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Really small hands- Buy a 40mm as a second pole???
I’m new to pole and bought my xpole xpert 45mm chrome in late November. I’ve absolutely loved every minute of training but have crazy small, childlike hands and struggle to get a good grasp. Since I’m new, I’m working to build my hand strength but can’t stop thinking about how much better a 40mm would likely be for me given my small stature (5 ft, about 115#). My husband has given me the “go-ahead” to buy another pole in 40mm but I wonder if I’m not just being hasty. I have the space for a 2-pole set up but hate to feel like I’m wasting money if all I really need to do is give it more time. However, I’m practicing on spin mode because I love it (train at home with a subscription to Venna’s lessons) and can’t help to think how much more comfortable a smaller pole would be given my tiny hands and short legs. Additionally, do those who have varying sizes find that they switch from pole to pole often? I’d like to feel as if I’d get use out of both of them as I progress. I’m attaching a pic of my hand wrapped around the 45mm (please excuse the clubbed finger appearance- have a death grip to really wrap around it well so squishes them out;). Any input and feedback would be much appreciated!
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10 Replies
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If you find that your not using both poles, maybe you could consider selling your 45 mm at a reasonal price to someone else
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To me, it looks like your grip is fine. If you are new, what is probably happening is that you haven’t developed enough strength in your arms and abs to support yourself on the pole, so you’re relying on the strength of your grip. Maybe I’m wrong, but this is what I THINK might be happening.
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Do you intend to compete? If so, I probably wouldn’t get used to a smaller pole. That being said, I love my 40 and if I had all the money in the world I’d buy another 40 and put my 45 in another room.
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Thank you all for the feedback thus far. @Lily, I don’t plan to compete so not an issue. I’m glad to hear you’re enjoying your 40 and I know if I had it to do all over again I would have certainly gone with that size from the start. I like Haley’s recommendation to sell the 45 down the road if I find I’m not using it. Just wondering if the difference in diameter is worth $300? If it is, I’m willing to pay as I’m totally addicted;) Arggggh- decisions, decisions…
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Like others have said competition poles are usually 45mm. The studio I pole at has 2 40mm poles and 5 45 mm poles. I used to use the 40 mm when I first started taking pole. considering my hand size. Size 4 ring fingers. XS gloves. Now that I’ve been doing pole more than 6 months, I’ll tell you I’m so glad I made myself use the 45s. Leg hangs and inverts are much easier to hold with the 45 being that it is more surface area. I think your hand looks fine on the 45. also agree with the comment about core and upper body strength that comes with continued practice. I get on the 40 at the studio for spins. Still find doing spins on the 40s fun. Get a lot speed and air with my reverse grab on it. I also bought a 45 mm pole for home and don’t regret my choice. It would be a nice luxury to have a 40 to spin on at home but not worth another $300. Happy poling 🙂
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I’m actually similar in stature (5’2″ 125 pounds and some of the smallest hands I know) and I personally hate using a 40mm. My old studio had one and I would avoid using it at all costs. I actually felt like it was too small for me to get a good grip. That being said, I really hate using a 50mm too. I’m a pretty hardcore 45mm user.
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Thank you all! I really appreciate all of the input and seems like many are doing very well on a 45mm with similar stature to myself. I know with time my strength/grip will continue to improve so I’m still undecided and not quite ready to pull the trigger. We’ll see:)
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i have teeny-tiny hands – i cant even wrap my hand around a 45mm. I pole on a 50mm and my hand only can wrap around about half the pole, however despite my small hands i am super comfortable on this! i would give your 45mm more practice for few reasons. the first being although you may be able to get a tighter grip on a 40, its going to really dig in whenever you try to do anything. also you might find that in future if you for whatever reason you need to use a 50mm you will ave no clue how to use your hands. i think 45 is a great size because it’s common in comps and its sack in the middle size 🙂 i would just keep practicing and honestly not bother about the 40mm!
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I don’t think you should give up on the 45mm just yet. I’m similar in stature (5’3″, 100lb, sz 4.5 ring) and although my hands don’t wrap all the way around, that’s never held me back during practice… maybe bc I learned on a 50mm at the studio, idk. My 11yo stepson (and occasional pole-buddy) has even smaller hands than me and he manages ok. ^^
As others have mentioned, the 45mm is the industry standard for a reason- it’s suitable for almost any tricks, and doesn’t make any tricks exceptionally difficult. As you learn and improve, you might not want learning new things to be any harder than it has to be.
However, if you can afford it, you could try the 40mm out for yourself and see how you feel about it. No one’s advice can tell you with 100% certainty how you’ll feel on a 40mm. Maybe try to get a used one, and have the ability to re-sell with minimal, if any, out of pocket cost.
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Thank you all for the advice, much appreciated. I decided to go ahead and purchase the 40mm from Veena’s shop. My husband insisted we get it for my fast approaching 40th birthday (and he was probably tired of hearing me stew over it so a win-win;). I’m excited to have options as I progress in my training and feel it would be a lot safer as I practice only on spin mode. Worse case, I’ll later sell one of them off to a good home in the future if needed:).
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