I just had my first visit with an osteopath today. We did an hour-long assessment, and she told me my body was crooked. That was news to me! I knew I had some muscle imbalances but didn’t know to what extent. My right shoulder and right hip are lower than my left side. My pelvis is rotated slightly to the right even when I’m lying down. I’m starting to develop a mild scoliosis in my spine.
When I first started training in pole (before having my own studio), the class would learn moves on one side but not always the other. The instructors would mention to train the other side but never reinforce it, especially, in the higher levels where it was easier to train one side only. After so many repetitions of handsprings, ayeshas and deadlift training, I can now see how and why my body is this way. I have a strong Iron X on my left but can barely do an extended butterfly on my right. It’s interesting that the human body is so adaptable to every movement (or lack of movement) we do. It’s time to seriously start training my “bad” side to prevent further injuries!This is all due to training one side only for so many years! I initially went to see the osteopath for pain and numbness in my sacrum. I fell off the pole right onto it about a year and a half ago.
When I started pole fitness, I had zero training in fitness or the human body. Luckily, I chose a career path that made me learn more about functional movement, Yoga Tune Up®, mobility and strength training. This training will help a lot to recover from these imbalances. I always knew it was important to train both sides, but now, I see the real value in training evenly from the start! This is why you train BOTH sides starting in Intro to Pole. I teach all my students to work both sides to prevent muscle imbalances and injuries to their bodies. As part of our studio philosophy at Iron X Fitness, we offer classes like Be Flexy and Yoga Tune Up® to promote prehabilitation/rehabilitation and recovery specifically for pole. No body is symmetrical but it’s important to work both sides to ensure a healthy body and that imbalances like mine do not occur!
