Bad Pole Days Don’t Mean You’re Regressing

Sunday Reset ✨

A weekly note on training, mindset, and your pole journey.

Welcome to my new Sunday Reset blog. These are a weekly note where I’ll be sharing a little more long-form support around training, mindset, and the real ups and downs of a pole journey.

My hope is that these feel like a gentle reset for the week ahead, something you can read, take what you need from, and come back to when it feels helpful.

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Hi loves,

Have you ever shown up to a pole session feeling motivated and ready, only for everything to feel off?

Grip is terrible.

Lines look sloppy.

Shapes & combos that usually feel solid suddenly feel heavy or uncoordinated.

It’s frustrating, and it can spiral quickly into thoughts like:

• Am I losing strength?

• I swear I was better a few weeks ago.

• Why does this feel so hard today?

Here’s the important reframe I want you to hear:

A “bad” pole day does not mean you’re regressing.

Pole is not just about strength. It asks a lot from your body and your nervous system at the same time. Strength, coordination, lines, balance, focus, and confidence all have to show up together. When even one of those is a little off, the whole session can feel harder.

Often, what’s actually happening on these days has very little to do with losing progress.

It can be:

• Nervous system fatigue

• Accumulated stress from life, work, travel, or sleep

• Hormonal shifts

• Training adaptations happening quietly in the background

Sometimes it’s simply that you’re asking more of your body now than you used to. That alone can make things feel heavier, even though you’re getting stronger.

One session does not override weeks or months of consistent work.

When this happens, instead of forcing yourself to push through or spiraling into frustration, try shifting the goal of the session.

• Slow things down

• Explore basics with intention

• Repeat shapes you already know without trying to perfect them

• Give yourself permission to end the session before frustration takes over

Progress in pole is rarely linear. It ebbs and flows, and that’s not a failure. That’s training a skill over time.

If you’re showing up, even on the days that don’t feel amazing, you’re still building something.

You’re not behind.

You’re not losing it.

You’re still on your path.

💜 Gentle community encouragement:

If you want to share how your training is feeling lately, or even post a messy or imperfect session, I’d love to see it in the Community Feed on the Pole with Steph App (www.polewithsteph.com/community). Those moments matter just as much as the highlight ones, and you’re never alone in them.

💜 One small ask:

If you found this helpful, it would mean so much to me if you took a screenshot and shared it to your social media stories. My hope with these longer-form blogs is to reach and support as many people as possible, especially those who might need this reminder today.

Always cheering you on,

Until next Sunday 💜

xo, Coach Steph December 28th, 2026