It might have been a few months or a few years since you last took regular pole or aerial classes. We’re here to let you know that you’re not alone. Many people take a break, for anything from pregnancy to injury and everything in between. Maybe you simply fell out of love with pole or aerial fitness or moved to a new area?
You’d be surprised at just how many of our students have either come back to us or found us following a break. We don’t judge anyone for their reasoning behind taking a break ever, whether you’re open about it or not.
So now you’ve decided that you want to take up pole or aerial again, it can be daunting to just take the first step of booking a class. Beyond that point, we’ve gathered our 6 top tips for returning to classes after a break in this post.
Take it slow
We hate to break it to you but unless your break was less than a month, you probably won’t be at the same point as you were previously. And that’s totally okay! You might have some muscle memory and flexibility but often, it feels like you’re starting from scratch again. It can feel disheartening especially if you felt like you’d made significant progress before. However, it’s all a part of your pole and aerial journey!
Focus on learning the proper techniques again and working on your flexibility. The fundamentals are important whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned competitor. You never know, you might pick it back up quicker than you think! Don’t forget to let your instructor know about your break and they’ll be able to guide you in the right direction as well.
Start with what you remember
Whatever you do, do not go into your first class back and try advanced moves! Actually, you want to be doing the opposite. Perfect the foundations before trying anything extreme! You might actually be surprised with just how much you can remember too so if you do, that’s a great starting point.
If you were a student for a number of years (with us or elsewhere) and have been keeping yourself fairly fit in that time, the flexibility and stamina might come easier for you. If you’re coming back from an injury or medical reason, chances are you’ll be starting with pretty much nothing. You might be surprised with your memory though and sometimes, remembering the correct placements is half of the battle!
Normalise your feelings
You might be feeling excited but also anxious when returning to pole or aerial classes after a break. We’re here to tell you that that’s totally normal! Whether it’s a first ever class, moving up to the next level or coming back after a break, everyone feels nervous at times at our studio. Accept that you’re going to have a multitude of feelings and feel them all.
We’re sure the nerves will disappear after a few weeks back in regular classes and you’ll wonder what you were so anxious about in the first place. When you join the Momentum family, you’re joining a group of people at all different levels and at different points in their lives. Every class is full of pride and support so your feelings will be accepted, no matter how negative or positive they are!
Give yourself a break
This might seem silly if you’re returning to pole or aerial classes after a break but we basically just mean don’t be so hard on yourself if you’re not at an advanced level after a couple of sessions! Accept that you’ll be a bit out of practice and embrace getting to learn everything for the first time again. It can be a great time to perfect your technique and you might even be able to nail that move that you once struggled with!
We also recommend not taking too many classes as a beginner. It can be tempting to book out your weekly calendar with lots of classes if you enjoy your first class. However, if you’re a beginner or have been out of the game for a while, just your regular weekly session and maybe an extra flex lesson are more than enough. It’s about getting your body prepared and not overdoing it!
Try a different discipline
Maybe you enjoyed pole but you want to try something new? Perhaps some aspects of aerial weren’t for you but other parts were? Why not just try a different class? We offer many different classes, from Pilates to aerial hoops and flying pole to fabrics, so there are plenty of choices for you.
If you are returning near to September or January, we recommend our Momentum Method course for the first 12 weeks. It will give you a good grounding and make sure you’re up to scratch again!
Focus on rest and recovery between classes
Upon returning to pole or aerial classes after a break, your body will probably be sorer than ever before. It won’t be fully conditioned yet to the new shapes that you’re contorting your body into and using muscles that might have been sleepy for a while! That’s why rest and recovery are so important!
Stretching between classes or doing yoga or Pilates are a great way to spend an active rest day. If you want to get more out of your classes than just the social aspect, flexibility doesn’t come naturally to most of us so you have to work on it in your own time. Recovery is everything from using a foam roller after pole classes to making sure you’re fully hydrated every day.
As you can see, our top 6 tips for returning to pole or aerial classes after a break are meant to be encouraging and motivating. Lots of our students take breaks for a myriad of reasons so you’ll never be alone in that sense. Our instructors all understand that life happens so will just support you in whatever you need during their class. Contact us today to get your pole or aerial journey back on track!
