Pole fitness · 28 days

Upper Body & Upper Back

Posture, pulling strength, and permission to put your shoulders down.

As little as 30 mins a few days a week 4 weeks Andria Louise Rose
Welcome

This month is all about your upper body and upper back.

Same idea as always. One set of videos for the month, and you get better at them as you go. The progressions live inside each class, so you're not learning new choreography every week, you're getting stronger, cleaner and more mobile in the moves that actually matter.

This is a posture and pulling month. Reverse planks, rows, rear delt flys and deadlifts build the strength that holds your shoulders where they're meant to sit, not creeping up around your ears. It's also core and compression work, the kind that shows up as a cleaner invert and a steadier shoulder mount, plus the grip and tricep strength behind every push and pull pole asks of you.

Your upper back and shoulders are usually the first place stress shows up in your body, the bit that tightens before you've even noticed you're bracing. Strengthening that area on purpose, then properly caring for the wrists, forearms and elbows that did the work on restore day, changes how you carry yourself off the mat too. Expect stronger pulls, straighter posture, and a body that holds a little less for you to carry.

How the month runs

Your four weeks

The videos don't change. You do. That's the point.

1

Meet the moves

Try each option with me, pick the ones that suit your body today, and write them down. No rush, no ranking.

2

Push a little

Same classes, a bit more from you. More reps, cleaner form, or the next option up. Your body knows what's coming now.

3

Test moving up

When you're getting sixteen to eighteen good reps of an option, that's your sign to try the next one, not before. Some you'll level up, some you'll hold. Both are right.

4

Make it yours

The moves feel like yours now. This is the week the strength quietly shows up in your posture, your pulls get cleaner, your shoulder mount feels more controlled, and training feels less like effort and more like something you just do.

The classes

Your week, session by session

Do them in the order that suits you. Most sessions are self paced, so watch the run through, then repeat the moves two to three times and finish with a stretch. Or pause after each strength drill and do it to your own max, resting five seconds between rounds. That second way is the one that builds real strength, so pick it if fast progress is what you're after.

Mon · StrengthUpper body · 30 min

Upper body strength

This is the focus of the month, so it's the one to really sink into. Follow along, try each option, choose the ones that suit your body today, and write them on your printable.

You'll need: a theraband, a small weight or a drink bottle (cans of food work too), a door or table leg for rows, and a wall. Be ready to tie your band in a circle, or buy a circle band, your hand can be the resistance if needed. Remember: if I walk off screen to grab something or let the dog out, keep going.

What's in the class

  • Reverse plank · glutes, hamstrings, lower back and core stabilisers, with a good open through the shoulders
  • Lying down ITY · upper back and rear shoulders, moving through I, T and Y shapes face down
  • Triceps work
  • Sit backs · core and hip mobility
  • Rows · your pulling strength, the thing that actually holds your posture up
  • Chest work
Tue · CardioBoxing/MMA · 45 min

Boxing basics

New to boxing with me? Watch the explainer/safety video first. I do need to remake it, the sound isn't great, but I've manually fixed what I can for now. Once you've watched it, the class itself starts at 6:50, so skip the intro from here on. It's shadow boxing fundamentals to start, hands up, elbows tucked in, core engaged while you punch, then it builds into jab, cross and jab-cross combinations, footwork, ducking, back hook and uppercuts, and a bit of kicking, all at your own pace with easier and harder options throughout.

No bag needed. Weighted gloves if you've got them, they bring more bang for your buck. Squats, plank, sit backs and wide pushups round it out, then a full stretch to finish.
Wed · StrengthWhole body · 35 min

Whole body strength

Everything gets a turn here, and it opens with a short high intensity block before we settle into strength. Follow along and choose your options as we go.

You'll need: a small weight or drink bottle (cans of food work too), a heavier weight like a sandbag or barbell (dumbbells or a child may work), a door or table leg for rows, and a wall, chair or pole. Remember: if I walk off screen to grab something or let the dog out, keep going.

What's in the class

  • Joint warm-up · ankles, knees, hips and shoulders, getting ready to move fast
  • High intensity intervals · bounce to side step, high knees, jump squats, hand walkout repeaters, one minute each
  • Rear delt flys · rear shoulders and upper back, more pulling power and better posture
  • Shoulder mount leg lift / ankle lower · the compression and control your body needs to invert cleanly
  • Tick tock · obliques, the sides of your waist
  • Tricep push ups
  • Seated leg straddle drills · hip flexors and lower abs, while you stay open
  • Rows
  • Deadlifts · lats, hamstrings, glutes and lower back, the big pulling movement everything else depends on
  • Heel lower and raise · calf, achilles and ankle prehab, keeps your landings and footwork safe
  • Stretch to finish
Thu · FlexUpper body flexibility · 30 min

Upper body flexibility

Beginner-friendly, with standing, wall-based and floor-based variations throughout. No wall handy? Do the static wall stretches kneeling instead, chest down, hand or forearm resting on a seat or couch.

You'll need: a mat or floor space, a resistance band or loop band, a wall or pole, and optionally a light weight or a chair.

What's in the class

  • Joint warm-up · shoulder shrugs, side reaches, chest rotations
  • Spinal roll-downs, with an optional walkout, plank or gentle push-up
  • Chest lifts on the floor, into a cobra or back extension hold
  • Shoulder extension · pulses and holds, then a seated shoulder stretch
  • Chest press or push-up variation
  • Chest opener · against a wall or pole
  • Crocodile arms · side-lying upper back rotations
  • Clamshells · hip and lower back support
  • Lower back twist to finish
Fri · Restor repeat the focus

Rest, or go again

A real rest day is part of the training, not a gap in it. Take it if your body wants it. If you're keen and feeling good, this is a fine day to repeat the upper body class and put a bit more into your chosen options.

Sat · Fun daymove for joy

Fun day

Not optional softness. Movement that feels joyful trains your nervous system too, and it's half the reason any of this sticks. Dance, play on the pole, walk somewhere green, do the thing your body actually wants. That counts.

Sun · RestoreEase your joints · 14 min

Ease your joints

After a month of pushing, pulling and punching, this is where your wrists, hands, forearms and elbows get looked after. It's a gentle, guided somatic-awareness class built around creating space and ease in the joints, not stretching or manipulating them. You settle into the room, notice your breath without changing it, then use soft touch and attention to explore each joint in turn, holding gently, noticing sensation, imagining breath and flow moving through anything that feels tight or sore. It closes with a short self-guided check-in, so you can bring the same attention to anywhere else in your body that needs care.

The explanation runs first, then the practice itself starts at 4 minutes. The sound still isn't perfect on this one, it's on my list to re-record, this was the best I could get out of the editing software for now.

Come find us on Discord

This is where the check ins happen, where the live chat lives, where live classes get announced, and where you can find a training buddy. It's the easiest way to not do this alone.

Join the Discord
Good to know

Why the videos repeat

It's deliberate, and it isn't just about the exercises.

Down for three seconds, hold, breathe, up for three seconds, and once you're getting sixteen to eighteen reps with good form, that's when you move to the next option, not before. That kind of progress only happens when your body already knows the movement. I've also spent a lot of my career with exhausted mums and neurodivergent folks, and consistency isn't a nice to have for them, it's what lets them learn safely and eventually train on their own. So the structure stays the same on purpose. You get to stop surviving each session and start owning it.

A few things before you press play

There's no music in the videos. My mic doesn't pick it up cleanly, so play your own in the background if you want some.

The sound isn't always perfect. I'm getting a proper fitness mic sorted, and if a take was genuinely bad I've refilmed it.

When I walk off screen, keep going. I'm still instructing, I've just moved to show you the next angle or set something up.

Kit

What you'll need

Essential

A mat, a theraband, water, and a wall or a door/table leg for rows.

Useful

A circle band (or your theraband tied in a loop), drink bottles or cans of food for light resistance, a heavier weight for deadlifts, and a chair or pole for the flex work.

For boxing

No bag needed. Weighted gloves if you've got them, they bring more bang for your buck.

Tips to make it stick

A real note from me

A lot of these classes are filmed in my studio, by myself, with a real dog and a real life in the background. That's part of the point. I'm not performing fitness, I'm teaching it. I've been working in movement for over 25 years. Trust the work.

This is a beta version. I've made something I believe in, fiercely, but the tech isn't the best yet because it's new. The idea is we do the thing, we prove it works, and then more people get involved. In time there'll be more teachers on board too, which means more variety.

You'll also see I don't look the healthiest right now. I've been sick for a long time and I'm on the road back. I was very advanced in pole and fitness and I'm just as passionate about sharing it. I teach a few classes a week and film some of them so I can keep building this library without exhausting myself. When a take is really bad, sound especially, I refilm it.

A few things people ask

Questions

Which option should I pick?

I always teach the easiest option first, so start there with me. If you're comfortably hitting sixteen to eighteen reps of what I've given you, that's your sign to try the next one up. If you're not there yet, stay put. There's no rush and no ranking.

The boxing day mentions an explainer, what's that?

There are short safety and set up videos before some sessions, and they matter. Shadow boxing on its own is a genuinely solid workout and will get your heart rate up, just don't fling your arms around like a baby bird. Engage everything and make it count. The video is labelled "boxing explainer" wherever you find it. I know the sound on this one isn't perfect, it's on the list to re-record properly.

What's the restore day actually doing?

Our bodies hold a lot of tension, from stress and from training, and they need time to be nurtured and reset. This month the restore work is somatic joint care for the wrists, hands, forearms and elbows, which is the perfect partner to a month spent pushing, pulling and punching with them. It's not about stretching harder, it's about attention and space. My in person students tend to feel more relaxed and mobile after the somatic sessions specifically, so give it real attention and see what your body tells you.

Do I actually need to use the tracker?

Only if you want to. Some people love tracking and some don't, both are fine. If you do, it's not just about weight, measurements tell a fuller story, and if numbers aren't your thing at all, resting heart rate is a good one to watch instead since it tends to drop as you get fitter. Track whatever's useful and skip the rest.

Can I ask for something specific to be made?

Yes, always. There's an end of month survey where you can tell me your wins, your struggles, and what you'd like to see more of. That same email has a link to book a call with me directly, if you need a proper pep talk, or a bit of a kick.

Track your progress

Trackers

Print them, handwrite your results as you go, and watch how far you travel over the month. They're pre filled, you just add your numbers. Mark any move you want to photograph with a "T" for track. New to the tracker? Here's how to use it.

Strength tracker

Print and track your sets, reps and progressions week to week. This is your main sheet for the month.

Open tracker

Just want a tick off?

If you only want an "I've done it" tick each day, make a copy of the printable calendar instead.

Open calendar

The upper body flexibility session is a follow along, so there's nothing to track there, just show up and stretch. Want to track other things too, like muscle mass, weight or measurements? All the printables live here.

For polers: pole skills worth tracking

Four weeks of showing up. What a win!

Whether you did all of it or part of it, you stepped in the right direction. Consistent movement is something a lot of people talk about and not many actually do. You did. The strength and posture you've built this month is a real foundation, for pole, for your shoulders, for life.

If you want to keep going, the membership gives you everything on the platform: more classes, follow along sessions, tailored plans, and a community of real people doing this work. Join for the month, stay if it feels right, leave if it doesn't. No lock ins, no pressure.

Glad you were here.