stretching techniques, sequences and schedules to optimise your training to achieve your maximum results in the fastest time possible.

​So whether you're a complete beginner or you're working towards an oversplit, this course is for you!

Routines featured in this course focus heavily on active flexibility to allow you to lift into strong dynamic splits positions.

What's great about this course, is that it will keep you strong while you are away from pole class, as well as increasing your flexibility.

Because who wants to be really bendy at the end of this lock down with no strength to hold anything?

The course is still being updated with all new bonus pole splits tutorials, to help you take your splits to the pole too. So look out for those in the member's dashboard if you do have a pole!

I only open registration for this course twice per year, for one week. After that I close registration completely to help members work their way through course material together.

This time I'm also offering a one off discount that you won't see again when I reopen registration later in the year. So don't miss out on this exclusive opportunity to sign up 🙂

Click here for more information and to see what members think of The Splits Flexibility Formula!

If you're still not sure about joining, you can always hop in on my free splits flexibility workshops to see what you think.

Train For Handstands Instead

So you've got no pole but you have plenty of time, so why not practise your elusive handstands?

If you're not sure where to start or you need a little help with your training, you should take a look at Charlotte Robertson's Handstand Fundamentals program.

What better way to spend the next 12 weeks working out at home, than with a dedicated 12 week handstand program to keep you busy.

And the end result? You might just have a bad ass free standing handstand.

Either way, Charlotte's exercises and drills will keep you super strong, so if you've been stuck for a workout this could be your answer!

Still not sure? Take a look at my review of the program here.

Give Your Shoulders Some TLC

Here's another pole focused training that you can still do without a pole at home!

This 6 week programme from The Pole PT is called Pole Proof Shoulders.

The programme includes progress tests to measure your shoulder mobility and strength. You'll also have short workouts to do at home with minimal equipment.

Neo will set you up with progressive exercises that evolve with you as you progress.

You will even be able to ‘check-in’ to your workouts in the schedule and record progress tests with the Pole PT app.

This is a great opportunity to set some time aside to prep your shoulders for more advanced moves and reduce your risk of injury.

The workouts included build in intensity as the weeks progress and are provided through the Pole PT app. You'll get video demos of every move and scheduled workouts that you can ‘check-into' to help keep you on track.

Neo is offering an amazing 20% discount at the moment too with the code THISISNUTS. Just click here for more information.

You should also check out her new book Strength & Conditioning For Pole, which is an absolute wealth of knowledge for the nerdy pole dancer. You can use it to structure your own training programme and strengthen your weakest areas.

Practise Your Floorwork

Whether you've neglected the dance side of pole or you're a seasoned pro, you don't need a pole to practise floorwork.

Even if you're not particularly keen on dancing, or you think you are stiff and can't do it.

As with all aspects of pole, you just need to spend a bit of time learning and a whole lot more time practising, that's all!

It will definitely give you something to focus on and kill some time too. You can use just about anything to dance at home, from the sofa to the door frames. The house is your oyster!

Wooden floors help, closely followed by tiles and if you have carpet well... you better layer up on the leggings, socks, leg warmers and knee pads to avoid the friction burns!

I'm currently turning all my exotic pole routines from my flow classes into floorwork routines that don't need a pole. So keep your eyes peeled as those tutorials will be available soon 🙂

Exercises You Can Do While Watching TV

If you still need to get your favourite shows in while getting some pole focused workouts in, here's a couple of things for you!

Practise Your Toe Point

How often do you actually spend practising your toe point and perfecting your arch? If the answer is NEVER... What better time to start!

Here's a video to start you on the right path...

Work On Your Grip Strength

Here's an exercise you can actually do from the comfort of your sofa, while watching your favourite show 🙂

Your grip will naturally improve with a combination of grip strength, upper body and core strength.

But there are a few things you can use to improve your grip by targeting hand strength specifically.

Grip strength comes from your forearms as well as your hands. These tools will strengthen both your wrists and your forearms which will also help to prevent injury!

Some of the tools you can use are; A Powerball, Grip Strengthener and Hand Master Plus (or elastic band).

The Handmaster Plus is the only grip strengthener that allows you to work both the squeezing (finger flexion) and opposing muscles (finger extension) in your hands using only one tool. The Powerball is a unique strengthener that works on finger strengthening, wrist and forearm exercise.

The Powerball is used by holding it in the palm of your hand and keeping the ball spinning by rotating your wrist. The faster the ball spins the more resistance you will feel.

It's often used to help with rehabilitation of broken bones, carpal tunnel syndrome and repetitive strain injury.

For the purpose of this post I'm going to show you how to use a simple grip strengthener and elasticated band to exercise your hands effectively.

The muscles in your hand are just like every other muscle in that we need to warm up and strengthen as we stretch. We also need to work evenly on both sides to prevent muscle imbalance and injury.

That's why I'm going to give you some quick exercises to warm up and something to work the opposing muscles.

To warm up you should stand or sit with your arms straight out in front of you. Open and close your hands spreading your fingers as wide as you can each time ten times in front of you.

Try to imagine you are flicking water at someone from your finger tips. Remember not to flop your arms or bend at the elbows!

Now lift your arms above your head pointing up to the ceiling and open and close your hands in the same way another ten times. Next put them straight out either side of you and repeat the stretching motion of your fingers ten times again.

You should repeat this again starting with your hands back in front of you. Go through the same cycle but this time only doing eight repetitions of the movement.

Once you have worked back around to the starting point, you'll go again but with six repetitions this time. Then four and finally two until you are finished.

Using your grip strengthener is super easy, depending on the strength you have gone for.

Ideally you want to buy a grip strengthener that you find challenging but that you can fully close for maximum range of movement to work all those muscles!

When I took these photos in Costa Rica I didn't have that luxury as we barely had online delivery so I made do with what I was given at our local supermarket...

As you can see these are hollow and made from a pretty cheap and nasty plastic that might cause me some discomfort while training, but they have a good level of resistance.

I made do because I had to at the time, but you should definitely go with a more comfy grip, there are lots to choose from on Amazon!

To use the strengthener you just need to hold it firmly in your hand, squeeze the two handles together, hold for around five or six seconds and then release as slowly as possible.

You can do as many repetitions as you can before you struggle but try not to push past that point to avoid injuring your hand.

We'll cool down by stretching the fingers in the opposite direction.

You can do these exercises using either a hand master plus or an elastic band. I couldn't even find one of those in the house so in these pictures I'm using a strong hair tie, whatever works!

Choose a band with a good level of resistance that suits you.

You can either keep the band around the tips of your fingers holding them slightly curved to keep it in place. If you struggle with the band popping off a lot you can loop it once around your forefinger to complete the exercise.

You won't need to do that if you use the hand master because it comes with loop holes to put your fingers through 🙂

With your fingers in place in your chosen band or grip strengthener you're going to open them as wide as possible and close again. Repeat this stretch slowly ten times stretching as far as you can and then do five faster ones.

Repeat that routine twice on each hand after using your grip strengthener.

You only need to do this workout once a day to see an improvement. It's so simple that it can be done while you sit enjoying your favourite TV show in the evening. Win win!

If you have any spare pole extension pieces lying around at home, you could also check out these awesome grip and forearm strength exercises using your pole extensions from Sarah Scott!

Try them out, they're more beastly than they look 😉

Wrapping It Up

I hope my post today has given you some inspiration if you've been stuck for things to do. It's super important to stay active and keep exercising our mind, body & soul during the uncertain times we are facing.

So to finish, I just thought I'd leave you with 7 of my top tips for self care while we are in hibernation!

• Take your time! Whether you're cooking food, completing work or getting dressed in the morning. There's no rush.
• Make some time to pamper yourself, paint your nails or have a bubble bath.
• Even though you aren't going out, do your hair, your makeup. Remember you don't do those things because other people will see you, but because they make you feel good too!
• If the weather is nice, sunbathe! Hit the garden, or anywhere in the space around your house. The vitamin D will lift your spirits and make you feel more radiant.
• Try to have at least one form of gentle exercise per day if you are struggling to stay motivated. Even getting out for a walk works wonders if you are able.
• Meet your friends, at home of course! Make use of Skype, Facetime, Facebook messenger group chats. Get dressed up at the weekend and make a point of going 'out out' at home with your friends.
• Practise meditation. This might be new for you, but it will help to ease and release feelings of anxiety that you may be having.

Love & Pole Kisses, stay safe & well 🙂

Got any tips you think I missed? let us know in the comments!