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Am I ready for an inversion?
Hello ladies,
I have seen a lot of posts on tips for inversions and I commend you all for working hard to achieve inversions with proper form https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_biggrin.gif Please do consult Veena’s lessons, you have one of the BEST resources at your disposal, use it!!! Veena works very hard to provide you with excellent lessons, take advantage of it! I want to address a slightly different issue in this post which is: Am I ready to start trying to invert safely???
I see a lot of beginners who are so enthusiastic that they want to start inverting right away! But I caution you, unless you have already been participating in some kind of physical activity that uses your abs and upper body intensely, you probably do not have the strength to pull your body upside down in a safe and controlled manner right off the bat! Please be aware that it can take weeks and months to build your arm, back, and core strength effectively to be able to invert properly. It is very easy to injury yourself in an inversion so why rush it before you can do it properly?
The first studio I attended did not let you invert unless you had been taking classes for at least 3 months continuously. I think having some kind of policy for inversions is very important for safety but a time requirement is not always effective: some people will be strong enough to invert before 3 months of poling and some will not be read to invert after 3 years of poling!!
So, here are my personal guidelines for assessing whether or not a student is ready to start trying to invert on their own:
-Can you double climb? By double climb I mean climbing further up the pole without starting with the feet on the ground (ie from a pole sit) And I’m not talking barely being able to get an inch higher on the pole with your shoulders glued to your ears before being completely exhausted and having to jump off! I am blessed to have tall poles at the studio so I can see which students are able to climb halfway up and which are struggling to hold a second climb. Climbing is very demanding for the arms and is a good indication of your arm strength. Try doing pull ups on the pole if you need more conditioning and focus on keeping your shoulders back and down at all times, in all spins, holds, climbs, ect
-Can you do a "knee to nose" crunch?This is a conditioning excercise I use to warm up which instantly gives me an indication of strength level. Standing next to the pole in your basic inversion stance (see Veena’s lesson if you aren’t sure what this is), you hold the position with your arms and use your abs to do a reverse crunch pulling you knees up and trying to bring them to your face. If your arms start to lengthen and you cannot hold your lats, you are not strong enough to start inverting. If you can barely hold your legs up for a second before having to put them down because your abs are burning, you are not strong enough yet to start inverting.
-Can you do a monkey hang?This is the best strengthening excercise for the chopper inversion and if you can do this, you are definitly strong enough to invert! Standing next to the pole in your basic inversion stance, perform a knee to nose crunch while tilting the upper body backward. You should end up upside down in a crouched oposition with the pelvis against the pole and be able to hold this position for a couple seconds before slowly coming back down. Getting your pelvis right up against the pole requires you to use your abs intensely and you will probably have to fight them falling away from the pole and back down at first! Now when I say "tilt back" I do mean tilt back in a slow an controlled manner, using the abs to pull the legs up without kicking. None of this teeter tottering out of control stuff! https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_thumbdown.gifThese are my personal guidelines for strength assessment, I am sure there are others. I’m not trying to sound harsh but I know Veena is with me on this and any good teacher would agree: PUT SAFETY FIRST! Why risk injuring yourself prematurely? You have the rest of your life to pole around and learn crazy moves if you have the patience to properly condition your body and make your own safety a priority https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_biggrin.gif Most of us on this site do not have an instructor to monitor us so it is that much more important for you ladies and gents to be aware of your body and proper form and be honest with yourself about your strength level. Veena’s lesson are full of fantastic strengthening exercises if you are not yet able to invert.
Stay safe and healthy!
Fleur
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