Practicing pole dancing can be like making a New Year’s resolution. You buy a new pole for home with “new fitness pole, new fit me” thoughts, deck out your home pole space so that it could rival any pole dancing studio, and light a candle to manifest an aerial straddle sometime in the near future.
We always start with great intentions and LOADS of motivation. But as life gets busy and the months creep by, suddenly that aerial straddle starts to seem harder and harder to reach, as you consider bookmarking it for the following new year (along with the intention to practice your “other” side).
If you’re feeling as though you’re in a pole-rut, we’re here to help! Here are 6 ways to get motivated for your next pole dancing, workout or stretch session when you have a serious case of the CBF’s!

 

 

1. Start the week ahead & make a pole plan

Take 15min each Sunday afternoon/night to schedule your pole tricks, strength or flexibility training into your week. When you are pole training at home it can really help to still “book a time” – with yourself! Use your phone calendar or pop a weekly planner up on the fridge. This let you know which mornings or nights you are aiming to train on and will help to keep you accountable. When planning out your pole week, think about:

• Your goals – what are you currently working towards? Are you focusing on flat splits or trying to build strength to nail that Ayesha?!
• Your most productive time of day – we all have a time of day where we feel energetic and ready to take on the world! For some people, mornings work the best and training early before a busy day helps. Others feel more productive in the evenings, so work with this and plan your training in around your peak hours.
• What things do you have on throughout the week – ahh yes, life outside of pole training! Think about social outings, appointments and your work hours for the week.
• When writing in your pole training for the week, be realistic! Every little bit helps so if you can only manage a quick 15min core workout then that’s totally okay. Don’t forget that you need to eat, sleep and rest AKA chill on the couch, so if you can’t find time to get a workout in that day – it’s so fine! Just have a quality session the next day.

 

2. Have a great playlist!

Music really is magical. It can have a huge effect on your mood and how you feel. Remember back in high school, there seemed to be a correlation with the more “emo” tunes you listened to, the thicker your side fringe and eyeliner became? Music is super powerful and can create such a vibe (however, thankfully most of us have moved past the Avril Lavigne era). When it comes to boosting your spirits to spin, a great pole playlist truly works wonders.
Have different playlists for different pole moods. Here are some ideas to get you started:

• Pole tricks and combos – an upbeat playlist that is fun and gets you pumped! Your favourite songs will work well in this playlist.
• Stretching and flexibility – a mellow playlist that helps you breathe through those nervy stretches! Acoustic covers, rap, RnB, yoga music and chilled house are all great.
• Strength and workouts – Try to find songs that are the same tempo so that you can do your exercises in time with the music. The sweat-sesh will be over before you know it!
• Slinky, flow and dance – create a playlist for the times you just want to leg twizzle, grind and roll around on the floor. Throw in some music you would like to freestyle to and use it when all you want to do is dance!
  Having a great playlist can really help set you up for a great training session and keeps you motivated throughout. The catch? Have the playlists ready so that you don’t spend half of your training time trying to find “the” song.

 

3. Warm up properly

Doing a warmup before you jump on the pole is essential. Not just for safety and avoiding injury, but also for getting you motivated and ready to do cool things!
Have you ever noticed in a pole dancing class how energetic everyone feels after a warmup? The mood lifts and all those things on your mind start to disappear as you connect more with your body. A great 10-15min warmup really sets the tone for a pole dancing class, and training at home is no different. Put on a great playlist (see the point above) and just get your body moving. Not only will you feel great and physically ready, but you will also be mentally prepared to jump on the pole and get sh*t done!

 

 

4. Pop on your favourite pole wear

Finding pole dance inspiration can be hard when you’re hanging out in your oodie and slippers on the couch. Helloooo – you’re not going to feel like the saucy pole dancing goddess you truly are in this state! The best remedy? Go and throw on your favourite pole wear and pole heels to transform into the bad- ass we know you are!
Keep in mind that the sweet pole wear mo-jo is different for everyone. Some of us feel our best in bright, colourful pole shorts which make our booty pop! Others feel like a queen in very high pole shoes and very little clothing. If it’s a workout or stretch sesh, pop on your latest active wear and start to look the part. If you’re feeling very uninspired, treat yo’self and get a new pole wear set to bring some excitement back to your pole drawer again!
Fake it til you make it baby! Trick your brain into thinking you’re ready for a great pole dancing sesh and the moves will come. Before you know it, you’ll be on the pole feeling just as amazing as you look!

5. Write down 3 tricks you would like to practice

Sometimes you have warmed up properly, have a banger music playlist on, are wearing your most amazing pole booty shorts – and the tricks just aren’t working! Rather than throwing in your sweat towel and calling it a day, save the situation with this simple hack.
Write down 3-4 tricks you already love and can confidently do. Not the ones you are trying to perfect or working on at the studio – write down tricks you ALREADY love to do. Now try to create different combos using all those tricks! Try them in a different order, which will spark new and exciting transitions. Try them on your opposite side, throw in an extra straddle or mount the pole and switch sides halfway through. Try the combo with a different entry or by adding a different exit each time. You may even want to try foundation skills like straddles, shoulder mounts and ayeshas in different hand grips. Seriously – the ideas are endless!
By narrowing it down to a few different tricks, you won’t feel so overwhelmed and stressed when you train. Trying everything in new combos will still help you to build endurance and strength, and by practicing old favs and you will be pumped with positivity afterwards. It’s a win-win!

6. Do a PoleSphere tutorial

Pop on a PoleSphere pole tutorial – it’s that simple! Train with the best instructors and learn a new trick, dance or skill as they guide you through what you need to do. You can press pause to practice at your own pace and rewind if you need to watch the demonstration (or admire the instructors’ biceps) again.
By doing a PoleSphere tutorial, you will feel like you achieved something in that training session – even if it’s not yet perfect. Baby steps are still steps! The other awesome part is if you’re stuck on something at the end of the tutorial, you can ask questions in the PoleSphere Members’ Lounge. Post photos and videos to show what you’re struggling with, and our team of instructors and community of PoleSpherian legends will help solve the problem with you!

Next time you’re struggling to get on your home pole and smash out a great practice session, try one of our tips above and let us know how you went!