Training as an Adult: 6 Principles for Safe Progress | By Yana Ishchenko
In today’s dance world, more and more adults without a sports background are joining studios. They want results — a strong, beautiful, and skilled body. But the path to this goal is different from the one children take. Our bodies have their own history, their own limits — and their own potential.
Many of us want the results of a five-year-old gymnast, even if we start training at 20, 30, or 40. But we often forget that every body has its own experience and movement patterns formed over many years.
That’s why training with adults who didn’t grow up in sports has its own rules. And it’s important for both trainers and students to understand this — to achieve progress that is safe and effective.
Main Pillars of Safe Training
1. Understanding the basic technique of each move. It is very important to learn the correct base of every movement. To do this, go to workshops or classes with people who have good technique and can explain it clearly.
2. Adapting the technique to your body. We are all different. You’ll be surprised how different our body proportions can be — the length of the torso, arms, legs, the size and shape of the rib cage. Even this affects how we do tricks. I once read that people with a flat rib cage and a wide chest angle can twist better and do side bends more easily. For example, it’s easier for them to do the “Paradise Bird” trick. I have this body type too, and I agree. These details matter. So, it’s important to adapt the technique to your own body. For example, in the “Skat” move, if your pelvis turns inward, you should shift more weight to your arms and pull with your upper body. If your pelvic bones are turned out, it’s better to focus on letting the chest drop closer to the floor.
3. General physical preparation before doing the trick. Many people skip this step. But think: if you go to the gym and cannot lift 10 kg, do you ask yourself why you can’t lift 50 kg? Of course not. You start with 1 kg and build up. So why, when you can’t do a trick, do you only train that trick again and again? Maybe your body just doesn’t have enough strength yet. Then the first step should be building muscle and preparing the body.
4. Preparatory exercises (and even exercises before the preparatory ones). This is just as important as general strength. If your body is not ready for a certain element, this is where your or your coach’s creativity is needed. I personally look at the movement pattern needed for the exercise. Then I simplify it and reduce the load, so the person can understand how the movement works and which muscles are used. If it’s still too hard, we go one more step back and make it even easier, just to feel the right direction. When the student understands the task, we slowly increase the difficulty.
Example: someone wants to learn a clean roll. The key pattern here is to roll the head while the hips stay above the shoulder line. This is hard for many people. So we first learn just that — with feet on the floor. Too hard? We place the feet on blocks. Still hard? On a bed or a chair. With such steps, the brain starts to learn much faster.
5. Working with past injuries. Weak or injured areas need extra attention before trying new tricks. I often talk about my student who had a neck hernia. She came to me wearing a neck brace, and doctors told her not to turn her head. We didn’t even think about shoulder stands. But we chose a good neck routine, and she did it every day. First for one day, then two, three, and so on. Soon she didn’t need the brace anymore, and her muscles supported the injury. After that, we started rolls, preps for shoulder stands, and finally the full stand and combos with it.
But remember: if there is an injury, that area must be prepared first. This means a good warm-up and mini-workout right before training.
6. Rest and recovery. Adult bodies need 24–48 hours to fully recover. Now think — how much rest do you actually give your body? And it’s not just about muscles — the nervous system needs rest too. Yes, you train every day and don’t want to stop. But in that case, try switching the type of load. Train in cycles. For example, make a monthly plan: after a hard workout day, do a light one. Don’t train the same trick every day — the brain also gets tired of the same pattern. If you feel stuck, take a break from that move for a week or two. When you come back to it, both the muscles and your brain will feel refreshed and ready.
The adult body is not a weakness — it’s experience. It knows how to listen, understand, and respond to the right approach. Safe progress is possible at any age if you understand how your body works, don’t chase fast results, and respect your own limits. Everything that seems difficult becomes achievable when broken down into steps.
This is the core of my method: not through force, but through understanding.
If you want to learn how to work with your body in a smart and safe way — I invite you to my Shoulder Stand course. It includes everything: technique, adaptations, preparatory exercises, attention to details — and to you.
Shoulder Stand Course — Starts July 1
What’s included:
💜 Step-by-step prep exercises for shoulder stand variations. Each day, you’ll get one exercise to practice. We’ll gradually increase the difficulty and build combos based on these preps. You’ll strengthen your body and fully learn the technique.
💜 Shoulder stand technique in 3 positions
💜 Combos with shoulder stands
💜 Support chat to discuss your progress and ask questions
💜 Final live session to review your results and answer all your questions
👉 Course length: 1 month. You’ll keep all the materials.
💸 Price: 700 UAH
📩 To join — message me on Instagram: @yana_ishchenko__
Train smart. Train safe :)
About the Author — Yana Ishchenko
Yana is a dancer in exotic pole and strip styles, a trainer in exotic, pole dance, and stretching, and the head of Incanto Studio in Vinnytsia. She has been part of the pole world for over 12 years. During this time, she has completed dozens of courses, conventions, and educational programs — and turned them into real results. Her students have not only become stronger but have also won national and international championships.
Yana has trained many professional dancers and coaches. Her approach is based on a deep understanding of the body, respect for individual differences, and a focus on progress without harm. She works with people of all ages, fitness levels, and body types, and firmly believes that the right training method brings great results — without injuries or negative consequences.
Yana Ishchenko