I've recently been making a lot of progress on the pole. Moves that I used to find almost impossible, now come with ease. My stamina has improved immensely, and I'm bravely experimenting with variations and combos. It's as if some sort of threshold has been crossed by my body.
I owe this immense improvement to two things: the three week vacation that I went on in May, which consisted of nothing more than yoga, swimming, and relaxing on the beach; and the improvement of my grip. I suspect that one came with the other, as I was having a lot of wrist problems before I went away, with signs of fatigue and overworking.
Slippery hands is a common complaint of the students at the studio, and although sweat and nervousness contributes to some of that, a weak grip is the main culprit. With a stronger grip, you can overcome sweat to a better degree, and you feel more confident to pull off more complex tricks, as you can better rely on your hands.
True, your wrists will strengthen over time, as your hands get used to hauling your body up and down 11-12 feet into the air; but if you wish for the process to speed up, I will share with you the routine I have made for myself.
Supplies:
- 1 Extra Strong resistance Thera Band Tube
- 1 Medium resistance Thera Band Tube
- 2 Extra Strong Resistance Thera Band Rubber Balls
The tubing should be available in select pharmacies - I've searched a couple, and only found one in my city. If you can't find any at a pharmacy, see if a physio therapist office will agree to sell you some tubing. I went with Thera Brand, but it really matters not what brand it is: tubing is tubing. As for the rubber balls, any fairly non-squishy rubber balls should work. I used to have two stress balls that I bought from a dollar store, however, they fell apart on me pretty quickly and I opted for the more durable Thera Brand balls.
Alright, enough about balls; onto the routine.
Wrist Exercises with Tubing
I did the above exercises, starting at one set of twenty for each, then moving up to two sets, and eventually will be up to three. Exercises 1 and 3 are done with a doubled medium resistance band looped over the elbow, and the rest with the extra resistance band looped through the bottom handle of a filing cabinet. Don't be fooled by the dorky guy in the polo shirt and tube socks, if done properly and with the right resistance bands, these are tough!
Wrist Exercises with Rubber Balls
In order of right to left, starting from the topmost left corner:
- Sets of ten 10 second holds with 5 seconds rest in between
- Skip
- Set of 20 short squeezes
- Skip (This one frustrates the hell out of me!)
- Skip
- Set of 20 short pushes
- Set of 20 gradual pushes, make sure to not cheat with the shoulders
- I would just do this one ad hoc, while lost in thought...
- Set of 20 short squeezes
- Set of 20 short squeezes
- Set of 20 short squeezes
- Sets of ten 10 second holds with 5 seconds rest in between
I found this plenty, as my hand would start getting fatigued. Once you feel it is too easy, repeat the routine twice/thrice over.
I know that similar exercises can be done at the gym with free-weights, push ups, and pull ups. I am no fan of the gym, so I opt for the office friendly version - to do on my breaks at work.
I would like to add a disclaimer that I am not a trained physiotherapist, nor am I a personal trainer. This is just what has worked for me, even as rehab from my numerous wrist injuries. Please listen to your body when you are doing this and augment the routine as needed.
Finally, it is worthy to note that I wear wrist guards every time I'm on the pole, as I have a tendency to overwork/get too excited and hurt myself. I have a steel reinforced one on my left, and a pretty sturdy injury prevention guard on my right. I recommend this precaution to even the strongest athletes, as without your wrists, you can't pole, period.
In the words of a famous character out of a Soviet movie: "Береги руку, Сеня!"
