Warming-Up for Pole Dancing
What is ‘Warming-Up’?
Warming-up is something everyone should do to prepare their bodies before pole dance exercise, no matter whether you are an elite sportsperson or just starting an exercise program, it is essential that you perform a warm-up.
The traditional approach to warming-up involves a 3-7 minute period of light cardiovascular exercise, which starts at a gentle pace and gradually picks up in intensity. This is then supplemented with a whole body stretch to loosen up the muscles.
Why do I need to Warm-Up first?
A thorough warm-up before you perform your pole dancing routine is a crucial factor in reducing the risk of injury. What you are trying to avoid is any sudden strenuous exercise, which could lead to the body being unable to keep up with the heart’s need for oxygen. This potentially dangerous situation can easily be avoided by carrying out a sensible warm-up.
A good warm-up, followed by stretches can:
*Optimise your physical condition, enabling your body to cope more easily with the activities that follow.
*Increase the flexibility in your muscles, ligaments, tendons and cartilage. This reduces the risk of strains, sprains and tears.
*Improve the mobility and movement of the joints by activating the fluids surrounding your joints, reducing friction and wear and tear.
*Increase the blood flow to the muscles.
*Increase the temperature of the muscles.
*Increase the speed of muscle contraction and relaxation.
*Reduce the risk of injury during exercise.
*Reduce the risk of premature fatigue which can occur if the cardiovascular system is unprepared for strenuous activity.
*Help with mental preparation for sport.
Ok, so what should I do to Warm-Up?
Spend 3-7 minutes doing your favorite light cardiovascular exercise, make it fun! This could be jogging, cycling, trampolining, swimming, aerobics, dancing with the Wii, chasing the dog around the garden, even vigerous cleaning will do it – two birds one stone! Start at a gentle pace and gradually pick up in intensity.
Next, you will need to complete full body stretches – we have attached these below, with a brief description of how to get into each position properly, using the correct posture. If you’re unsure, you can always ask you instructor to show you the strectch again, or correct your posture for you – so you will always get it right!
CLICK HERE FOR OUR SET OF FULL BODY STRETCHES
More tips for an optimum Pole Workout!
*Drink lots of plain water during and after a video or class.
*Aim to drink at least a pint during and a pint soon after the class.
*Try to avoid drinking alcohol, coffee or caffeine- laden drinks soon after any vigorous dancing – they could give you a headache.
*Just stick to plenty of fluids such as plain water, pure fruit juice or fruit or herbal teas.
*If you are hungry, have a light meal or snack. Don’t leap straight into a really heavy meal – it just won’t go down very well!
*Leave yourself rest time before bedtime if dancing in the evening. The body can take a long time to return to it’s resting state after a bout of exercise – even if the dance class is very gentle. And going straight to bed too soon after may give you a restless night.
*Make sure there’s enough time between dancing and bedtime to properly wind down.
