We all know how much PULLING strength we need for poleā¦ climbing, spins, inverts, shoulder mountsā¦ all these movements involve an upper body pull of some kind!
But do you know the different ways we use overhead PUSHING strength in pole?
Wait, whaaat? Do we really do that much overhead pushing when we pole?
Yup, we sure do! Letās look at some examplesā¦
The overhead pushing positions youāll probably be most familiar with are handstand based tricks and Ayesha-type positions, where we hold an overhead push position isometrically (i.e. weāre holding the straight arm position overhead).
But we also quite often press up through a bent arm into an overhead position, for example when we press into an Ayesha from a Flatline Scorpio or Jasmine (I think itās called a āHunterās Pressāā¦ or at least it is in my neck oā the woods!), and other muscle-up style movement patterns.
Sometimes, we use speed and power through an overhead pushing movement, like in a floor kip or even landing in an overhead position, like in a dynamic handspring, re-grips or flips into a split grip.
We move into the overhead position through different planes of motion, too. For instance, if weāre deadlifting into a handspring from a dead hang position (chest facing the ceiling), we might begin the movement by pressing more laterally (to the side) and even into extension (pressing behind us) while we tuck our knees and lift our hips up as we move into the overhead position of the Ayesha.
Moving from a lateral push to an overhead push position is quite common with more advanced lifts and handstand press variations.
For some speedy visuals, you can see examples of all these in the short video below!
Obviously, with all these movements, thereās plenty of other stuff going on! Usually weāre pulling with the opposite arm as we push ā and all these tricks require a lot of core stability and on-point technique, too! But understanding the different ways that we move overhead on the pole can really help when it comes to exercise selection if we want to get super skill-specific with our pressing in the gym.
Why do we struggle so much with more advanced overhead pushing on the pole?
I have a theory! When it comes to pulling, we tend to gradually build that strength as we progress in our pole classes. We usually go through the step-by-step process of learning walk-arounds, then basic spins, then climbing etc, and organically build that pulling strength up over time.
As we hit more intermediate and advanced levels, we start using overhead pressing a lot more. Learning handstand based movements, butterflies and eventually Ayeshas. But often we donāt have that same gradual strength ramp-up that we had with pulling. Or we only build overhead pushing strength in those more isometric hold positions like Butterflies and Ayeshas from an invert.
That missing gap in pushing strength can then show up as a limiting factor when we start to work on more advanced presses like pushing up into the Ayesha, handsprings and muscle-up type movement patterns.
Of course, these movements are challenging in *many* other ways, too, so thereās always a learning curve and a process with them, but if youāre dreaming of doing these kinds of advanced tricks one day, or if you feel super sturdy in your handstand and Ayesha already but donāt feel strong enough to press up into it yet, strengthening your overhead push OFF the pole can really help bridge that gap to help you on your way!
5 overhead pressing exercises for pole dance
When it comes to training overhead strength in the gym, getting strong not only in more traditional presses, but also adding some speed and power elements, moving through different planes of motion into that overhead position, and working on shoulder stability through those movements are all great ways to make our overhead pressing really pole specific.
Here are 5 of my faves!
A quick caveat before we get into the exercises…
As always with strength training, start light and with basic movement patterns. Build up gradually! These exercises are given as examples only – they may not be suitable for you. In particular, if your overhead range of motion is limited, you might need to work on your shoulder mobility and choose different exercises before progressing to those shown here. Check out my post on overhead shoulder mobility here if you’re not sure!
Exercise 1: Overhead press (and bonus push press)
Here’s a pretty traditional overhead press. You can make this more of a speed and power-focused exercise by turning it into a āpush pressā with a little dip and drive to lift the weight overhead, as Iām showing in the video below. You can also do this with a dumbbell instead if you donāt have a kettlebell!
My usual cues on these:
- Really push up, up, up towards the ceiling!
- Brace your core – keep your ribs down and avoid arching your lower back!
- Think about keeping your elbow more forwards, rather than letting it flare out to the side!
Exercise 2: One arm downdog
Iāve included this as a strength exercise, but I tend to use these mostly in warm ups as more of a mobility / engagement / proprioception exercise. Itās perfect prep before doing Handsprings and Ayesha based movements.
The focus is on moving from that lateral push position into the overhead position while maintaining engagement through the shoulder. One of my absolute faveys for shoulder stability and engagement awareness!
Exercise 3: Kettlebell snatches
This is a more advanced power-based overhead movement and is a great progression for those familiar with kettlebell training!
Being confident in your kettlebell swing and the overhead press position are both important prerequisites for this, so please only use this one if you’re already bossing your kettlebell swings and overhead presses, or if you can work with a coach!
If you want to find out more about the kettlebell snatch (cues, progressions), you can find a good guide here on the Girls Gone Strong website!
Exercise 4: Half Turkish Get Ups
Here, weāre keeping the arm straight and moving our body around that more isometric straight arm push, so this one has a bit more of a shoulder stability focus, with a strong core element, too. You can see the movement pattern has us pressing horizontally, moving into a more lateral position and then eventually overhead.
Exercise 5: Landmine push wipers
A landmine attachment for your barbell is a great way to add some variety and different directions to your pressing movements.
Landmine wipers are done typically with straight arms, but in this version, I’m adding a bent arm push that begins as a more lateral push, moving into an overhead position, to make it a little more pole-push-specific!
I’m driving up through that push, incorporating some rotation and core work, too. I’m also kind of ācatchingā the momentum as the bar moves to the other side through that more eccentric part of the movement, to then explosively push again.
This is such a fun exercise to do ā and the focus is really on training speed and power through that push and rotation!
Hope you got some good ideas for your pole training! Iād love to know your thoughts so don’t be shy about getting in touch if you have comments or questions! š
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