In all honesty I think I am hugely underqualified to write this blog as my pole bag looks like a bloody messy disgrace. It’s full of empty grip bottles without lids, half a dozen tampons, receipts, hair pins and various other odds and sods that could do with going in the bin. Note to self, add “re-organising one’s pole dance bag” to your to-do list.
However, despite the clusterfuck of miscellaneous items mentioned above that are currently residing in my pole bag, there are also several essential items that are either in or by my pole bag 24/7. No matter what type of pole dance training I’m doing, be it strength tricks, working on my flexibility or getting my flow on, I am guaranteed to use at least four of the items below whilst training.
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Grip for your hands
Oh to be one of those lucky motherfuckers with naturally grippy hands! Alas, I am a sweaty Sharon when it comes to the old hand grip and have been known on occasion to plummet out of a chair spin, therefore a bottle of hand grip in some format is always in my bag ready to bust out when required, especially when I’m attempting to train any sort of arms only move to protect me from falling to instant death.
Grip for your legs
Similarly to the paragraph above, whilst my legs are a bit better than my clammy palms on the old grip front, they’re not the best either. As a bit of an anxious person, I live by the age old “ better safe than sorry” motto, so always have a bottle of leg grip in my pole bag ready to smother myself in so that I stick nicely to the pole. I’ve been working on the classic jade spilt recently too, so having legs like superglue is essential to make sure I’m wedged nicely into the pole.
Yoga blocks
How the hell I managed to stretch at home without yoga blocks from March – July is beyond me. Despite the many household items I tried to substitute for them whilst I was waiting for my block order to arrive (items that included dumbbells, books, cushions and even a tin of beard grooming products) nothing cut it compared to the real thing. Whether you’re stretching your back, shoulders, legs or pretty much any body part, a yoga block or two will aid you greatly in your flexy quest.
Stretching band
After previously using dog leads and dressing gown belts (sometimes two tied together on occasion), you can’t beat a good old fashioned, stretchy stretching bad to help you get into positions of the pretzel variety. I need to invest in those ones with loops on the ends for stretching my straddles and needle scale work, but for now, a bog standard stretchy one is doing the trick nicely.
Heels
Where the fuck would we be without our sexy, wonderful heels? Even when I’m not training flow and floorwork, I always strap a pair on at practice, as they make awesome ankle weights for conditioning and strength exercises. You feel like quite the badass when moves you could once only do in bare feet you can now do in a pair of eight-inch bad boys I can tell you! Heels look stunning, are all the fun to train in and I find help increase your strength no end, so they’re a must have for your pole bag.
Kneepads
Again, much like how I wish my hands were a grippy pair of bastards, I also wish my knees were tougher than they sadly are. They’re not too bad on carpet when training at home, but if I so much as dare to kneel on a hard floor with no kneepads on my knees start screaming profusely at me. Therefore, if any sort of floor training is happening, be it floor work or flexibility training (a lot of kneeling happens in flexibility classes I find) then the trusty old kneepads are going on and staying the fuck on. End of.
Water bottle
This one is a bit of a no brainer. Some people I guess can function quite nicely as a raisin and don’t seem to get that thirsty but not me, I am guzzling water down like a mother bitch during training, both on and off the pole. Staying hydrated helps you get flexy, prevents headaches and is just generally good for you, so my pole bag always has some sort of liquid carrying vessel within in. Usually it’s water, if I’m training hungover however, it’s the nectar of the hangover goddesses that is Lucozade Sport.
Towel
As previously mentioned I am a sweaty bugger, and now when training I have a pole to myself, so working twice as hard and getting twice as sweaty. I have been caught off guard by my own sweat (yes, you can laugh at that) as it’s got all over the pole in moves that require a side grip (I’m looking at you Scorpio) and has resulted in me slipping a fair bit down the old pole, so the towel is now a recent but essential item in the pole bag to wipe off the sweat and ensure that I am not about the slide off the pole.
Hair bands
Last but by no means least are hair bands. I just can’t train with my hair down, period. It gets right on my tits, flops all over the place and is just generally a distraction from the task in hand. My hair is quite long and flyaway, so it doesn’t stay in place unless it’s tied up and told to behave itself. If you ever see a photo or video of me dancing with my hair down please be assured that that was for video/photographic purposes only, when training is being done the old barnet is up.
So those are my essential items that I carry in my pole dance bag. If you have any essential items that you would like to share, please drop them in the comments below😊
Disclosure: The link above is an affiliate link, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn commission if you click through and make a purchase.
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