2019 Pole Goals

I don't really have the time or energy to do a proper 2018 recap or 2019 goals post right now, but I can do a pole-related one.

To recap, 2018 was my year to shine in regard to health and fitness. I'm in the best shape of my life so far, and a lot of that is due to pole. I went back to pole in mid-December 2017 and by March had already lost 3 inches and was better than I ever was. It was around this time that I also took up combat sports and starting attempting to run, but that is a topic for the full 2018 recap post. 

When 2018 started I couldn't shoulder mount, aerial invert properly, do a layback, or Ayesha. I also couldn't touch my toes or straddle more than 90 degrees. I focused heavily on increasing my strength in the first half of the year and by summer had added more cardio and flexibility training. Yoga helped a bit, but it was really the strength and stretch classes at Miss Pole that pushed me to new limits. 

By September I had already reached the highest level that Miss Pole currently offers (level 7) and am now beyond it. When I am able to take classes with Kate, we work on non-curriculum moves; otherwise I do a lot more exploring at home. Next week I'll be taking my first silks class with Chelsea from class, and I'm hoping to try lyra soon, too. 

Other than my progression, though, the most important pole highlight of 2018 was my shoulder injury in late summer. It's still healing and there are still many moves I cannot do. It was due to overtraining, which I wish I had known more about (that's a risk with not having many advanced instructors around to learn from). 

Okay, so onto the goals. This is what I wrote from my 2018 pole goals post:

"All that said, my goal this time around is to become strong. Flexibility is great, but I want to become my strongest self, to be able to do things I never could before. I'd rather be able to lift myself off the ground this year than do a Yogini.

So my #1 goal this year is to be able to do a shoulder mount. My #2 goal is to get a better invert and do an actual Ayesha. Eventually, I'd like to be able to do a handspring, but that may be too ambitious a goal for one year."

I did become my strongest self and met all of those goals. Yay for me! Also, elbow grip Ayesha was what I really wanted to get more than anything, and I'm proud to say that I got it. Huzzah!

Because of all the progress I was making, I wrote an updated pole goals post here in May. In it, these are the new goals I listed:

✔️ Twisted grip handspring (make it consistent) Got it but can no longer do it with my shoulder injury

True grip handspring (at least some progress) Can't do this because of pain in my wrist, but I learned cup grip instead, which is much harder

✔️ Elbow + regular grip Ayesha (eek... seems ambitious) + fang!

✔️ Pencil (also ambitious) This is a recent development, maybe since 1 month ago

✔️ Aerial shoulder mount

✔️ Shoulder mount into brass monkey I couldn't do this in May? 

Cross knee layback (why can't I get this one anymore?) Ugh.

Hands-only climb This is on pause until my shoulder is better

Handstand/forearm stand I can sometimes kick into a forearm stand now and can hold it longer

Cupid/Princess

Remi sit and layback

✔️ Russian layback Only tried it twice, but I got it

Cartwheel of any sort

I got a lot of the major strength moves but my shoulder injury prevented me from moving forward with a lot of them, unfortunately. Certain nemesis moves, like Cupid, still deceive me. I think I should work on those this year.

With that said, here are my 2019 pole goals:

• Keep working on building strength but also really work on flexibility 
• Splits all three ways
• Get my hands flat onto the ground
• Deadlift forearm stand
• Start getting closer to a kick-up handstand
• Get my behind-the-back shoulder mobility back without pain
• Deadlift cup grip handspring on dominant side (I'm about 75% of the way there)
• Regular cup grip handspring on non-dominant side
• Cartwheel into Ayesha
• Hangman from both shoulder mount and handspring mount 
• Brass monkey/flag deadlift... both ways!
• True grip Ayesha with dominant hand on top
• Bendier fang from true grip pencil
• Pencil from cup grip Ayesha
• Iron X
• Janiero 
• Knee breaker
• Better Dragon Tail
• Icarus
• Phoenix on non-dominant side?
• Shoulder mount up and down multiple times
• Shoulder mount side to side
• Made cocoon progress
• Dangerous Brian bridge
• Gargoyle 
• Swimmer (should my shoulder handle it)
• Titanic
• Dove to shoulder mount
• Superman drop
• BETTER TRANSITIONS
• Cupid/Princess
• Remi sit/layback