Aradia Instagram Fitness Challenge:

Core Strength, Flexibility and Balance

Aradia Instagram Fitness Challenge

At our studio, you often hear us talking about developing a strong core, functional flexibility, and balance. All of these take hard work and consistent practice, and they are especially important if you want to progress to more challenging moves and choreography. 

Since we are not able to be in the studio together, we have designed the Aradia Instagram Fitness Challenge. A series of quick videos (you’ll find them on our Instagram) will walk you through a variety of exercises you can do at home. Following the various exercises over the next thirty days will allow you to progress safely and effectively through these three series:

Series #1: Front Splits (with Demetra)

Whether you are a pole dancer or not, becoming more flexible is essential for your overall health and wellbeing. Stretching helps your body repair after injuries, and it reduces your body’s muscle imbalances. An additional benefit is that you significantly improve your physical performance in every sport you do. For pole specifically, doing a jade split requires a flat active split to accomplish that trick fully. 

 In this series, you will learn:

  1. Sun Salutations (Variations)
  2. Lunge to Hamstring Stretch
  3. Lunge Lift & Pigeon
  4. Scissor Kicks
  5. Leg Lifts
  6. Leg Circles
  7. Front Split

If you commit to these front split activities daily, you will see a significant change in your flexibility in a matter of weeks. After a hamstring injury a few years ago, Demetra worked on these main exercises for months (she trained at a slower pace due to her injury). She was so happy to achieve the splits once again. It took work, but it was well worth it!

Series #2: Headstands (with Robin)

There are lots of reasons why we should practice our headstands. Yogis suggest that being upside down improves mood, reduces stress, increases core strength, and even delays hair loss! Sure, these are all great reasons, but really, being upside down is fun.

While seeing the world from a new perspective, you will be strengthening your core and improving your balance, which will enhance your performance in any activity you choose. 

In this series, you will learn:

  1. Neck Warm-Up
  2. Wrist Warm-Up
  3. Tabletop Hold
  4. Handstand Slides
  5. Tripod Stand
  6. Alternate Knees Off Elbows (to Tuck)
  7. Stand
  8. Pike Lifts

Practice these exercises daily, and you will quickly be able to pop right into your headstand. A fun party trick, but also extremely useful in pole, aerial, and general health and wellness.

Series #3: Core (with Monika)

A strong core benefits everyone, not just athletes and aerialists. At our studio, we are focused on functional core training. We use a variety of exercises on and off apparatuses to ensure students are building the strength and stability they need to perform movements safely and efficiently. We work the entire lumbopelvic-hip complex, which is everything from torso to hips.

Core muscles are stabilizers in a lot of situations, whether you are a pole dancer, aerialist, climber, runner, etc. The core is one of the essential components of inverts and aerial deadlifts (but not the only element). Working on core exercises will also improve your posture, reduce back pain, and give you better movement and coordination overall. 

In this series, you will learn:

  1. Bent Hollow Body Hold
  2. Sky Touches
  3. Bent Hollow Body Ankle Touches
  4. Windshield Wipers
  5. Plank Shoulder Taps
  6. Pike Leg Lifts
  7. Ab Crunch (with Broom Stick)
  8. Knee Tucks (with Broom Stick)

These core exercises barely touch on the variety we do in our studio. However, these are all exercises you can do at home right now without equipment. If you want to see progress, you should train three times a week. You’ll be able to push for time, start adding weights in some cases, and increasing reps.

Below are links to download the printable tracking sheets for each series of exercises. Put this up on your fridge to remind you to check us out on Instagram from April 20 to May 10! Tag us (@aradiafitnesscalgary) in your Instagram stories if you want to show off your progress during our Instagram Fitness Challenge 🙂 . 

Front Splits Tracking Sheet

Balance Tracking Sheet

Core Tracking Sheet

We have online classes! There are over 40 live classes per week and you can attend as many you like.