>> When it comes to enjoyable training that delivers results, pole strength should be top of the list. It has some obvious connotations some guys might not be able to get past, which is a shame, because for men who commit to develop their strength on a vertical pole, the impact it can have on their physique is powerful – think abs strength, shoulder power and mobility across your whole body. The fact that holding on to a pole requires so much strength, and recruits so much synergistic, core muscle, means if you spend enough time on it to progress, you’ll see your muscle tone and shape transform dramatically.
Across most calisthenics, martial arts and weight lifting, you need an understanding of how to connect your shoulder frame to your hip posture. An example of that is a front lever. Lots of people lose the ability to lock their pelvis in posterior rotation when they engage their lats. Not only can pole teach you this, but it teaches you how to do so in the sagittal, frontal and transverse planes.
The pole is also incredible for developing your strength in external rotation of the shoulder, at leverage (when your arms are straight). This is often one of the weakest, least-trained movement patterns, which is why pole always feels so hard when you first start, but also highlights why it’s such a valuable method of exercise for so many people.
To get started with pole strength, try to find a decent class locally. Your enjoyment of using the pole will increase exponentially once you get past the first few humbling sessions, so getting some good coaching, to get past those first lessons quickly, makes a lot of sense.
Below, I’ve given some of my favourite drills to hit. I run this sort of thing in the weekly Pole Strength class at the Wild Training Gym. You can do them, it just takes practice, some patience and good instruction. The following exercises develop the component parts of strength you need to be able to hold a proper flag – not a jump and quick snap on your phone, but a proper, controlled human flag. There you go: set a decent goal, then go and get it.
FLAG BEARER
Your four-step progression for hitting a perfect flag and forging a rock-strong core
1. SPLIT-GRIP CRUNCH