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Working out at the Gym to Condition for Pole
Does anyone have any favorite gym workouts to help them get stronger for pole?
I do lots of V-ups and leg lifts to do core strengthening (to invert better) but I guess I’m wondering what some of you all do at the gym to get better at pole? I’m talking about the machines/equipment for strength training or even if you think dead lifts or heavy weighted squats are helpful too?
I know some people do crossfit but I’m not that intense! Just looking to see if anyone has any good exercises to do at the gym that target shoulders, cores, hamstrings, etc.
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4 Replies
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Personally I’m a big fan of weight training because (1) women often ignore that sort of training in favour of heavy cardio, (2) I love getting more muscular (that toned look), and (3) it definitely helps with pole!
Because pole requires a lot of upper body strength in order to lift yourself up and hold yourself there, I would focus on those areas: arms, back, and chest muscles. Before my regular gym closed and ran away with our membership money (true story!), I liked doing:
– Dumbbell and barbell rows for your back (make sure good form when you lift heavier to prevent injuries)
– Lat pulldowns and inverted rows in preparation for pull-ups
– Pull-up negatives are also good in preparation for pull-ups (jump to the top and then slowly lower down w/ control)
– Bench press – yes, with a barbell! I know it may seem intimidating but start w/ an empty bar at first
– Bicep and hammer curls, tricep exercises, etc. I know Veena has some forearm/wrist exercises, too, because those small muscles are so often forgotten.
– Military press would be good for shoulders I believe
– Woodchops with a medicine ball or cable machineAnytime you move a heavy weight with your whole body (not in a machine) it activates your core and stabilizer muscles, so core work doesn’t necessarily mean doing crunches only. Some people at the gym do walking lunges with a barbell across their backs, I’m sure that works a whole lotta muscles!
I vastly prefer doing all barbell exercises NOT in a Smith machine (that machine that has the barbell on an up-down track) because on a Smith machine, the machine stabilizes the barbell for you, therefore less muscle engagement.
A simple weight training app that I used in the past is called Stronglifts 5×5, and it is free to download. It focuses on just a few lifts (bench press, squat, row, overhead press, and deadlift).
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Cool!! Thanks for this info. I too normally prefer doing weights but I’m at a new gym with equip,end I’ve never used before so I was going to see what other things people recommend. This is all super helpful, thanks so much!
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I always train close-grip lat pulldowns, pull-ups (assisted so I can do multiple reps…I can only do 1.5 pull-ups on my own, and that isn’t enough to train the muscles), and I also do hanging straight-leg raises (also called toes-to-bar). But honestly, I find that overall weight training is super helpful. I am a BIG fan of hitting the gym!!
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Yeah I used to refuse doing any biceps training because I always thought of them as a vanity muscle and mostly for show. Well, guess what held me back on my pull-ups? Biceps! And once I started training them, I noticed a huge improvement on my ability to pull-up (not that I’m a master now but at least I actually see movement! LOL!). Goes to show, all the muscles work together and you can’t train some then ignore others.
Toes-to-bar is so difficult for me, I always just slide down! Maybe a grip issue? I guess anything that requires a strong grip would help with poling, too. 🙂
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