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Endurance
Okay I have really been struggling lately and need all your amazing advice… I am losing strength hugely and have a lot of trouble just trying to freestyle to one song as I am winded and shaky… I try adding carbs and sugar and can't seem to figure that part out yet but as for being winded, my husband tells me that I have a terrible habit of holding my breath in moves… any suggestions on how to break that habit to maintain my strength and get better endurance and confidence throughout a freestyle? I have the strength to get moves but can't as I die too early 🙁 Please help me break this plateau!!! UGH!!!
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16 Replies
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Totally understand your plight! I HATE cardio workouts, so my endurance is fairly poor. When it comes to dancing, there are a few tips I could see helping…
First, for holding your breath: Try to practice your moves while slowly exhaling as you do it. So, if you're doing a basic invert, as you lift your legs begin to exhale, and when you set your legs on the pole and grip on, you should be reaching the end of your capacity, and you'll need to inhale. This is often a problem with a lot of "macho" weight lifters, too. We feel we get more power by hardening all of our core muscles, thus freezing our lungs and holding our breath! But, I've found I get a lot more power, and I run out of air a lot less, if I exhale through moves. Eventually, you can even start teaching yourself to inhale through moves which expand your core and chest, too!
Next, have you warmed up? This one is surprisingly important! That little "5 minute warm up" or whatever doesn't cut it for me! I notice that by the time I'm in about 20 minutes, I'm huffing and puffing and totally pooped… but after I go and have some water, walk around the pole and do a half-spin or other light things, I am ready to go again. And, not only that, I'm energized and feeling way better than when I started!
Scientifically speaking, that's the point when your cardiovascular system (heart and lungs) catches up to the level of energy and oxygen you're demanding from them, thus introducing enough to your muscles, and allowing you to burn fat for energy! Fat can only be metabolized in the presence of oxygen, so after this point, you're working at a much more efficient level, and that fat will give you all the energy you need to get your dancing done!
And, lastly, have you been taking rest days? You need them not only to repair your muscles, but to get past the time of muscle repair, so you can have all that energy again! If your body is trying to do both, repair your muscles AND work them, I would think it'd get tired!
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I just got off a rest week :/ donating blood prevented me from working out for a while and then holiday weekend… well it was a holiday weekend… 🙂 I want to say I get shaky and faint like from something missing in my diet but can't figure out what…. It started going away but I don't know what I was doing to make that happen unless I was just working out more consistently…
I like the idea of forcing myself to breath in every move… why is that so hard??? If I make this habit it should help…
I am warming up but not sure if I am warming up right I usually freestyle to warm up and just understand that the first freestyle will just suck… then I stretch and then do some combos, new moves etc.
Usually end with deep stretching, abs, and some lifting…
I just wish I felt stronger through the workout… maybe something I need to eat to get a better result? I had chicken and pasta before my workout today and felt light headed and shaky. Combine that with not breathing and it just was not fun 🙁
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Yeah, that doesn't sound like fun.
I'm sure you've heard the old adage of not eating just before swimming- it's more that you need to give your stomach some time to digest before working out. Your stomach takes a lot of energy, and I've really felt faint and shaky if I eat just before working out!
Otherwise, hmm… I also generally just freestyle for a warm up, but I keep it to easier moves. Nothing above some one-leg-on-the-pole spins, and rarely the bigger strength moves. I don't really invert till I'm working on the strength moves and past my 20 minute sucky mark.
And, for something missing from the diet… have you ever tried Instant Breakfast? I know it's a weird suggestion, but I have a double dose every morning, and I've found a HUGE increase in my energy, and my ability to work out. I've got an Iron deficiency, so it really helps. The brand I use is Carnation (specifically, I like the chocolate one), but I'm not sure what you guys have in the 'States!
That's all I can really think of… maybe just give yourself a little time to get some more information on this feeling. When it happens during your workout, what happens afterward, how much water you're drinking, when you eat before workout and whether that affects it.
Everyone reacts differently to different things. That's why the fitness industry is so confused as to what works for people wanting to lose fat, gain muscle, or spot reduce! So, you have to learn about you. Do some research into yourself 🙂
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I will just throw this out there – if you are feeling shaky and weak, there might be something at play. Iron deficiency could be one, but I would suggest going to a doctor and getting checked out. If you are eating enough protein, and you are eating carbs and drinking enough water etc too, then it might be something outside of diet alone. Personally, I often have to stop mid training and eat, but that's because I have trained my body for grazing – maybe try having a little snack box beside you (filled with banana and boiled eggs or something like that).
As for breathing, it takes time to get this. Are you dancing while you train, or are you performing more tricks and cardio? With dancing you can breath to the music. Without seeing what you are doing, try slowing your tricks down and holding them for a count of, say, 8 – 4 counts breathing in, 4 counts breathing out. If you start associating each trick with breathing by incorporating how long you hold it, it will help make breathing a more natural part. Breathing out when making a 'strength' move is also a great help in making the move better (note, martial arts, weight lifting, pilates, yoga – they all do it).
🙂
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I think I might have to look into Iron deficiencies… I gave blood last week and it took a LOT longer to recover than it should have and many people said that I could have a minor iron deficiency… bummer 🙁 I will have to try some of the instant breakfasts etc…
As for the breathing suggestions, I used to take martial arts you would think I would have breathing techniques down… I guess not LOL will have to force myself to learn every move with breathing times… Thanks!
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I keep looking up things that suggest hypoglycemia… oddly enough… I do better if I eat fast food before working out… This is not contributing to a healthy diet 🙁
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I keep looking up things that suggest hypoglycemia… oddly enough… I do better if I eat fast food before working out… This is not contributing to a healthy diet 🙁
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I have to take liquid iron in the morning – and I cannot tell you what a difference it has made for me, both energy but also general mood. Iron deficiency is a killer 🙂
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the only thing that helps me increase my endurance is jogging. when i stray from my jogging routine, i notice that my endurance in every other form of fitness is effected. (yoga, pole dance, hiking etc)
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I have been dealing with iron deficiency for over a year now and not only do I get shaky and weak but it also leaves me short of breath ( completely interfering with my pole work outs). Not saying that is what you have but worth looking into.
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i need to try something for endurance, i do no other exercise besides pole, i bet jogging/bike riding/stair climb machine etc wud help with endurance. i just dont have the time for that!
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Runemist, we have Carnation Instant Breakfast here too. I absolutely love it and have been drinking it since grade school. I'm partial to the vanilla flavor myself, but I like the chocolate too. I am also slightly anemic, so the iron in it helps (each packet is about 25% of the daily recommended intake of iron), plus the protein is really good (10% per packet, plus whatever protein is in the milk you use). Levels vary slightly depending on which flavor you get. They recently rebranded the product and are calling it "Breakfast Essentials" now. I like the powder packets myself, but they make ready-to-drink bottles too.
I don't have much endurance myself, but I know that's just because I don't practice as much. I don't do much cardio and I don't spend a lot of time on lifting or doing other strengthening exercises. I go to classes at my studio three days a week, but just that time alone isn't enough to make a huge difference to me. Honestly, I'm not surprised when I get tired quickly. I just haven't worked toward that level of endurance consistently enough to be able to improve upon it. I suspect I really need more cardio in order to dance longer, but it's hard to run in the Texas heat (I hate treadmills).
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Wow, I've been asking for the same advice at the pole studio. Every time I dance, I huff and puff like crazy. By mid song I couldn't execute a nice invert. I realized that I have the same problem, forget to breath and keep holding my breathe when I dance. I do cardio, I jog and swim, but I guess I was doing it at a steady pace I last way longer than dancing. Dancing is like playing racquetball to me, sometimes slow, sometimes fast, then I couldn't catch up… and some moves (like body rolls) I seem to use too much energy to do and when I do I hold my breath a lot. So ppl suggest I sing to the song while I'm dancing, and really slow down my moves (I seem to go into it too fast without any break). So I watched my dance vs. other dancer, yeah I move too fast and other seem to take a few sec just stand and hold a pose, playing with the hair and touching their body, that seem to be the breathing break. And holding a trick and count 1,2,3,4 and breath while at it. It helps! But I still have to keep practicing and get use to slow down my moves.
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Cardio helps immensely with endurance…Running, Zumba, kick boxing, treadmill interval training, even hooping.
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Runemist, would you recommend taking that Carnation stuff before a pole workout? I find that because I have an increase in different physical activities, my body requires that I eat before any workout, and after any workout…. Whether it be pole, contemporary dance or running, I have to eat 2 dinners. I try and keep the meal I eat before working out much smaller than the meal I eat afterwards.
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