Ashley

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December is here and it’s time to make some serious aerial gains! I’m thrilled to have teamed up with the beautiful and talented Jennifer Huff to bring you this aerial conditioning and core challenge. All month long we’re going to be sharing some of our favorite conditioning drills, along with training tips and gear must-haves to help you on your aerial journey. By the end of the month you’ll feel stronger, more balanced and ready to conquer that next aerial trick. We decided to focus on core strength and stability because they are so essential to all we do as aerial athletes.  This is perfect for December because during the holidays we can plateau or even lose some of our gains because classes are low and bad eating is high (at least for me it is lol). Get a strong start to your new year by closing out this year with a bang. Join @entertainmentgoddess and @intimatespins for our December #aerialcore challenge as we work on core and aerial conditioning.

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To participate:
1️⃣ Follow @entertainmentgoddess@intimatespins and our amazing sponsor @mighty_grip

2️⃣ Help us spread the word (PLEASE) by sharing this post. Be sure to tag your friends so they can join you on this journey, and so you can have an accountability buddy!

3️⃣ Grab your camera and document your progress over the next 31 days. It’s going to be one wildly awesome ride!
4️⃣ Don’t forget to snap, tag and post because TWO lucky participants will get hooked up with some mighty sweet swag from @mighty_grip that will aid you on your aerial endeavors!

So before we dive into this week’s HomeWork, I just want to let you in on a little secret! Starting in December I’ll also be co-hosting an aerial conditioning and core challenge. So you’ll have twice the gains to look forward to. Keep you eye out for the official announcement in the next couple of days.

Now, on to business! We’re still working legs and balance. End goal: scorpion (near future) and needle (distant future). In addition to flexibility of the shoulders, hip flexors and flexors of the spine, balance plays a significant part; and that’s what you’ll be focusing on at home this week.

As you’re doing these single leg balances be sure to pay attention to any rolling of the ankle as it could indicate an imbalance within the muscles of the foot, where those muscles on the inner or outer edges of your foot are stronger than others. This imbalance can reveal itself as the rolling inward over the big toe (pronate) or rolling outward toward the pinky toe (supinate).

Drill 1: 

This is a standing pose. You can start in a forward fold and place your right hand or fingertips on the ground or use your yoga block for additional support. Your arm should be straight with the fingertips, wrist, and elbow all in alignment with your shoulder. Open up the right leg to a 90-degree angle behind you making sure that back leg is parallel to the floor. Open your chest to the left and and reach up with the left hand for the sky. Hold for 30 seconds. Rest for 1 minute. Repeat three times on each side.

Drill 2:

This next pose is moving into Lord of the Dance or Sugar Cane. We’re going to start in your forward fold again and place your right hand or fingertips on the ground or use your yoga block for additional support. Raise the right leg so that it is parallel with the floor then bend at the knee so that your heel moves in towards your gluten. If and when you feel balanced, reach for that right foot. When you reach for your foot you want to rotate your right arm so that your palm faces away from you. Press your foot into your right hand to allow your chest to open more.  Hold for 30 seconds. Rest for 1 minute. Repeat three times on each side.

Drills 3 and 4:

(watch the video below!) We’re going to add a little dynamic movement to our balance. Remember to keep that core engaged! We’re going to start in a lunge position. Make sure that the ankle and foot of the front leg are directly underneath the knee. Press through the ball of the foot of that back leg. Keep the back flat as your hinge up and down. Use the arms as if you’re swimming to propel forward and back through the water. Execute 12-15 reps on each side.

From there we are going to add in a step and tap with the back leg. As that back leg steps forward to meet the front leg, gently tap the toes to the ground. Your arms will swing (slow and controlled) back behind that knee. As you extend that leg back behind you, your arms will swim up for the sky. Keep the back long, shoulders stronger with your biceps by your ears when the arms are extended above head. Execute 12-15 reps on each side.

Who completed your week one Flex From HomeWork?!? Week one was about setting your space and gathering the toys you’ll need to help you on your FlexyFit journey with me. If you missed it, go ahead and start here then come back to this post!

Before we begin, go ahead and pat yourself on the back for embarking on this adventure and already knocking out your first assignment! I know many of you are curious about what to expect week-to-week, so I’m going to fill you in on the FlexPath first and then we’ll jump into this week’s work. Your Flex From HomeWork will be a mix of active “hands-on” work (stretches, stability/mobility work and conditioning exercises) and some mentally stimulating activities including: reflecting, brainstorming and journaling work. (Yes, I’m going to make you think just a little bit!) Why you ask? I feel like the most important part of anything you do in life is not just the act/action of doing it, but rather the understanding behind why it needs to be done and the proper way to do it. That being said, this week’s work has two parts. And I know it’s Thanksgiving weekend so I’ll keep it short and sweet!

Part One: Tell me your secrets!

1. What is your favorite stretch (or body part to stretch) and why? Chances are you find yourself falling into this stretch more often than not. We tend to think: it looks good, it feels good, it smells like success…so let’s keep doing it.
2. What is your least favorite stretch  (or body part to stretch) and why? We tend to stray away from what doesn’t feel good or what we think doesn’t look good when really this is exactly what we need to be working on.
3. Which is your better side, left or right? Mine is my right! My left side feels like it’s full of evil lol. To help us get out of our comfort zones and balance out those sides, we are always going to give our “bad” side an extra 10-15 seconds (or  one additional round) when holding a passive or active stretch and 5 additional reps when doing any type of ballistic stretching or conditioning with reps.

Part Two: Show time!

I want you to take a photo or video of your favorite and least favorite stretch. While you don’t have to post this online, I would like for you to send it to me and also save it for your future progress reports.

Extra Credit: For those that can find time this week, I want you to go through this mini forward fold and active standing split series.

• 30 second forward fold with hands resting on shins
• 30 second forward fold with hands resting on floor
• 10 calf raises (from forward fold) x2
• 30 second balance on each side. Lift one leg, keep knee pointed towards the ground and toes pointed up towards the ceiling.
• 10 leg pulses on each side x2
• 30 second active split hold on each side.

Tips for success:

• There is a lot of balance involved so be sure to keep your core tight. 
• When you fold, imagine there is a bar resting along your hips. You want to keep your back long and try and get your belly button over that bar as your fold forward. This way the fold is at the hips and stretches the hamstrings, rather than being in the upper-mid back…or as I like to call it, that sexy hunch back. 
• If you’re not able to reach the floor, no worries! Just grab your yoga blocks and place your hands on those for a helpful boost! 
• Don’t forget to breath! 

A few weeks ago I was lucky to come out of retirement and perform at PSO Southwest in Fort Worth. Returning to the competition stage after a hiatus was such a fulfilling experience. This competition differed vastly from all of my previous competitions. The biggest difference was my goals, which were primarily fitness oriented. I knew that losing weight and improving my health would have a significant impact on my performance ability because of the increases in strength and endurance – in conjunction with carrying less weight. Other than improving my fitness, my only goals were to not stress and perform my best! Being that my goals were different this time around, I went into the competition already a winner for having accomplished the fitness goals I set. And because of this shift in focus, I had the opportunity to approach my competition training  from a different angle and truly prepare for competition.

In the past, my competition prep has been almost non-existent. Between school, work and often working as a staff member or as a designer for the competition, I was left with very little time to actually prepare choreography and practice a routine. I always went into the competition having run my routine (or lack thereof) less than five times, not having a solid plan of attack, forgetting my first 30 seconds of choreo once on stage and feeling like I wasn’t as serious as my fellow competitors.

This time around, my prep was primarily done in gym and in the kitchen. The time that I did spend on the pole was focused on stretching and running through key combos. The months prior to competition I was able to shed about 15 excess pounds and build muscle through daily cardio and weight training – in addition to teaching 4-6 classes a week. I was also able to maintain a relatively clean eating habit. Usually, I fall back to my not-so-healthy eating habits, consuming fast food and all kinds of carbs (mmmmm, carbs) the week and DAY of competition. MY DEDICATION THIS TIME AROUND WAS THE BEST IT’S EVER BEEN.

This preparation reinforced my belief and understanding that nothing happens by chance. Those competitors that win and that just slay the stage are great by choice and not by chance. You can get up there and wing it (and there’s nothing wrong with that) and hope for the best, but those that step on that stage prepared radiate that preparation; letting in shine through in their performance. It’s no accident that some aerialists find themselves on the winner’s podium. The same can be about those that seem to progress faster than others. You really do get out what you put into it. Those that invested countless hours of practice; visualized over and over again; recorded, watched and re-recorded; sought out input and feedback; practiced the way they wanted to perform; they made a lasting impression. I am a firm believer that you must train the way you want to perform. When you do, it just becomes second nature.

I named this post after one of my all-time favorite books by Jim Collins. In the book, he examines the journey and success of top companies in comparison to rivals that have not seen the same success despite relatively similar environments. 

Okay, so there’s a discussion that is currently going on in the pole world and it has been on my mind continuously since I first read about it. After seeing much of the back and forth I felt like I need to express my thoughts on this out loud. Not to ignite any additional fire but to just offer up some food for thought on the issue.

[quote]I have been told that the male pole dancers of the community are angry and offended that I am not giving a big cash prize to the men’s division this year and are saying that I discriminate against men and am being disrespectful to the male pole dancers. I have been told that I “won’t have a men’s division”. I have had several private conversations over the past few weeks, which I have explained that the men’s division is an experiment to see the interest it draws from the men in the community who have never even applied to our event in the past, never attended and in most cases never even acknowledged personal invitations I’ve sent to individuals in past years. Each year we have no more than 2 or 3 men apply to our event. The prize money is coming from the application fees. When the applications from hundreds of women compared to a couple of men, I don’t feel it is right to take the money they have put into our event to give the men an equal prize the first year they have their own division. There are many people I speak to in the pole community who are expressing that we need to support the people who support us and with so many looking for support from events and sponsors, that we cannot support those who do not support us in return. (sorry for the over-use of the word support there! LOL!)”
– Mary Ellyn Weissman [/quote]

Now I have somewhat of a unique perspective (in my opinion) because over the last few years I’ve been able to work and see behind the scenes of many of these competitions and what it takes to make them happen….and let me tell you what theses organizers do AIN’T EASY. You see so many competitions come and go for so many reasons, but in regards to stable competitions such as Midwest/North American Pole Championships, Miss Pole Dance Oklahoma, Florida Pole Fitness Championship, all of the PSO competitions and Miss Texas Pole Star (to name a few), which are still standing and still thriving you have to assume that they are obviously doing something right and therefore we should trust in what they do. Instead of tearing down by picking at rules and prizes, we should be building each other up and supporting these respectable pole competitions that are put on to give US a creative outlet to show off our talent and passion.

With so many competitions that only give winners a trophy and or a sash and send you on your merry way, I think ANY amount of prize money is great! If your main focus is the prize money then in my opinion you shouldn’t be competing. If money is your end goal and sole focus then you should probably consider getting a job or a side hustle lol.

Yet at the same time, if prize money is truly a concern for you as a competitor or as a supporter then I would encourage you to be helpful and proactive. Reach out to the event organizers and ask “what can be done or what can I do to help increase prize money and prize value”. You might be surprised that it could be as simple as spreading the word and get your pole brothers to enter – think about time spent spreading the word instead of time spent attacking the event organizers. You could event host a fund raiser to raise money that could be donated to the competition to be used as prize money. OR help identify companies that would be willing to donate prizes or money. I’m just saying that there are so many more effective options out there than criticism.

Overall, we all should be appreciative of the opportunity and growth that is being provided through the addition of a Mens Division. Personally, I don’t think that Men belong in the same divisions as women…I just don’t think they can be judged on the same scale equally and efficiently…despite how fair judges try to be I think that there’s just this grey area…but again just my opinion. But anyways…

Like all new businesses and endeavors that are in the startup phase, with the addition of new divisions to any competition there must be a period of growth and adaptation. Things will get better and more balanced as time goes on. And I’ms sure that much thought was given to the pros and cons of adding a Mens Division, prize money, rules, etc. So difference in prize money amounts this is not an oversight or a plight of unfairness. Whether or not you can see it, understand it, appreciate it or agree with it you have to respect it. Respect the fact that you are being heard. That doors are being open and opportunity being provided. “More” “Bigger” “Better” These things come in time. Has anyone stopped to consider the additional time and resources that it takes to add a mens division…what is being put out by the event organizers to make this happen?

And to all of the competitors think about the highs and lows that we ourselves go through with each competition. Now imagine that magnified over a hundred times, and this is only a fraction of what our competiton organizers are dealing with. They are faced with the highs and lows of not only themselves, but their staff, all of the applicants, the finalists that are chosen to compete, judges, vendors, special performers, engineering staff, etc…