I have never been lucky enough to have natural flexibility. As a child I was always the one out of my friend who couldn’t do the splits, and until recently I couldn’t touch my toes without bending my knees.
However, recently I have realised the benefits of working on my flexibility, not only in relation to pole, but just general aspects of my health and fitness. I was guilty of never warming up, cooling down or giving my body a good stretch after a workout at the gym, and was always in pain the following days, but now waking up the day after a big workout is a lot more bearable than it used to be! I even feel slightly more elongated and my posture has improved; something that I would have never considered to be a benefit from working on my flexibility.
I am nearly into my front splits, my shoulders feel looser and my back is coming along lovely. I still have a long way to go, and I know that if I put more time, effort and dedication into my flexibility training, I would get to where I want to be a lot quicker, but unfortunately my lack of spare time and general laziness means that it’s a slow process.
I’d definitely encourage anyone who isn’t working on their flexibility to give it ago! The health benefits are amazing, and I am suffering from a lot less general aches and pains like I used to get from everyday life.
But if there’s anything more encouraging to work on flexibility, it’s seeing the likes of Marion Crampe, Bendy Kate and Felix Cane wrap themselves around the pole, in moves which boggle the mind!
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