It's that time again: pole goals! Plus some circus goals this year, since apparently I started taking silks classes in January of last year (2019), followed by lyra about a month or so later and then trapeze about 4 months later. I thought I had started aerial classes in 2018! It's my one-year circus anniversary, woohoo!
So in 2018 my goal was strength, not flexibility. Last year (2019), in this post, I wanted to keep working on strength but also incorporate more flexibility.
Unfortunately, I was doing really well and getting pretty far - the circus classes were really helping me and I incorporated a lot more pull-ups into my life -when I sustained an AC joint injury from trapeze. That messed me up real good and set my torn shoulder off for the first time in months, since it was now compensating for the newly inured shoulder. I was 100% off exercise for about 3 months; then, on my first day back to pole, DJ - the owner of Blush (oh, hey, yeah! I forgot to mention that I stared going to Blush in West Allis because I got bored with Miss Pole. It's not great by any means, but the owners at least know advanced moves) - pushed me beyond my limits after I had explicitly told her 'no' multiple times, and ended up shoving my shoulder out of its socket or doing something else horrible to it. I couldn't lift it more than about 4 inches without incredible pain. That set me back another 1.5-2 months, and I'm still feeling the effects of it. I'm much weaker again because of it.
So what ended up happening this year, or at least during the second half of the year, was that I focused a lot more on flexibility than I ever have. I found a yoga teacher I really like on Monday nights, and I started going to those classes while I was injured. They helped significantly. The first time I went back to pole (when DJ hurt me), I had lost barely any strength despite having not been able to do a lick of exercise in 3 months. I had lost my ability to shoulder mount though, sadly, as well as be able to sit up in a layback. They're still hard now. But I think a lot of it was from going to yoga weekly.
I've also noticed that my flexibility is the best it's ever been now, although I don't have my splits. I've had multiple people comment to me that they thought I was naturally flexible - an achievement I attribute to the yoga classes.
But I digress. In 2020, my primary goal is to get my shoulders back where they should be, to continue improving my flexibility, and take my strength to higher levels.
2019 goals check-in:
- ✔️Keep working on building strength but also really work on flexibility
- Splits all three ways
- Get my hands flat onto the ground (I'm getting so close, though!)
- Deadlift forearm stand
- ✔️ Start getting closer to a kick-up handstand (actually, I can do this sometimes!)
- ✔️ Get my behind-the-back shoulder mobility back without pain (much better)
- Deadlift cup grip handspring on dominant side (I'm about 75% of the way there) (kind of lost this one with all the injuries)
- Regular cup grip handspring on non-dominant side
- Cartwheel into Ayesha
- ✔️ Hangman from both shoulder mount and handspring mount (10,000% better than last year)
- 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 (I was getting so close before my injuries)
- Janiero (I don't think this one is for me)
- Knee breaker
- ✔️ Better Dragon Tail
- Icarus
- Phoenix on non-dominant side?
- ✔️ Shoulder mount up and down multiple times
- ✔️ Shoulder mount side to side
- ✔️ Dangerous Brian bridge (hey-o!)
- Gargoyle
- Swimmer (should my shoulder handle it)
- Titanic
- ✔️ Dove to shoulder mount
- ✔️ Superman drop (this is my JAM)
- BETTER TRANSITIONS (getting better!)
- ✔️ Cupid/Princess (FINALLY! This has been on my list for 5+ years!)
- ✔️ Remi sit/layback
I was apparently super ambitious last year! I forgot I even had many of these goals, and I'm a bit disappointed in how little progress I've made on some of them (like brass monkey deadlift). But some other cool things I got this year that I know I've wanted to do for a while are:
- Hands-only climb
- Spinning pole!
- 4 pull-ups, 10 chin ups
- Meathook!
- Doubles pole
So my 2020 pole goals will be a lot more simple:
- Twisted grip handspring? --> Phoenix?
- Sideways, deadlift cup grip handspring- Iron X
- Handstand (clean kick-up / deadlift)
- Touch hands flat on ground
- 6 pull-ups, 14 chin-ups
- More consistent meathook
- Plank shoulder mount
- More spinning pole moves
Other aerial goals:
- Aerial trapeze moves (on ropes)
- Straight-arm inverts
So in 2018 my goal was strength, not flexibility. Last year (2019), in this post, I wanted to keep working on strength but also incorporate more flexibility.
Unfortunately, I was doing really well and getting pretty far - the circus classes were really helping me and I incorporated a lot more pull-ups into my life -when I sustained an AC joint injury from trapeze. That messed me up real good and set my torn shoulder off for the first time in months, since it was now compensating for the newly inured shoulder. I was 100% off exercise for about 3 months; then, on my first day back to pole, DJ - the owner of Blush (oh, hey, yeah! I forgot to mention that I stared going to Blush in West Allis because I got bored with Miss Pole. It's not great by any means, but the owners at least know advanced moves) - pushed me beyond my limits after I had explicitly told her 'no' multiple times, and ended up shoving my shoulder out of its socket or doing something else horrible to it. I couldn't lift it more than about 4 inches without incredible pain. That set me back another 1.5-2 months, and I'm still feeling the effects of it. I'm much weaker again because of it.
So what ended up happening this year, or at least during the second half of the year, was that I focused a lot more on flexibility than I ever have. I found a yoga teacher I really like on Monday nights, and I started going to those classes while I was injured. They helped significantly. The first time I went back to pole (when DJ hurt me), I had lost barely any strength despite having not been able to do a lick of exercise in 3 months. I had lost my ability to shoulder mount though, sadly, as well as be able to sit up in a layback. They're still hard now. But I think a lot of it was from going to yoga weekly.
I've also noticed that my flexibility is the best it's ever been now, although I don't have my splits. I've had multiple people comment to me that they thought I was naturally flexible - an achievement I attribute to the yoga classes.
But I digress. In 2020, my primary goal is to get my shoulders back where they should be, to continue improving my flexibility, and take my strength to higher levels.
2019 goals check-in:
- ✔️Keep working on building strength but also really work on flexibility
- Splits all three ways
- Get my hands flat onto the ground (I'm getting so close, though!)
- Deadlift forearm stand
- ✔️ Start getting closer to a kick-up handstand (actually, I can do this sometimes!)
- ✔️ Get my behind-the-back shoulder mobility back without pain (much better)
- Deadlift cup grip handspring on dominant side (I'm about 75% of the way there) (kind of lost this one with all the injuries)
- Regular cup grip handspring on non-dominant side
- Cartwheel into Ayesha
- ✔️ Hangman from both shoulder mount and handspring mount (10,000% better than last year)
- 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 (I was getting so close before my injuries)
- Janiero (I don't think this one is for me)
- Knee breaker
- ✔️ Better Dragon Tail
- Icarus
- Phoenix on non-dominant side?
- ✔️ Shoulder mount up and down multiple times
- ✔️ Shoulder mount side to side
- ✔️ Dangerous Brian bridge (hey-o!)
- Gargoyle
- Swimmer (should my shoulder handle it)
- Titanic
- ✔️ Dove to shoulder mount
- ✔️ Superman drop (this is my JAM)
- BETTER TRANSITIONS (getting better!)
- ✔️ Cupid/Princess (FINALLY! This has been on my list for 5+ years!)
- ✔️ Remi sit/layback
I was apparently super ambitious last year! I forgot I even had many of these goals, and I'm a bit disappointed in how little progress I've made on some of them (like brass monkey deadlift). But some other cool things I got this year that I know I've wanted to do for a while are:
- Hands-only climb
- Spinning pole!
- 4 pull-ups, 10 chin ups
- Meathook!
- Doubles pole
So my 2020 pole goals will be a lot more simple:
- Twisted grip handspring? --> Phoenix?
- Sideways, deadlift cup grip handspring- Iron X
- Handstand (clean kick-up / deadlift)
- Touch hands flat on ground
- 6 pull-ups, 14 chin-ups
- More consistent meathook
- Plank shoulder mount
- More spinning pole moves
Other aerial goals:
- Aerial trapeze moves (on ropes)
- Straight-arm inverts
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