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First Pole Class Surprise
I attended my first pole class on Friday. I was so stoked and excited about it all. I'm generally a pretty confident chick, and don't really mind mirrors, even though I have about 40 pounds to lose, I'm getting there.
Well, I had called the studio beforehand to ask what I should wear to class, etc. The owner informed me that a tank top and shorts are good, and not to worry because "all kinds of body types take our classes, you'll see when you get here, no one cares. Don't worry about it."
I attended the class, with the expectation of "all kinds of body types." Yeah. That wasn't the case. Most of the girls taking the class were, I kid you not, 19 and 20 year old college girls. I'm 31 and, again, about 40 pounds overweight. I was pretty disappointed in myself that I was incredibly self conscious around all of these stick girls with their gorgeous bodies. It was rough trying to ignore it as I was clinging to my pole, staring at my body that I'm normally pretty confident with, that now appeared to have a blob/square shape next to all of these lithe, tall, sleek girls in the room-spanning mirror.
Trying to drudge up some serious confidence for the next class, as pole is an art I am in love with and am planning to perfect, and I know I won't always appear this way to myself or feel this way.
Has anyone else had this experience? Feel free to toss any tips my way!
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28 Replies
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Please keep going to class! You’ll thank yourself later, trust me. The transformation that I’ve seen in my body and, more importantly, in my spirit has been well worth the discomfort that I felt initially.
I’m nowhere near being overweight unless you stick me beside a supermodel, but I still went to my first class feeling self conscious. I remember wearing yoga pants and a t-shirt for my first dozen or so classes until it got to the point where I needed more skin to grip the pole. Do you have that option?
Can I also suggest that you watch some videos (on here and youtube) of dancers that have similar bodies to yourself? Seeing the amazing performances and tricks that these women can do may also inspire you to keep going.
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Don't give up! Once you get deeper into poling you will learn it is so much more about what your body can do as opposed to how it looks. You will find most polers very supportive of each other no matter what age or size. You may not look like these girls or be the same age, but you do have something very important in common, the passion for Pole!
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Please don’t feel discouraged. In the past I have been much slimmer than I am right now, but I’ve never felt more proud of my body because I’m so much stronger than I’ve ever been. I have poling to thank for that! It sounds like you have a lot of passion for this, stick with it 🙂
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I am quite a bit older and quite a bit heavier than the majority of girls in pole period. I am amazed daily at what my body can do and I always get that they hope they can be like me when they get to be my age. Don't give up. You would be surprised that those girls are probably just as self conscious as you are.
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Keep going. The Pole community is a wonderful place where women (and men) can be in an environment where "potential and progress relative to the unique individual" is what matters. I started Poling in my 40s.. My first class I just watched everyone else, but now I just want to figure out what I am tring to learn and I dont even pay attention to what other people look like or what they are doing in general. (unless its a really cool trick and I'm trying to figure out how to do it) In a class situation everyone is excited for someones' improvement. Not who is "the best." As you get deeper into pole you will realize that there are all "types" in pole, buts that what we love about pole. Breaking the boundries of perception of one "should or could do."
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Keep going!!! It was just chance that you started with a class that was full of slim young chickadees, as you can see there are alot of pole bodies out there with alot of variety. I am slim and pretty muscly now and alot of girls compliment on my figure in classes, but they don't realise that I am super jealous of the fact they can booty pop and actually have curves to fill out girly clothes!
Plus shape and weight have NO correlation with your pole ability. I once saw a girl who was literally like a stick with what seemed to be no muscle tone, right next to a chunky/curvy girl with also no definition that I could see… and they both dead lifted into an ayesha. Which I can't do to save my life. Proved to me once and for all that size means nothing!!!!!!!
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Don’t stop going! It may have just been you were in a class that day with all the spring chickens. The later or earlier class might be a different story completely. I started poling at 38 & while there is mix of ages & sizes, i was a little unsure in beginning like what in the hell am I doing here? But after a couple of weeks it didnt matter anymore because poling quickly became something I loved. I am definitely one of the oldest ones at my studio…do I care? Nope. Pole has changed me & my life in so many ways that I regret waiting & not starting sooner!
So keep with it, enjoy your journey & don’t worry about the other girls ages or abilities, pole for you & no one else.
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My first pole class I was a 20 year old next to a 40 year old and I was super initimidated. She could invert her first day @_@ I don't really think age or weight have anything to do with how pole makes you feel. If it made you feel awesome, then who cares about how someone looks. I'm young, so I can eat whatever I want and have natural flexibility for a while….but in my opinion, that just makes what women who are older than me who can do the same things I can do so much more impressive! Karol Helms has two decades on me and she'd kick my ass in a pole freestyle, no contest! And strength and weight loss come in time to each of us. I've lost about 3 inches of fat everywhere on my body since I started poling. My weight hasn't changed, but I'm happy and feel awesome, and you should too 🙂 Definitely give it another shot, and try to bring a few friends if you feel like you're the odd girl out.
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If there's one thing pole has taught me, it's that body shape/appearance and strength are not necessarily linked. I have seen plenty of skinny, petite girls struggle to do things that larger women can do with ease. It's all about practice, practice, practice and building strength gradually over time.
The best thing to do is focus on what you are practicing and not too much on what others are doing. A lot of people in the pole community also bring years of experience in other activities (dance, yoga, gymnastics, etc.) so they may have a head start on certain muscle groups.
Whenever I am in a class and I see someone who is new, I always try to be extra friendly to them and give lots of encouragment. I remember how hard it was to be just starting out. Maybe someday you will be able to pay it forward to the next "new kid in class." 🙂
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Don't worry, everyone in class are usually so busy worrying about how they look themselves that they don't really have time notice how all the others look!
And even if in your class there was not much variety of body shapes, I think you will notice/have noticed from this site for example that there are all kind of pole dancers.
And….heavy polers have an easier time creating momentous and long spins 🙂
@CapFeb: Is Karol Helms 40+?? I thought she was a lot younger!
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I tell students that same thing, Lira…everyone is paying attention to their own self :).
Karol helms is 30 btw -
I tell students that same thing, Lira…everyone is paying attention to their own self :).
Karol helms is 30 btw -
Also, I've noticed that the younger girls (18-21) tend to be the ones who drop out sooner, as they flit from one hobby to another, and want to be good NOW (and when they realise it's going to take work, they don't like it).
They also tend to be MORE body conscious themselves, than older women.
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at my studio pole pressure, there are many women of different ages and body types i would assume the ages of the students vary from 19 to at least 60 and the older women are ripped, its so inspiring. be confident with your body it doesnt matter what size you are even if the other girls in the room dont share the same body type. if you believe your sexy then everyone else will see it too. maan ill tell you what though, ive been in a few classes where girls and guys thicker than i am are pulling of ayeshas and doing flags like its nobodys business. i promise sticking with these classes will not only benefit your well being, but it also may inspire other women to feel confortable in their own skin as well. all women are beautiful, especially any strong woman.
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I am about 50lbs overweight and am 50 years old. Just started pole last year. I've had some interruptions but am getting back into the classes now. It can be intimidating bc everyone else seems to have a better figure but when I think about it I realize that I have always been intimidated by other women's bodies. Even when I was young, thin and gorgeous. I never felt like I measured up. Being the age I am I realize how ridiculous that is. What is the saying…….people only think about someone else for about 15 seconds before they're on to something else. Everyone has better things to do and are probably very self conscious about their own bodies. Hey, are women ever happy with the way they look? It's hard sometimes but this is so fun and liberating that I just try to put it out of my mind and enjoy it!
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