Well, isn’t time flying by! Week 5 came and went in a flash! It was also into my third week of a hand cream amnesty! …I think I have used hand cream on a daily basis (multiple times) for as long as I remember; this is a habit I picked up from my mum and I think once you start, it’s difficult to stop! I’ve been having trouble every since I started pole, with my grip and sweaty hands. I try my best not to rely on grip products but sometimes I just need the extra help so I can get on with mastering the moves!
This week, we learnt the final part of the Intermediate 2 routine. At just 3 minutes long it sounds doable…I remember when I saw the full routine for the first time at the end of Intermediate 1 and it seemed too far out of my reach. …Don’t get me wrong, I’m nowhere near making this routine look amazing but I’ve done myself proud! …I definitely understand why people repeat these courses numerous times!
This week, my performance was mediocre…some moves I did well, some not so well! So I didn’t want to blog about a mediocre week; I saved it up to share with my final week!
Yes!! My final week! …Just myself and the Ecole de Pole Instructor, Karen! 1 hour and 30 minutes of me poling! …Don’t ask me where the other girls were, although I myself struggled to find the motivation to leave my house at 7pm on a cold snowy Monday evening! But I did! And it was a great decision!
Karen shook things up a bit from the usual and we had a more active warm up with a few balances such as the crow pose, including the version at an angle which really works your obliques.
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| Crow Pose |
We then worked through the moves at a relaxed pace; pole is really hard work y’know! Karen has a great eye for detail and technique; she explained to me that the correct technique not only makes it easier to execute the moves but also maintains safety! good point huh?!
I got to get some good practice of my headstands, and then handstands. I’ve found in my older years that it’s mostly fear holding me back as I used to do handstands without thinking in my younger years! We practised close to a wall at first, but then when I moved away fear tried to get the better of me! Karen showed me some bunny hops which are also a great way of practising getting into a handstand!
Karen then helped me to master both the outside and inside leg hangs! and we ran through some more moves from the Intermediate 2 routine before we had a good stretch at the end including splits.
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| Hangback,into handstand, box split dismount |
As may remember (or hopefully not)…conquering the splits is one of my goals for 2013. We used the stretches in my Splits Stretch Routine and then stretched in splits. Karen also encouraged me to remove my hands from the ground which allowed me to go deeper into splits. This was the first time in a while I had properly attempted the splits and it gave me hope…
So, when I’m back in April, I plan on attending the Poled Up class which is a strength training / workout class to condition and strengthen my body for pole! I also plan on attending the Extreme Stretching and Contortion class with Pixie Le Knot; this will help to lengthen my muscles and improve my flexibility.
There you go! Intermediate 2 is done…but my journey is really only just beginning!
Yours in Pole,
Elle 🙂 x
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