NO KICK

INVERT
ANATOMY, EXERCISES
& TRAINING PLAN
 “
Neola Wilby, Strength and Conditioning Coach at The Pole PT
MY INVERT SUCKED!
When I first started pole, I was that ‘Goonies
never say die’ student in my class. The one
trailing behind everyone else. Cheering
on my class mates as they moved onto leg
hangs and butterflies, watching all the pretty
inverted fun with my own two feet planted
very firmly on the ground.
I didn’t have the confidence for the
‘controlled leg swing’ my new pole buddies
made look so effortless, and I really REALLY
wanted to do what I’d been told was the
‘proper’, ‘strict form’ invert.
The thing that got me was that I felt, very
naively but very strongly indeed, that I
SHOULD be able to do it.
I was already a personal trainer at the time,
spending a large part of my day training or
training others. I was pretty strong… or so I
thought!
The truth is, I WAS pretty strong – and that
training history helped me progress fairly
quickly and safely onto more intermediate
and advanced moves once I got my pole
groove on, and—let me tell you—once
I finally did get that invert, ohhh it was an
invert! Boom! Confidence in my entire
identity restored! *looks away, biting bottom
lip and wiping brow... phew!*
But back in those early struggle bus days,
with my ego taking a hit at pole class every
week, I lacked two very crucial things.
“
Firstly, the training I’d done up until that
point wasn’t programmed with pole in mind.
In particular, I’d been lazy about my pulling
strength - and it showed! And while I could
push up and plank challenge like the gym
floor PT stereotype I was, I’d never had to
use that strength in an aerial context.
Secondly, like all beginners, I had A LOT to
learn when it came to the very technical skill
of pole dance. I just didn’t understand the
very unique movement patterns of pole.
For all beginners (and beyond), it’s these two
elements combined—strength and skill—
which pave the way to success in pole.
In this ebook, I want to provide you with
some things I never had access to as a
beginner and which would have saved me a
lot of frustration, time and energy:
- a detailed breakdown of the mechanics
of the invert - so you can understand the
muscles and movement patterns you need
to master it. Knowledge really is power!
- the exercises I use with my clients and
a training plan to help you build the very
specific kind of strength you need to
absolutely boss your no-kick invert.
You with me? Then let’s do this thing!
Overview 04

What are we training to achieve? 05

Exercise selection matters! 14

‘Off the Pole’ exercises 18

‘On the Pole’ exercises 30

Your Training Plan 38

Beyond the Invert 42

This ebook and the exercises in it are provided for educational/

informational purposes only. This is not a substitute for professional
medical advice. You should consult your Doctor or Health Care
Professional before doing any exercises or fitness programs to
determine if they are right for your needs.
Invert training for Beginner Polers

OVERVIEW
In this little hunk of an ebook, we’ll analyse what makes a strong invert and
how we can use strength and conditioning to set our bodies (and brains!) up
for invert success – and beyond!

Here’s what you can expect from each section:

1
WHAT ARE WE TRYING TO ACHIEVE?
What’s actually involved in the pole invert movement?
Which muscles do we need to engage and co-ordinate? 2
EXERCISE SELECTION MATTERS
The clarity of ‘what we’re trying to achieve’
begs clarity in the exercises we choose to
achieve it. The analysis from Part 1 enables

3 us to be very deliberate about our exercise

selection. This is how we can design super
EXERCISES specific, super effective strength programmes
for our pole goals!
The practical bit! I’ll share

4
my exercise selection ‘picks’
complete with regressions,
progressions and videos so
you’ll know exactly what you
YOUR TRAINING PLAN
need to do! Time to get to work with a structured programme you
can start today!

5
BEYOND THE INVERT
You won’t be a beginner forever! Let’s look at the bigger
picture... how we can use S&C work to build ninja-level
pole strength for the4 long-term?
 Invert training for Beginner Polers

WHAT ARE WE TRYING

TO ACHIEVE?
We cannot begin the process of exercise selection until
we know exactly what it is that we’re trying to achieve,
so let’s take a quick look at what we’re asking our body
to do for the ‘no kick’ invert.

Core is #1
Let’s start with the core, because everything else moves
from this foundation!

When we think of the ‘core muscles’, most people

think about the six pack muscle (the rectus abdominis).
But actually, our ‘core’ is so much more than that. It
really comprises all of the muscles around our spine
and pelvis which help to stabilise our spinal and pelvis
position.

Of this collection of muscles, it’s mostly the ‘deep’

abdominal muscles—our transversus abdominis—
and the muscles which wrap around our torso—the
obliques—which are working hardest to create the
‘core stability’ we need to perform the invert well.

5
This stable spine and pelvis position provides a firm anchor point from which our other
muscles are able to generate force.

As we will see below, two of the primary muscles working in the invert are the latissimus
dorsi and the iliopsoas—we’ll talk more about these shortly, but for now just know that
both of these muscles attach to our spine and the iliopsoas to the pelvis, too. Which
is why it’s particularly important that our spinal and pelvis position is solid—so those
muscles can do their job properly!

Without that solid base, it be harder for those muscles to generate force, making the
whole movement less efficient. It will be much harder to get upside down—and if we
DO manage to get upside down, we might end up using and reinforcing an inefficient
movement pattern, which won’t serve us well in the long run.

Conversely, when our core is strong and our spine and pelvis position stable, it means
the rest of our muscles can operate efficiently. Winner!

Tucking the legs

It’s our hamstring muscles (on the back of our legs) which bend our knees and our hip
flexors (primarily the ‘iliopsoas’) which contract to tuck our legs in towards our chest.

Note that as our legs move into the final tuck position, the rectus abdominis (our old
friend, the six pack muscle) also works to tuck our pelvis under a little (this is called a
posterior pelvic tilt, if you wanna get fancy about it).
 Upper body
When we lift our feet off the ground, we call on our upper body strength to resist the
pull of gravity and keep our body from slumping down to the floor.

It’s mostly our latissimus dorsi muscle which keeps our upper body lifted close to our
hands. And our biceps which work to maintain the bend in our arms.

The dreaded tip back

Now, here’s the super interesting part about the invert - and one of the BIGGEST
stumbling blocks for beginners.

Note that everything stays pretty much where it is in the ‘tip back’ - our upper arms
stay roughly in the same position next to our body, our pelvis, leg and spinal position
all stay the same.

The only significant joint action is that our arms straighten.

So... what’s with that? It means that all those muscles we just talked about are
working hard to maintain this ‘static’ position: our hip flexors keeping our legs tucked,
our latissimus dorsi is keeping our torso close to our hands and (importantly) our
core muscles are maintaining our spinal and pelvis position. Those muscles are
all contracting isometrically (that’s just a fancy way of saying that the muscles are
not lengthening or shortening, they are just ‘holding’ a position). It’s an eccentric
contraction (fancy way of saying the muscle is lengthening) of the biceps coupled with
a concentric contraction (muscle is shortening) of the triceps which controlled the
extension of our arms.
 Before we go on, here’s a quick visual - if you prefer to watch than
read - you can watch all these things in action in the video below!

One of the most common issues I see with beginners is that their torso
begins to drop away from their hands as they start to straighten their
arms. Sometimes this looks (or feels like) the arms are straightening too
soon. Often, it is simply because the latissimus dorsi (‘lats’) are not strong
enough to maintain the contraction and keep the torso lifted to the hands.
 Finally upside down!
In the inverted position, the muscles of our mid back - the middle trapezius
and rhomboids - have to work to prevent our shoulder blades from excessively
protracting (protracting means the shoulder blades moving away from each other).

Our erector spinae must also work to prevent our upper back from excessively
rounding. Combined with the latissimus dorsi contraction we just mentioned, this all
helps to keep our pelvis efficiently stacked above our shoulders.
The excessive scapular protraction and upper back rounding is another common
stumbling block for beginners! Usually, it’s with those students who seem able
to get up into the invert but then have trouble holding it. Trying to hold the
inversion without that efficient ‘stack’ from the engagement of the middle
trapezius and erector spinae is MUCH more challenging, so a little extra
strength and awareness here can go a long way!

Take a quick look at our Skelly’s invert examples on the following page. If yours
looks a little bit more ‘Column A’ than ‘Column B’, it’s likely down to one (or a
combination of) the above factors!

The good news is that the solution to this invert problem is SUPER simple: working
on your strength in the key areas we’ve discussed will get your invert looking and
feeling like a Column B champ!
Just one more thing!
Okay, that’s probably enough nerdiness for now! There’s just one more thing...
actually a couple more things... I want to quickly mention before we get stuck into
exercise selection!

In our ‘chopper’ position, our legs move into a wide ‘V’ position (primarily by the glu-
teus medius and tensor fasciae latae), with the quadriceps working to keep the legs
straight. Our deep hip rotators also work to stabilise the legs in an externally rotated
position. Not only do we need strength in those muscles (as well as our hip flexors) to
create this straddle, we also need a certain amount of flexibility in our hamstrings and
hip adductors. As we’re focusing today on strength for the invert itself, that’s all I’m
going to say about the straddle position. It’s rarely the thing that causes problems for
beginners learning to invert.

Remember, too, that because we’re side-on to the pole, both sides of our body are
not working equally in the pole invert. We’re engaging the same muscles on each
side to execute the movement, but there is most definitely a unilateral element to it.

The sturdy pole provides more stability to the side closest to the pole, but creates an
additional lateral force that we have to stabilise against, too.
Invert training for Beginner Polers

EXERCISE SELECTION
MATTERS!

Kill your darlings!

In literary circles, writers are given the advice: ‘kill your darlings’. In other words,
eliminate unnecessary plots, characters or even individual sentences in order to
create a more compelling story.

In exercise programming, the same principle applies.

We can’t just throw everything at the wall to see what sticks – a great S&C
programme is all about very intentional and deliberate exercise selection.

To be efficient, there should be NO exercises included in your training programme

which don’t serve a purpose.

It sounds simple, but in reality this can be surprisingly hard to do!

When planning our training, it’s tempting to include that exciting new drill we just
saw on Instagram, or to throw in a bunch of our usual favourites – but we need
to ask ourselves WHY we are doing the exercises we’re doing. Are all those pole
crunches really helping drive the best results for our goals or could we be doing
something more productive with our conditioning time?

We must be strict with ourselves about why each and every exercise we choose is
taking up precious space in our training schedules and remember that the basics
done well, done consistently with gradual progression is truly the recipe for
success. We sometimes just have to cut through the ‘noise’ to stay true to these
fundamentals.

14
Based on our analysis of the invert
above, we can pull out some key
elements:
1. Core stability
2. Hip flexor strength to tuck the legs
3. Eccentric bicep strength
4. Pulling strength, with a focus on the isometric
contraction of the latissimus dorsi and upper back
muscles (including the scapular retractors)
5. Strength in the erector spinae muscles to
prevent excessive rounding of the spine

So it makes sense that we focus our exercise

selection for invert conditioning on these areas.
Invert training for Beginner Polers

Wait, why don’t we just do conditioning on the pole?

The line between strength and skill is often blurred, particularly when it comes to the ‘on the
pole’ progressions we use for the invert.

Conditioning exercises ‘on the pole’ are useful in our No Kick invert mission, too. But the
invert movement is complex. It can take a while for our bodies and brains to understand the
engagement and the timing of the movement pattern.

If our muscles are already strong in the individual elements that make up the invert, pulling
them all together when we’re ready to work on the skill itself will not only be easier, but we’ll be
more likely to be starting off with good form and reinforcing good technique.

On the other hand, if we do not understand and cannot engage in the individual elements
of the movement – and if we don’t have strength in those areas, when we try to execute the
movement itself, or individual elements of it on the pole (like the pole tuck – the very first part
of the invert), it might actually be detrimental to our progress.

If we’re doing those pole tucks with our shoulders hunched forwards, using momentum off
the floor to tuck and grinding out the reps to hit the numbers without focusing on quality of
movement, we will only be reinforcing those ‘less than optimal’ movement mechanics.

This doesn’t mean we can’t work on the skill side of the movement alongside the strength work
and it doesn’t mean that we can’t use ‘on the pole’ strength work– the two things work hand-
in-hand, but if you are unable to perform the lying invert tuck (Exercise 1 below) with good
form, then you certainly won’t be able to do it in the air, on the pole, with all your bodyweight
involved.

Exploring the individual elements away from the intensity of the skill not only helps build
strength and reinforces quality movement, but it also allows us to see where our strengths and
weaknesses are. If you are struggling with your invert, your strengths and weaknesses in the
‘off the pole’ exercises can provide vital clues to highlight the areas you might need to work on
most.

16
 Strength progression always works in layers. If we first lay a good foundation, then layer on
gradually over time – your strength will increase natrually as you build those layers.

This doesn’t always work in a linear way and there is often overlap, but planning out your off the
pole training to run alongside your pole progressions will help you create and build these layers.

START WITH PROGRESS TO

Individual elements of strength

and engagement (off the pole)

Bilateral movements
Deloaded movements

Combining elements together

(off the pole)
Unilateral movements
Loaded movements
Individual elements
(on the pole)

The full movement pattern

(on the pole) deloaded

The full movement pattern

(on the pole) loaded
Invert training for Beginner Polers

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 Invert training for Beginner Polers

OFF THE POLE

EXERCISES

19
Invert training for Beginner Polers

OFF THE POLE EXERCISES

EXERCISE #1 - CORE!

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 Invert training for Beginner Polers

LYING INVERT TUCK REGRESSIONS

Keeping one foot lightly down on the floor (leg
I think I first saw this pilates style exercise applied bent) will take away some of the load.
to aerial by The Circus Doc. In one of her lectures,
Dr Emily Scherb used the lying invert tuck to review
core engagement for inversions. It’s one that has PROGRESSIONS
stuck with me over the years and I’ve adapted the
progressions I use to make it more specific to the My favourite pole invert-focused progression is
pole invert. to combine the leg tuck with an upper body pull
either on the floor (using the pole) click here for
Move slowly and really focus on the lower abdominal a video!, or combining it with the Exercise 2 pull
engagement, keeping your hands on your belly to below.
feel what is happening there as you move. This is one
of those exercises that looks easy, but getting it right
is challenging! The exploration of core engagement
Rep and set suggestion:
will really help you SO MUCH later on!
2 or 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps.

21
Invert training for Beginner Polers

EXERCISE #2 - VERTICAL PULL!

22
 Invert training for Beginner Polers

RESISTANCE BAND PULL (VERTICAL)

This exercise is a modification of a chin up progression using a resistance band. In the video opposite, I’m demonstrating
the full range movement, but Instead of moving though this ‘full’ pull up movement which begins with arms fully
overhead, for extra ‘invert’ bonus points, just hold the pull in the bottom position (which is a little more similar to the
isometric contraction we use in the invert).

Find some resistance in the band, pull down and hold the isometric contraction, noting how it feels to keep your arms
by your sides against the resistance of the band without overly rounding your shoulders forwards. I tend to cue ‘keep
your chest lifted’ rather than ‘shoulders back’ to help with this.

REGRESSIONS PROGRESSIONS
Use a lighter band / tie the band only at one A great way to progress this one is to combine
end to provide more ‘slack’ in the band and just the pull hold with the lying invert tuck (Exercise
do one side at a time. 1). It will look something like this.

You can also add a lateral element to the pull

by bringing the arms to one side (into a position
that is more similar to the invert hold)!

Rep and set suggestion:

3 sets of: 5 x 5 second holds.

23
Invert training for Beginner Polers

EXERCISE #3 - BICEP
STRENGTH!

24
 Invert training for Beginner Polers

REGRESSIONS
ECCENTRIC BICEP CURLS
Use a lighter band / tie the band only at one
end to provide more ‘slack’ in the band, and/or
Once you are familar with this exercise, you can use reduce the count for the slow lower.
a really heavy resistance on the band and do one
arm at a time, to add more challenge. For that ‘single
arm’ version, you can use your opposite hand to
PROGRESSIONS
help get the band into the top position, then slowly
lower it down with control.
If you have weights, you can use dumbbells,
progressing to a heavy weight - but you’ll need
Think about the lat engagement while perfoming
a spotter to help you get the dumbbell up
this exercise, too - keep your arms by your sides as
to the starting point so you can focus on the
well as controlling the elbow extension.
lower. Suspension trainer bicep curls are also
Rep and set suggestion: a really great invert-specific progression! If
3 sets of 5 slow lowers on you’re working with bands, just progressing to
each side (single arm) / 10 a heavier band is great!
slow lowers (bilateral).

25
Invert training for Beginner Polers

EXERCISE #4 - HORIZONTAL
PULL!
26
 Invert training for Beginner Polers

RESISTANCE BAND PULL (HORIZONTAL)

The video opposite demonstrates the full range pull. But, just like with the vertical pull, rather than
performing the ‘full range’ of the pulling movement, pausing and holding at the end of the pull is a great
way to make this more isometric - just like the contraction in the invert!

REGRESSIONS PROGRESSIONS
Use a lighter band / tie the band only at one
There are so many great progressions for
end to provide more ‘slack’ in the band and just
horizontal pulling! Suspension trainer pulls and
do one side at a time.
bent rows are two of my favourites. If you’re
working only with resistance bands, changing
the impact of gravity by standing and leaning
your torso forwards (same set up as the bent
row) so you are pulling the band from a low
anchor point (still horizontally) from below is a
great progression.

Rep and set suggestion:

3 sets of: 5 x 5 second holds.

27
Invert training for Beginner Polers

EXERCISE #5 - HIP FLEXORS

28

RESISTED HIP FLEXION
This is a great way to start working on hip flexor
strength for the knee tuck in the invert.
Try to keep your pelvis level (so you’re not ‘hiking’
up the hip on one side as you move).
REGRESSIONS
You can make this easier by performing the
exact same movement but lying on your back
on the floor.
Invert training for Beginner Polers
PROGRESSIONS
My go-to progression for this is to add a little
more load by holding a weight (supported by
your hands) on your thigh - it will provide a little
extra resistance to challenge your hip flexors!
Rep and set suggestion:
2 or 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps.
29
Invert training for Beginner Polers

30
 Invert training for Beginner Polers

ON THE POLE
EXERCISES

31
Invert training for Beginner Polers

EXERCISE #1 - PULL
STRENGTH

32
 Invert training for Beginner Polers

SEATED POLE PULLS

Upper body strength is so crucial for the invert. Here,

we’re working on that upper body pull movement,
challenging both the latissimus dorsi and the biceps,
as well as working on our grip strength!
PROGRESSIONS
Once you are super comfortable with this, you
can progress it by moving to a tabletop position
like this: Tabletop Pole Pulls.

REGRESSIONS

If you find this one too challenging, you can try either
reducing the range of motion (so the movement is
Rep and set suggestion:
smaller), or you can just stay in the start point for
2 or 3 sets of 5 reps on each side.
timed holds - just make sure you are actively pulling
down on the pole and you’ll still be working all the
same muscles!

33
Invert training for Beginner Polers

EXERCISE #2 - PULL, CORE

AND HIP FLEXOR STRENGTH

34
 Invert training for Beginner Polers

LYING INVERT PREP

In this exercise, we’re working on combining solid PROGRESSIONS

core engagement with the knee tuck and pulling
engagement.
REGRESSIONS
To make this easier, you can keep one foot tapped
lightly on the floor, and/or you can take out the
straddle with the legs, like this: Ground Invert Prep.
Once you are super comfortable with this, you
can progress it by moving to a standing position
and performing the tuck up of your knees with
all the same cues (pole tuck). Don’t worry about
the tip back part of the invert for this, just focus
on getting that lift of your knees to your chest
feeling super strong and solid. If you can’t lift
both feet off the floor at first, you can just lift
one knee at a time.

Rep and set suggestion:

2 or 3 sets of 5 reps on each side.

35
Invert training for Beginner Polers

EXERCISE #3 - THE FULL

MOVEMENT!

36

STABILITY BALL INVERTS
Using a stability ball is one of my favourite ways
to ‘deload’ the movement pattern of the invert.
The ball takes some of the load away from the full
movement, while still being super challenging, but
allows you to work through the entire movement
pattern of the invert.
Be in no doubt - this is a really difficult exercise to
execute, so work on the regressions listed opposite
before you dive into the full version! Finding your
own ‘sweet spot’ for the ball can be tricky, but stick
with it - the progress gains will be worth it! Plus,
training with a stability ball is always good fun. :D
Rep and set suggestion:
2 or 3 sets of 5 reps on each side.
Invert training for Beginner Polers
REGRESSIONS
In the demo video opposite, I’m showing the full
version into the chopper. To begin with, you can
keep one foot down on the floor and just start by
tucking your legs up and trying to hold your balance,
eventually tucking both legs, and then working on
the tip back.
PROGRESSIONS
Once you know where your own ‘sticking point’
is in the movement pattern, you can focus your
attention there, performing timed holds at
that point/ slow reps through that part of the
movement.
37
Invert training for Beginner Polers
YOUR TRAINING
PROGRAMME
WORKOUT 1:
OFF THE POLE
Important! Perform an 8 to 10 minute
warm up before diving into your workout!
Not sure what to do? You can find an
example off the pole warm up on p40!
CIRCUIT
After a proper warm up, complete each
exercise below, in turn, resting when you
need, to keep good form!
Exercise #1: Lying Invert Tuck (8 to 10 reps)
Exercise #2: Resistance Band Vertical Pull (5
x 5 second holds)
Exercise #3: Eccentric Bicep Curls (10 slow
lowers)
Exercise #4: Resistance Band Horizontal Pull
(5 x 5 second holds)
Exercise #5: Resisted Hip Flexion (8 to 10
reps each side)
After completing all 5 exercises, rest for 60
seconds then repeat once or twice more.
Important! End your workout with a proper
cool down and stretch! Not sure what to
do? You can find an example cool down
stretch on p41!
38
WORKOUT 2:
ON THE POLE
Important! Perform an 8 to 10 minute
warm up before diving into your workout!
Not sure what to do? You can find an
example pole warm up on p40!
WORKOUT
After a proper warm up, complete 2 or 3 sets
of Exercise 1, resting 30 seconds between
each set.
Exercise #1: Seated Pole Pulls (5 reps each
side)
Once you’ve finished your 2 or 3 sets of
Exercise 1, follow the same structure for
Exercises 2 and 3 below.
Exercise #2: Lying Invert Prep (5 reps each
side)
Exercise #3: Stability Ball Inverts (5 reps
each side)
Important! End your workout with a proper
cool down and stretch! Not sure what to
do? You can find an example cool down
stretch on p41!
 TIPS

Do each workout once a week.

Make sure you’re incorporating rest days between your workouts,

especially if you’re new to training! Recovery is not only important for
injury prevention, it’s absolutely necessary for the invert #gains to happen!

Aim for ‘challenging but do-able’ and prioritise good form over speed and
intensity!

Start with the easiest versions of the exercises. Each week, you can slowly
begin to build in progressions or add repetitions / increase the weight
you’re using if you don’t feel the version of the exercise you are doing is
hitting that ‘challenging but do-able’ target.

Still finding it challenging? You don’t need to add progressions yet! Keep
going!

Take a deload week after around 4 weeks. ‘Deload week’ is basically a

‘recovery’ week where you significantly reduce the intensity of your
training to let your body process all the hard work you’ve been doing. After
that deload week, check in on your progress with the invert, adjust the
exercises accordingly and keep going in the direction of your pole goals!
Invert training for Beginner Polers

WARM UPS & COOL DOWN

OFF THE POLE WARM UP POLE WARM UP

PULSE RAISER (5 MIN): PULSE RAISER (5 MIN):

5 exercises 5 exercises
30 seconds each 30 seconds each
2 x through 2 x through

Shuffle Shuffle
Half Jack Half Jack
High Knees High Knees
Heel Kick Squat with Twist
Squat with Twist Lizard with Rotation

MOBILISATION: MOBILISATION:
7 exercises 7 exercises
5 reps each 5 reps each
2 x through 2 x through

Shoulder Circles 1 Shoulder Circles 1

Dynamic Chest Stretch
Dynamic Tricep Stretch
Shoulder Circles 2
Scapular Retraction
W Exercise
Toe taps
Dynamic Chest Stretch
Hip Tilt on Ball
Hip Circles
Rotator Cuff External Rotation
Forearm Rotation
Wrist Warm Up

40
 COOL DOWN STRETCH

Hold each stretch around 20 seconds

Chest Stretch on Pole

Shoulder Stretch
Lat Stretch on Pole
Hip Flexor and Side Stretch
Quad Stretch
Cat Cow
Wrist Stretch
Bicep Stretch
Stability Ball Side Stretch
Forward Fold (Seated)
Seated Twist Stretch
Invert training for Beginner Polers

BEYOND THE INVERT!

The exercises I’ve suggested above are very specific to the invert, but they have a
lot of general application to pole. These kinds of exercises will set you up with a
good foundation of core engagement and upper body strength that will serve you
well as you begin to progress.

But while focusing on individual skills when you need to make progress on specific
skills is a good tactic, it’s important to keep the bigger picture in mind, too.

The exercises we’re performing should progress alongside our pole skill
development – always prepping our body for what’s coming up next – that
includes not just strength and preparation for particular skills, but also general
prehab and muscle balancing work, to make sure you’re setting yourself up to be
a well-rounded and resilient athlete for the long term!

As a start, I challenge you to incorporate the invert workouts into your training
routine and see what magic happens in one or two months down the line.

Not only are you setting your body up for invert success and reduced injury risk,
but you’re also making a really great platform to work on intermediate skills later
= win, win!

Beyond that, if you want to know more about pole-specific exercise programming,
I think you’ll get a lot out of my book Strength and Conditioning for Pole - it’s
a 460 page beast of a textbook that will help you create a long-term training
programme for pole strength, based on your own unique strengths and
weaknesses!

I wish you all the luck in the world with your invert mission! Remember that all
things are difficult before they are easy. Master the basics, trust the process and
one day, this once difficult thing will become easy, too. Stick with it!

42
“
Invert training for Beginner Polers

RESPECT THE
BUILDING BLOCKS,
MASTER THE
FUNDAMENTALS
AND
THE POTENTIAL IS
UNLIMITED.
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