#sweatpink - it gives you superpowers...honest...
Tuesday is pole day.
Tuesday is the best day of the week.
The excitement when you realise what day it is, the building tension waiting to get working out, the slight but sweet apprehension of what your instructor will be asking you to do... (yes Karen, I've not forgotten what it was this week :p), the budding expectation of having an awesome hour and the peace of knowing you're going to forget anything was bothering you and let it all go into what you're doing.
If you're lucky you might even get a cool photo or video to show off to your partner and/or friends after the session and if you're super lucky you'll have all of the bruises to show exactly how hard you worked this week! (yeah, I have one in the very joint of my knee and I feel cool....).
Tuesday is the best day of the week.
The excitement when you realise what day it is, the building tension waiting to get working out, the slight but sweet apprehension of what your instructor will be asking you to do... (yes Karen, I've not forgotten what it was this week :p), the budding expectation of having an awesome hour and the peace of knowing you're going to forget anything was bothering you and let it all go into what you're doing.
If you're lucky you might even get a cool photo or video to show off to your partner and/or friends after the session and if you're super lucky you'll have all of the bruises to show exactly how hard you worked this week! (yeah, I have one in the very joint of my knee and I feel cool....).
 | This week was no exception. |
Tom and I very quickly realised that we'd been moved onto a big pole....eeeek! The pole we've been working on has been pretty short. As in, I can reach and touch the top. Inverting on it always left our feet near the very top - almost hooking around the top of the pole. This week though, the pole seemed HUGE. And, we had Abi with us. Abi was one of our first instructors and talked us through our first inverts, through Crucifix and tentatively onto Butterfly as she occasionally swapped with Karen on our instruction.
As I've said before, all of our instructors make it look easy. Very easy! So to share a pole with Abi was a bit daunting - especially when she took to the pole for the first move of the evening and Tom and I watched with that sickening sense of....oh goodness, she's good! My growing sense of suspicion was also confirmed when Karen got me into Marley and told me to start removing that bottom arm. "Don't worry", she said, "Abi will catch you". Hmmmph.
And with that dash a panache, the class started. Abi naturally made us feel really comfortable and Karen was as thorough as always, watching very keenly. Watching so keenly in fact that she realised I'm inverting by kicking up onto the pole. I've known for a while that a true invert shouldn't need a swing up, but by golly, I'll be damned if I can work out how to do it! I ended up doing some approximation of a hip thrust, with only my hips rising. Apparently that looked funny.
Time to work on the leg-raises methinks. Ugh!
The class delivered the usual amount of amazingness. Progress and practice simultaneously, which is something I really love about the classes. Always something old to work on, always something new to work towards.
Some of the older inverts we did seemed silly easy now, inverted Crucifix was a breeze, even though a few weeks ago it seemed like I was gripping with my thighs for dear life. It was so easy that I even had time to realise that Tom wasn't actually watching my crucifix after inferring that I wouldn't be able to do one. Boy, I can hang there all night - you better be watching :p
From that, I even managed to get a decent inverted fly-hold (finally). And I have video proof! It even looks sort of smooth! :D
As I've said before, all of our instructors make it look easy. Very easy! So to share a pole with Abi was a bit daunting - especially when she took to the pole for the first move of the evening and Tom and I watched with that sickening sense of....oh goodness, she's good! My growing sense of suspicion was also confirmed when Karen got me into Marley and told me to start removing that bottom arm. "Don't worry", she said, "Abi will catch you". Hmmmph.
And with that dash a panache, the class started. Abi naturally made us feel really comfortable and Karen was as thorough as always, watching very keenly. Watching so keenly in fact that she realised I'm inverting by kicking up onto the pole. I've known for a while that a true invert shouldn't need a swing up, but by golly, I'll be damned if I can work out how to do it! I ended up doing some approximation of a hip thrust, with only my hips rising. Apparently that looked funny.
Time to work on the leg-raises methinks. Ugh!
The class delivered the usual amount of amazingness. Progress and practice simultaneously, which is something I really love about the classes. Always something old to work on, always something new to work towards.
Some of the older inverts we did seemed silly easy now, inverted Crucifix was a breeze, even though a few weeks ago it seemed like I was gripping with my thighs for dear life. It was so easy that I even had time to realise that Tom wasn't actually watching my crucifix after inferring that I wouldn't be able to do one. Boy, I can hang there all night - you better be watching :p
From that, I even managed to get a decent inverted fly-hold (finally). And I have video proof! It even looks sort of smooth! :D
| |  |
Obviously still lots of work to do, but it's getting there :D It's always nice when you get to the point that you can actually video it without lots of embarrassment!!
The other benefit to pole is of course the weight loss and strength. And the abs. I have abs coming through. Yes, it's coming slowly, but they're coming....squeeeeee!
The other benefit to pole is of course the weight loss and strength. And the abs. I have abs coming through. Yes, it's coming slowly, but they're coming....squeeeeee!
 Pre-pole |  Pole 19 weeks in! |
I'll keep you updated as they come through - it's like some sort of blossoming, if you look at the left hand photo, that is where my abs were in January before Tom and I started pole.
Now, I think it's fairly obvious that I don't *just* pole, but pole IS the new addition to my routine (along with an increase in calories from 1700/day to 2000/day).
So, a pretty good Gemini (which I'm still not showing you guys :p), a much improved Inverted Fly-Hold, a few Marley's which need some improving; Tom's Gemini is getting there, he's convinced himself he can't do it - so he won't be able to until he realises he can (and HAS!), a couple of great Marley's (I'll see if he'll let me post pictures of him xD) and MUCH better knee holds from Tom's camp we're both showing some great signs of progress!!
I love pole ;)
I mentioned last night that PoleFreaks have accepted me as a guest blogger, I'm super excited about it and am currently drafting a blog on "The Fear". I thought I was the only person who felt afraid of the pole (you'll probably remember I mentioned this a couple of weeks ago in my "Don't Fear the Reaper" post). Letting go of that fear was pivotal and although sometimes the nerves attack, it's nothing like it was. So I've decided to explore that particular issue!
Anyway, it's time to be off. Keep clicking peeps, remember, every PENNY from the legitimate ad clicks goes to Oxfam and remember #sweatpink - it gives you super-powers :D
Now, I think it's fairly obvious that I don't *just* pole, but pole IS the new addition to my routine (along with an increase in calories from 1700/day to 2000/day).
So, a pretty good Gemini (which I'm still not showing you guys :p), a much improved Inverted Fly-Hold, a few Marley's which need some improving; Tom's Gemini is getting there, he's convinced himself he can't do it - so he won't be able to until he realises he can (and HAS!), a couple of great Marley's (I'll see if he'll let me post pictures of him xD) and MUCH better knee holds from Tom's camp we're both showing some great signs of progress!!
I love pole ;)
I mentioned last night that PoleFreaks have accepted me as a guest blogger, I'm super excited about it and am currently drafting a blog on "The Fear". I thought I was the only person who felt afraid of the pole (you'll probably remember I mentioned this a couple of weeks ago in my "Don't Fear the Reaper" post). Letting go of that fear was pivotal and although sometimes the nerves attack, it's nothing like it was. So I've decided to explore that particular issue!
Anyway, it's time to be off. Keep clicking peeps, remember, every PENNY from the legitimate ad clicks goes to Oxfam and remember #sweatpink - it gives you super-powers :D
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