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push ups will help give you the upper body strength
also don't forget to do some core workouts which will help you tremendously in the pole vault

yeah upper body isn't and shouldn't be the main focus of a vaulter. total body work outs and gymnastics type stuff are really good.

Especially for beginner vaulters, all around body strength (legs, arms, and abs) and being fast/quick is important. If you play any sports like soccer or football before track season, it will help a lot with this.

thanks! i just thought because you're lifting yourself with the pole thing that i needed to work mostly on upperbody because i basically have nothing. but since i dont know almost anything about pole vaulting, im glad that i posted on this site. i do field hockey in the fall and winter running club in the winter to stay in shape for track. i dont have to do a whole lot of running for field hockey, so i dont know.... i did hurdles and triple jump in track this year and i worked out with the sprinting group so maybe i should do some of the sprints we did there. thanks again!

i just thought because you're lifting yourself with the pole thing that i needed to work mostly on upperbody

Hopefully you will come to realize that this is a very dangerous statement/misconception. But it's ok, because you've never picked up a pole, let alone coaching someone. (God forbid ) I'll just suggest that you do some browsing here on pvp and that you invest in BTB2 (in the 'store' section on here). Upperbody is of low importance until you're on poles that really require it. Much more important for you now is lower body and abdominal strength. Do a lot of speed work/sprint workouts at relatively short distances (100 meters and in) with major emphasis on FORM and pick out a couple of ab excercises that you could do every day. Good luck!

obviously i dont know anything about polevaulting. i should make sure before i say anything like that again. thanks! hopefully when track starts again next year, ill be ready and in shape.

futurepolevaulter wrote:obviously i dont know anything about polevaulting. i should make sure before i say anything like that again. thanks! hopefully when track starts again next year, ill be ready and in shape.

Good on you for having the desire to make an ambition reality. I'd like to offer another angle for you to consider.

What vault3rb0y and polevaulter08nw said are absolutely correct. Total body conditioning is the core physical requirement for a pole-vaulter. That being said, please allow me to impart my experience on that matter.

Like you, I began my physical conditioning with weightlifting that emphasized the abs and upper body, but I had also been on the Cross-Country team before moving on to Indoor Track and it was that experience that conditioned my legs and lower body as well as gving me an excellent endurance base.

But the next year, I pulled a muscle in my back and couldn't run for over half of the Cross-Country season and it put my weightlifting on hold. I needed a new way to achieve the overall body conditioning that would also help me maintain a good endurance base so that when my back did heal (as it eventually did) I could get back to working out as a pole-vaulter.

I joined the Swim Team. I had only planned on doing it for one year and then go exclusively Track and Field for my Senior year. But, it worked out so well, I continued swimming during my Senior year and am absolutely convinced that it was a major player in my success as a pole-vaulter on the Track Team. I also learned that vaulting underwater did wonders for helping me to learn how to do a proper pull-and-turn.

Okay, that may have been a little long winded, but there it is.

Swimming is a great way to use muscles you didn't really know you had. I don't recommend distance running though, because it can really destroy your vaulting stride.

Thanks for the help! I will be exploring this site to see what other people are doing too. Yeah i was wondering if i should do cross country instead of field hockey this year, but you said it will mess up my stride and im not very much of a distance runner..... i work out with the sprinters in track and do 100 + 300 m hurdles and triple jump. so i guess i should also do some of those workouts that we did this year.

futurepolevaulter, it depends on what position you play in field hockey.
I was a goalie for my high school team and I survived the transition from field hockey to pole vault. You'll be fine

i play sweeper mostly and i played defense for almost every game.