Written by Indi with tips contributed by the #indigirls

We love pole. Some of us would pole all day every day if we could! But what do we do when we have pushed ourselves to the point that muscle soreness is holding us back? Here is a question from one of our followers:

“I would love to read more about regeneration after a exhausting pole dance class. I’m a pole newbie. Sometimes after a pole dance class my muscles are full of pain and I got a lot of bruises. It takes up to five days to fully recover my whole body. I’m so motivated to train more but it’s really hard to train with bruises and muscle soreness.”

Here are our top tips for reducing muscle soreness and improving recovery after an intense pole session. Brought to you by our #indigirls

@aerialellie @tammy_bambam @oliveoates @billiebrooklyn @pole_mimi @phoebearmfield @kristyxoxolouise @dylanluisa @gorilsynnove @zeniacontortion

1. Warm up and cool down properly

Prioritise a good warm up and cool down. The warm up should be about mobilising your joints and warming up the muscles. You should do a full body warm up, getting your heart rate up and the blood flowing, but also target specific areas you know will be under strain during your training.

Make sure you spend time cooling down and stretching the whole body, particularly focusing on areas you know you have used a lot in the session.

Even 10 minutes cooling down will make the biggest difference the next day!

2. Eat & drink for recovery

Eating well can really help with your body’s recovery. Good quality proteins such as lentils, peas, beans, fish & eggs will provide the amino acid needed for muscle production and detoxification. Also include healthy fats (e.g. avocado, olive oil) & unprocessed carbs for a complete recovery & to stimulate healing.

Hydrate hydrate hydrate! Staying hydrated helps to fuel recovery. “I really notice an increase in my muscle soreness if I haven’t had enough to drink in my previous training session.”

Consider magnesium supplements. “I also take magnesium supplements which have helped immensely with muscle soreness, to the point if I don’t take them I can notice.”

Arnica cream and Epsom salt baths may also help you feel better.

3. Stretch & myofascial release

Get moving! It’s hard when you are sore but eventually the muscles loosen up and the pain eases. So after a big session, go for a walk or do yoga the following day or do something that gets you moving but doesn’t cause more strain.

Stretching gently will help the muscles from knotting or shortening which can make the pain worse. Regular foam rolling or other myofascial release (e.g. massage, spiky ball) is also essential!

4. Listen to your body.

Good quality and adequate sleep is so important.

It’s important to listen to your body, to get to know how much training, the intensity and how often it can handle and be patient. Over time your body adapts (because it’s amazing!) and the amount of training can be increased and muscle soreness decreases!

“As a physiotherapist I see lots of girls who have niggles from pole but don’t acknowledge it and push through, and this is where injuries happen or niggles turn into painful chronic conditions. It doesn’t mean stop training! Just avoid irritating the niggles and usually in a few days they heal themselves like your body is designed to do!”