How to Prepare for a Pole Dance Train-cation

A train-cation, retreat, intensive, or convention is a fantastic way to re-invigorate your love for your athletic art, whether it’s circus, pole, acro, dance, or all the above!

For most, it’s also a massive upswing in training in a short period of time.

Here are some tips for thriving during your train-cation.

Retreats: Are They Rest?

The word “retreat” is a misnomer for most of the training type trips people in the pole world take.

“Retreat” implies rest and recovery, but most of these trips are more like intensives with multiple days of training in several hours each day.

If you’re going from 1-2 pole classes a week to a trip where you’re doing pole all day/every day, you’re asking A LOT of your body, and you need to prepare it and fuel it appropriately.

Physically Prepare for Your Train-Cation

Start gradually increasing your training load or intensity.

It can be challenging to balance jobs, families, commutes, and other life things while also increasing training.

Improving your overall health and fitness will go a long way to help you survive the weekend or week you’re train-cationing!

Some things to consider are:

• Do you currently weight lift?
  • If yes, gradually increase either load or frequency leading up to the event
  • If no, add some weight training to your fitness plan
• Do you drink enough water?
  • If yes, good for you!
  • If no, try “habit stacking”– linking a new thing to an ingrained habit. For example, link taking a sip of water to something else you do frequently like every time you send an email at work, or after every question you answer for someone. There are also plenty of motivation apps where you can get reminders.
• Are you getting enough sleep?
  • If yes, hurray!
  • If no, start prioritizing sleep over other things, even if you have to say no to plans, or stop taking on extra work at the office or whatever you’re doing that’s keeping you up.
• How’s your nutrition?
  • If it’s good, keep it up!
  • If it’s not so good, now’s the time to get to meal prepping healthy options or hiring a nutrition coach to help you out.

If you’re already a rockstar at these 4 things, then you’re good to go and it’s time to GET HYPE for your train-cation, retreat, intensive etc.

If you look at this list and your response is more like “Gadzooks I’m a mess!” pick one thing at a time to work on—changing too much at once will never stick.

Mentally Prepare for Your Train-Cation

Preparing your mind can be just as important as training your body!

Focus on what you CAN control.

On your train-cation, you will be thrown out of your normal comfort zone with a whole bunch of other people. You may not be able to control every (or any) situation you’ll be in. The air might be too hot or too cold, your roommate might snore, travel might be a headache, and you might hate all the food.

Make a list of things that make you feel comfortable and safe like a weighted blanket or an eye mask to help you sleep. It might be your comfort hoodie or favorite stuffy mascot. Bring what you (realistically) can with you to help smooth off the rough edges of traveling.

Align your expectations.

Sure, you’re training with your favorite pole star and doing a workshop you’re looking forward to. But what happens if the workshop isn’t exactly what you expected or you don’t get any of the moves you really were looking forward to learning?

Make a list in advance not of moves you want to get but of experiences you hope to have. You can’t control if you “got” the move you wanted but you can expect to meet new people and learn new things. As long as you learned something new, that’s a win!

All these physical and mental tips to prepare for your train-cation will also help improve your general health and wellness especially when movement is part of your job!