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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.

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