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New To Pole! Excruciating Thigh Pain?
Hello! You guys who are seasoned vets on here probably see this all the time and are rolling your eyes but I need some advice! I completely understand that there is pain involved in pole. I have always considered myself to have a pretty high pain tolerance too. However, the first time I attempted to do a pole sit it felt like someone was ripping my skin off with a knife (and still does a week later). Not like “ouch this sucks and this is gonna leave a bruise” but like “I am going to die right now, someone is skinning me alive.” My eyes started to water and the pain took my breath away. I think I actually shrieked/screamed when I tried to let go with my arms. The next day after class my thighs were so bruised and swollen from groin to knee that my skinny jeans didn’t fit!!
I guess my questions is.. how much pain is normal? I am 5’2, 128 lbs. I have been going to the gym pretty consistently since I was 18 (26 now), lifting weights, doing workout classes (body pump, insanity, etc).. I would say that I am decently strong and in pretty good shape. I am so surprised at how my body seems to be failing me!! Is it possible that I am just not ready for pole sitting? Or does this sound like something I just need to work through? Thank you guys!! If this is all normal and I am just being a whimp then please let me know!
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14 Replies
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My thighs felt like this too and I wondered if I was hurting myself in a bad way that I wasn’t supposed to. If it’s just terrible terrible skin pain then it’s probably normal. Just take a rest from your thighs for a couple of days . This continued for me for about 3 months and I think I was the only one in my class that had this terrible skin pain for so long. It does go away! π the more you learn to squeeze your muscles and rely on muscle instead of just flesh, the less it will hurt. Post videos here if you need a second set of eyes to help you assess. Keeping my skin moisturized when I wasn’t poling helped my skin to be more resilient. But don’t lotion the day of poling
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Thank you so much for sharing! It is so encouraging that I can (hopefully) work through this in a few months. My skin has actually been insanely dry (thanks winter.. ugh lol) so I will definitely start extra moisturizing on non-pole days. Thank you!
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I can relate to the pain being so bad it made my eyes tear up. some new tricks do this still until I get used to them. but those first few months were the worst for me and I had no idea if it was normal. I regularily soak in an epsom salt bath too. I hope your thigh pain gets less and less quickly for you. remember to squeeze the hell out of your thighs- that way your muscles are holding you and it takes the pressure off of your skin. this will take a lot of concentration and thinking at first but will be automatic eventually and you will contract those muscles without even thiniing about it. π
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also, dont let go with your hands just yet if it is too much. just get used to the pain while still holding the pole with your hands and work your way up to letting go. maybe barely let go for a second and regrab while keeping your hands close to the pole. you dont have to completely let go right now and tear your skin up.
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Phoenix hunter gives great advice!! i was told that once – if it hurts, then squeeze harder!! haha π
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What you feel is completely normal.
Now that I think about it, I had SO much pain when trying the pole sit, it felt much just as you described. Also the first time I tried to hold on with my legs after a pole climb. I felt I was dying!
But suddenly, some classes later, bang! It disappeared!!! It was crazy how it just suddenly went away! It also happened when trying the superman, one day I didn’t feel any pain.
So just take it easy because it is completely normal and the more you try, the quickest it will go away.
I’m actually more concerned about the lack of strength which doesn’t seem to increase on me after 7 months….but pain certainly goes, don’t worry π
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Definitely normal, though different moves are better/worse for different people. Pole sit and gemini were never bad for me. Scorpio was quite ouch-y. Martini sit was so bad that I honestly thought I’d vomit. I had to force myself to do it once per lesson until suddenly it stopped hurting. Teddy was not do-able at all… I remember asking my instructor if anyone had ever torn their skin doing Teddy that she knew of, because I really thought mine was going to. I had to build up from a little ‘hop’ to a micro-second hold, to a longer hold, to full Teddy, all with cries of pain throughout :p And when they stop hurting, never take more than 1-2 weeks off poling or they start hurting and you bruise all over again!
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As everyone said super normal and it will get better! Something else to know, when you’re close to or have your period the skin can be extra sensitive! Γ°ΕΈΛΕ
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Also I found if I use grip aid on my thighs it makes it worse. I am skinny and have space between my thighs so I have to grip hard. I thought I would die learning superman. Also don’t let the pain keep you from learning how to come out of a move safely. When first learning superman I would do the move, be all happy I did it, then let go and go crashing on the mat to end the pain. Good luck!!
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Ugh yes, the pain. It really does get better. If it hurts, point your toes. My top tip is: point your toes. Not just your toes, point your foot. Not just your foot, point your whole leg.
Why? Not only will it make it look pretty as you smile through the tears but – POINTING YOUR TOES PROPERLY ENGAGES ALL THE MUSCLES IN YOUR LEGS.
And if the muscles are pumped and working hard, as Phoenix says, they push up against the pole under your skin and you have better grip and the pole isn’t sliding and dragging on your poor soft skin but wrapped and firmly held by your muscles working under your skin. Your skin is protected and you are a safer dancer, as well as a prettier one.
And feel your way into things. Hold with your arms in pole sit if it’s excruciating and practice switching on your leg muscles. It’s not a race. Little, often, with recovery days in between and yeah, as Veena says, period week sometimes just looking at the pole makes my eyes water.
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So agree with Tropical Vertical. Coming from a ballet background, l squeeze every muscle l own to do any and all leg grips. Because ballet trains entire leg muscles. So l guess l am saying grab the pole with your legs and squeeze for dear life. And point your toes as much as you can, this actually helps engage all those leg muscles, which can extend right up to your glutes. You may cramp a bit, but you will understand the mechanics of leg grips better. It well get easier. I almost quit pole, l had so much pain from inverts. But half a year later, the pain is gone. Don’t give up pole vixen.
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Any arm pit or elbow holds kill my skin. I tried a few last week for the first time, and it was excruciating. I think, as others have said, different grips hurt worse/less for different people. That said I tried those same grips today and they felt ever so slightly less painful. Certainly not easy or great yet (still holding on with my other arm when possible), but I felt some improvement. Just keep at it, and you’ll be feeling better in the sit before you know it π
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Don’t give up! Pain is normal, as everyone else has said. One thing to try, that I didn’t see mentioned, is to tilt your hips in your pole sit. If you’re trying to just keep your hips flat and even and hang on by squeezing your legs alone, it is much harder. Raise one hip and lower the other and lean unto it. Whichever one is more comfortable for you, but remember to try both sides. Hope this helps!
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