Physical benefits of poi spinning
Poi is an excellent way to combine different elements of fitness into a single portable, sustainable, fun workout! Poi spinning involves both cardiovascular and strength training, as well as development of flexibility.
Articles like this one[pdf] by the International Association for Dance Medicine & Science, are continually showing not only that dance is good for your health, but that people tend to push themselves further when dancing than when running on a treadmill. Like dancing, poi gets your heart rate and breathing up, but it also builds muscle tone and endurance through resistance training with the weight of the poi.
Many poi moves also encourage flexibility, and as a spinner I will often intentionally stretch to gain flexibility for certain moves, especially those going behind the back, and flower patterns. However, I've found that the one thing that makes poi the most effective workout is that it's FUN!
Making your workout fun
Because spinning poi is such a dynamic art form, it's a workout routine that's not only easy to stick to, but also a workout that you can really look forward to. Instead of walking a treadmill in the gym, why not be outside playing with new techniques or working on choreography? It's the kind of workout that you don't realize is a workout until you realize how tired you've gotten!
All together, that means that you're going to be a lot more likely to go outside and play with poi than drive down to the gym when you're feeling tired and exercising is the last thing you want to do. Plus, when you're done, you might realize it's not such a bad day after all.
Mental benefits of spinning poi
While it's well known that most forms of exercise increase endorphins, mitigates depression, and generally just makes you feel good afterwards, a lot of modern studies have also been looking at the benefits of play for both adults and children. If you exercise by spinning poi, you have the perfect excuse to play for a few hours every week!
With your mental energy focused on learning a move, you're focusing on your positive progress rather than on losing weight or burning calories. Because it is a mentally engaging activity, you'll use your watch to make sure you don't practice for too long, rather than counting down the minutes until you can be done with the elliptical machine.
Poi is also amazingly good at building self-confidence! I've seen even the most introverted beginners shouting excitedly when they finally master their butterfly or three-beat weave that they've been working on. Because you have such a visible feedback on your progress, you can see a real difference in your skills from beginning to end of each practice session. It's a great demonstrable skill, and your friends will be oohing and aahing when you show off with your first pair of glow poi.
Make your workout social
You might even impress your friends so much that they'll want to join in! Learning poi together is a great way to spend time with friends or family, and will help your skills grow even more quickly.
Start a regular spinning practice with a group of friends, or see if one already exists at your school or city. If you want to learn more as a group, consider hiring an instructor like NegativeQ to teach a workshop at the beginner, intermediate, or advanced levels!
Making your workout portable and cost-effective
Poi is also a workout that you can take anywhere! I love spinning poi out in the fresh air, at the beach, on mountaintops, in parks, or even just out in my yard when I need a break from my work. A ten-minute poi break can do amazing things for your productivity!
You don't need to join a fancy gym or spend money on expensive equipment to spin poi. All you need is some socks and rice to get started on your way!
Suggested poi workout/practice routine
10 minutes warmup
Warming up is an important part of any workout, especially for poi spinning. Start by gently stretching shoulders, wrists, neck, and hips. Try some jumping jacks or jogging to get your blood flowing and warm up your muscles.
10 minutes drilling new techniques
This portion of your practice session is for nailing down those moves, techniques, or transitions that you are in the process of learning, but haven't quite gotten yet. Having access to instructional videos is a great training tool for this part.
Get yourself tired out! Drilling moves is a great way to build endurance and strength with muscle groups you may not be used to using much.
10 minutes refining established repertoire
Next, you'll want to work on really polishing the moves and transitions that you know and love. Make sure your stalls are straight, your planes are clean, and your flower petals are even. If you can, spinning in front of a mirror is invaluable for watching planes or working on complex patterns like flowers. You can also try using a video camera or webcam to watch yourself, or even taking long-exposure pictures to see a complete pattern.
20 minutes flowing
This is where you'll get the real cardio workout! Put on your favorite playlist that makes you want to dance, and jam out! Try to incorporate new moves and transitions into your flow, and see how your spinning changes with different styles of music. Videotape yourself flowing and you can watch your progress and see what works well in your routines. If you've gotten more advanced, try working on choreography to a favorite piece of music, incorporating expressive emotions through your spinning.
10 minutes cooldown
Like warming up, it's important to ease your body back to normal after an intensive poi workout. Stretch out your shoulders, wrists, and back, or anywhere else that feels tense. Do some light jogging or walking to lower your heart rate gradually, and don't forget to hydrate with plenty of water.
While you're cooling down, reflect on what you've learned and the progress you've made, and take some notes on the next steps you want to take and things you want to keep working on in your spinning.
Interested in learning to spin poi as part of your workout routine too? Schedule a workshop with T.S.C.!