You couldn’t wait to start, the Beginners course was amazing, you started to work on inverted moves with glee and then… at some point, somehow, your pole mojo did a disappearing act ☹
What the heck is happening?!
Firstly, don’t panic!
Like everything else in life, sometimes you must experience the lows to appreciate the highs.
While each pole session will always provide you with a range of physical and mental health benefits (whether you are conscious of them or not), you won’t come away with that ‘OMG I nailed it!’ feeling after every single lesson.
Sometimes you are just too tired/stressed/premenstrual/hungry/not in the right zone and not every day will be a good pole day! But (and we’re doing something seriously wrong if this isn’t the case) the number of days that you ever return from your class regretting having gone will be slim to none ?
But I have felt like I’ve nailed something every session up until now. Why has that suddenly changed?
As we progress onto more complex spins and inverted moves, it’s likely that these will be significantly harder and with increased risk, requiring increased strength, flexibility and coordination and will require more time to perfect – we need to be patient with ourselves and remember that we want to progress slowly and safely.
It’s ok to keep returning to the same moves! In fact we really wouldn’t progress if we didn’t.
Ever had a move that you just cannot fathom one week, work the first time you try it the following week? Sometimes we just needed that little bit more strength. And other times the body is ready for things before the mind, but a good night’s sleep is all we need for the brain to do its thing and for everything to click!
I am trying to be patient, but I feel like I’m in some sort of rut. Where is the joy and how do I get it back?!
If you feel like you’ve made no progress for several weeks or months, it is possible that you have reached a bit of a learning plateau.
Luckily this is normal (and not unique to Pole) and there are lots of ways to help overcome it:
-Write down your pole goals so that you have something to aim for and can measure your progress. There will soon be some Constellations Fitness Pole Journals in our TeamUp store to help with just this – keep your eyes peeled!
-Take more photos! Seeing the progress you have made is a wonderful tool and sometimes makes you realise that your learning isn’t plateauing at all and that you just haven’t been able to see the small changes.
-Let your instructor know how you are feeling and if you are finding things to easy or difficult – a class not pitched at the right level for you will leave you underchallenged and bored or overchallenged and defeated, both of which resulting in a lack of progress and pole joy!
-Shake things up – why not try attending a different class for the month? Having a go at Pole Choreo if you usually just stick to Pole Fitness could be just what you need to help reignite your pole passion! Even just switching to a different class within the timetable and being with some different people could be enough to make you feel rejuvenated.
-Encourage a friend to sign up. If you know your friend is learning too, you can enjoy the shared experience and maybe even have some friendly competition. You know you’ll always get yourself out of the house and into class if it’s going to involve hanging out with your bestie and if you’re ever feeling like cancelling, the FOMO is sure to stop you. Can’t have your friend learning all the good stuff without you can you now?!
-Cross training – If you feel like you are progressing but that your strength or flexibility isn’t quite cutting it, another form of exercise alongside pole could be just what you need to compliment your training. Think the gym, Pilates or yoga.
-Coming to class 6 nights a week? It’s likely you’re overtraining and that both your body and mind need you to give them more rest in order for the desired progress to be made.
-Coming to class once a week? Are you finding that you are improving slowly, but that by the time you return for the next class, your bruises have just disappeared and you feel like you’ve forgotten everything? It’s likely that you will notice a massive difference if you add in an additional class (check out our Memberships section in TeamUp for this one!)
-Book yourself a 1-2-1 session – that way you can break down all your strengths, weaknesses, likes and dislikes, troubleshoot problem moves and set personal goals with the help of your instructor. This can give you newfound motivation when returning to your group classes.
-Having a photoshoot, student showcase or competition to work towards can provide great motivation for getting the pole fire back in your belly and at Constellations we have 2 of those coming up in the first part of 2022, hurrah!
And if all else fails?
Take a break! Sure, you’ll gave a serious case of FOMO and your thigh skin will punish you on your return. But sometimes a little bit of time away is all that is needed, and you will come back feeling fresh and ready to rock ?
What about you? Have you ever found yourself stuck in a pole rut? What did you do to get out of it? Share your experiences below!
