Welcome to Miss Fit Academy's blog! MFA is Nashville's leading pole dance studio and aerial boutique! Visit our official website or call us at (615) 891-3910.

Sunday, July 27, 2014

How To Get the Body of a Pole Dancer - Part 2: Legs and Hips

Welcome back to our second installment of How To Get the Body of a Pole Dancer!  Our previous blog touched on how to get the arms and abs of a pole dancer, without the pole. Today, we'll look at how to get the oft envied perfect lower body.  Pole dancing is a total body workout and we're always happy to have new students come through our doors, but if you aren't lucky enough to live near Miss Fit Academy  you can still achieve bodily greatness with these exercises.

Legs
Squats  
Prepare for a booty so round that it would bring a tear to Sir Mix A Lot's eye! With your feet hip distance apart, bend at the knees like you're sitting in a chair.  Don't allow the knees to come together or to flop out. Repeat several million times until baby got back.
leg squats

Pro tip: Try to prevent your back from arching. Put the pressure on that bottom-of-your-butt-top-of-your-thighs area.

Pony ride 
Begin sitting back on your heels.  Lift up until you are kneeling on both knees and lean your upper body back squeezing your gluteus together. Break at the hips when you can no longer hold the pose and roll back up on your knees.  Repeat.

Pro tip:  The body of a pole dancer doesn't come easy and this exercise is deceptively hard.  Your quads will be screaming at you if you over exert them too quickly. Begin with ten at the most.  You won't feel the burn until the next day, but you'll thank me for the word of caution.

Leg pumps
Way back in the dark ages of the 1980's, Jane Fonda was on to something.  Lay on one side with your head resting on your hand.  Bring your leg to a 90 degree angle and slowly, slowly SLOWLY bring it down in front of your belly button.  Circle the size of a grapefruit 10 times in one direction and 10 times in the opposite direction, adding 5 every other day in each direction until you're up to 30.  To end the exercise, super slowly peel the leg back up to point the toes toward the ceiling.  You are invited to curse our name as you furiously rub the length of your burning leg that will soon look toned and fit!  Repeat on the other side.
Leg pumps
Fonda ain't got a motor in the back of her Honda, but just LOOK at those legs!
Pro tip: Raise the top leg and pull towards your head, keeping the leg straight for a quick stretch that will keep your muscles looking lithe and long.  

Hips
Awkward Airplane
From your hands and knees, reach out with your left hand as you extend your right leg back.  Bring the left arm out 90 degrees from the shoulder and do the same with the right leg from the hip.  Hold for 10 seconds and bring back to the middle before lowering. Repeat 5 times with each leg adding +5 seconds every other day until you can hold awkward airplane for a full 30 seconds at a time.
Awkward Airplane
This, but with less helicopter.
Pro tip: Reach and stretch from your fingertips to your toes before extending the arm and leg out.  That extension ensures you're in the right position through the ball and socket joints of the shoulder and hips.

Side leg raise
Stand with feet hip-width apart with fingertips on hip bones.  Straighten and raise one leg to the side in three full counts, hold for one, and lower in three more, using a wall or chair for balance if necessary. Fight the urge to swing the leg out with any momentum as this will only delay your hipalicious results. Repeat 15 times with each leg.
Leg Raise

Pro tip: Keep the inner thigh parallel to the floor and really feel the burn as you raise your leg.

Hip Raise
Lie in supine with knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Lift hips off the floor and extend one leg, pointing your toes at a 45 degree angle. Move your raised foot 2-3 feet away from the mid line of your body, squeezing the outer hip. Return to center before lowering. Repeat 10 times before switching sides.
Hip Raise

Pro tip: Hold your foot out from your body for one count and work your way up to three counts at a time.

-written by JLK

Sunday, July 20, 2014

How To Get the Body of a Pole Dancer - Part 1: Abs and Arms

In pole dance, as in life, having a strong core is very important. Strong abdominals are paramount- whether lifting your entire body parallel to the ceiling or lifting a cranky toddler off of the floor. Pole dancers all know the secret to an amazeballs body: core work, core work, and more core work. Everything in pole dance requires core strength with the added benefit of creating a slim silhouette. But to get the body of a pole dancer, you gotta' do the work of a pole dancer. Think of your core in four separate parts; the front, the right side, the left side and the back.  To achieve abdominal greatness, you need to work all four parts.

Abdominals

Side planks
Side planks target the obliques that we dancers use to hold our bodies out from the pole.  Side planks will also slim your figure like nobody's business.   If you're new to side planks, begin with 10 second holds on each side of your shaky, protesting body and add +5 every other day.
More Side planksSide Planks

Beginners: on knee          Intermediate: stacked feet         Advanced: raised leg

Pro tip: once feet are stacked, rotate the top knee out and bend the foot in to hook your big toe with your index finger. Extend outward toward the ceiling.

Plank 
Planks work almost every muscle in the body but it's super efficient for toning the front and back of the midsection. Start at the top of a push up and hold for as long as you can.  Keep your butt down and form a straight line from head to heels. Squeeze your glutes and press your legs together. If you're new to this exercise, start with 10 seconds and work your way up to several minutes by adding +5 seconds every other day.
plank
Pro tip: In plank, look straight ahead and not at the ground in front of you. And - for goodness sake - don't forget to breathe!

Leg walk up
Lie on your back with one leg up 45 degrees toward the ceiling.  Use your abdominals to lift your upper body while you use your hands to "walk" up the extended leg.  Begin with 15 per leg.

Leg walk up


Pro tip: It doesn't matter how many times your hands touch your leg to make it all the way up.  Focus on your core and try to touch your toes.

Arms

Sexy push ups
Push ups are WAY too boring, but SEXY push ups are exciting and accomplish the same result.  From Childs Pose, keep your booty in the air, keep your knees and hands on the floor and then slowly slide your upper body forward, toward the floor. Your chest will brush against the floor and you will end almost completely flat on your stomach and cheek. Repeat the opposite direction (going backward and back into Child's Pose where you started). Repeat these back and forth.
Easy, sexy push-ups

Pro tip:  Allow the back to arch slightly as you roll back up into Child's Pose.

Kneeling chest press
Come to the top of a girl push up (on your knees) heels to the sky, and arms slightly wider than shoulder distance. Keep your core tight as you slowly lower your upper body toward the ground. Drop your hips and chest but stop just shy of tapping your nose on the ground.  Keep a straight line from your knees to the crown of your head.

Pro tip: Make sure the middle of your breastplate stays between your hands through the whole range of motion.

Sunday, July 13, 2014

Shoes For Every Mood

Shoes. Just the word is calming and promising.  Shhhhhhhhhoooes. If the eyes are the window to the soul then our feet are the vehicle for the sole, and nothing is more important than being true to your soul. Look at us, we've gone all existential - but we can't help it! Shoes are practically a religion.  The right shoe at the right time can spring board a girl into the stratosphere.  Well, ladies, shoe heaven has arrived.  Have a shoe for every mood in your life and, girl, you're unstoppable!



Fabulous
You're perfectly fine with all eyes on you when you feel fabulous.  Often that means bright colors or showing some skin.  This peep toe heel gives you BOTH!  If your goal is to control a room with only your footwear, then you can't go wrong with a bright orange, five inch, strappy sandal.
Red Heels


















Low-key
Sometimes though, heels are just not gonna work. The Comedy Night Sneaker leaves room for comfort in your shoe wardrobe.  Wear them to the beach with a strapless dress or don some skinny jeans and head out to your favorite bar. BOOM! Good to go at the drop of a hat. These shoes are versatile, sweet, and eye catching without being over the top.
Blue Flats


















Quixotic 
Feeling a little... unique?  These shoes will back you up.  


Adorbs
Ladies (or gentlemen) meet the On Hop of the World Flats. Even the name is cute.  You're welcome.
Cute


















Salacious 
Every girl needs a good pair of thigh high boots for those nights when she needs to feel 100% in control. If you know what I mean... Sometimes a shoe for every mood can take a girl to a dark place; and thigh high black patent leather is our favorite dark place!
Sexy Tall Boots



















Assertive
The girl who wears the above boots at night needs a pair of less domanatrixy shoes for her day time no-nonsense needs. The right shoe for every mood is important and, honey, these will make you feel powerful and competent and sexy without trying too hard.
Sleek black heels








 www.brcla.com













Flirty
Delicate and feminine, how could you not love a shoe with a heart carved into the side? The wedge heel is super comfortable and doesn't require a lot of balance when you're locking eyes with the hot guy across the room. The last thing you want is to be knocked off your feet, LITERALLY! They'll be eating out of the palm of your hand with this one - or the sole of your foot, as the case may be. Knock 'em dead!
Flirty wedges

















Wild
Often, your mood strays to a wicked place. We have a shoe for every mood - including wild and crazy! Get your party on with these gorgeous blood-red suede shoes. The rhinestone skull and crossbones add just the right amount of danger to the chunky mini boot without the risk of slipping into 'goth' territory. They also come in dark blue and forest green, so you can pick your poison before you strut your stuff.
Red skull and bones heels














Groovy
Betsy Johnson is a household name for a reason!  These far out platforms would be part of that reason.  Miss Fit Academy holds several weekly Pole Dance classes, so we know a thing or two about sky high heels. Break out your flat iron and your flare jeans and prepare to boogie long and hard in these surprisingly comfortable shoes.




















Gaga?
Oooh La La.  There's "weird" and then there's "Gaga". Who knew one could buy shoes like this! Really though, lets face it, only Gaga should do Gaga, anyway. Hot damn if her foot wear isn't always entertaining!
Ga Ga Heels












- written by JLK

Sunday, July 6, 2014

Bachelorette Party Drinking Games

Bachelorette Party
As always, Miss Fit Academy adores bachelorettes. Nobody parties quite like we do! We pride ourselves on hosting the best bachelorette parties in Nashville. After all, it's difficult NOT to have a blast when dancing! 

Even if you don't choose to come fly with us during your special-night-before-your-special-day, there's still plenty of fun and tipsy ways to kick it with your girls. Here are some of the best bachelorette party drinking games and the best drinks to go with them:

I Never
Goes best with: Champagne

The script goes like this:
One person says "I never ____" and everyone who HAS done what that person just said, drinks. Doesn't that sound like THE most fun thing?  The more tipsy everyone gets, the more interesting the topics get. You may learn a thing or two that you never knew about your long-time friends. And it's a great excuse to admit that truly unspeakable thing you did in college. Tipsy story-telling is the best!

Drink or Dare
Goes best with: Cosmopolitans or shots of any kind

You're not allowed to call yourself a grown up if you've never played truth or dare. But this classic game has a twist that we think Madonna would sanction. The bride-to-be gives the maid of honor an ultimatum to accept her dare or take a shot.  If she chooses the dare, but then the dare is refused, she has to drink double.  However, revenge is sweet because then it's her turn to assign a dare, and so on... until you're all mildly humiliated. What a great bonding experience!

Roll the Dice
Goes best with: Long Island Iced Tea

Invest in some bachelorette-party-tailored drinking dice!  These have combinations like "Imitate Toast", "Brunettes only" and "Rollers choice" and are sure to perk up a lagging party.  It's easy and only takes a second to break these babies out. One minute you're all sitting quietly, the next thing you know, all the blondes in the room are having a handstand contest and anyone over 5'4 is required to take a shot.

Over Sized Inflatable Penises
Goes best with: Mai Tais

We here at Miss Fit Academy love an Over-sized Inflatable Penis. The fun is too ridiculous to end with these things.  You can even get a couple of rings to go with your magnum strap on and play ring toss! Everyone who rings the schlong drinks and the person wearing it drinks double. Get two and have penile jousting. Pass it between your knees in a circle for a modified musical chairs.  Take it with you to a bar and BOOM - instant conversation starter! The possibilities are endless.

Happy partying!


- written by JLK