-
What diameter?
I’ve got a few pole fitness classes in the past but didn’t really progress past a few beginner classes. I really enjoyed it and want to purchase a pole. I had a hard time doing anything because number one sweaty slippery hands and number two I think my hands are just too small to grab around the poles that they had. I couldn’t build up any upper body strength because I couldn’t hang onto the pole! I don’t know what diameter their poles were but I do know that they were chrome. What diameter should I look for? 40? 45? I have small hands big body and not much strength at all! Lol
-
5 Replies
-
There are many choices for diameter and each has its pros and cons. Small hands definitely benefit from a small diameter like 40mm or less but your legs, sides, armpits etc will have more gripping surface on a larger diameter pole. That’s one reason the average here in the US is 45mm. It’s a nice happy medium, and the one I have at home. I only have space for one pole so I went with that. At the studio I try to use their 40mm because I have smaller hands and the grip is so secure. You can train your other points of contact to be good with the smaller diameter but in the beginning it is a bit more work though absolutely possible.
-
Sweaty hands is a big problem for a lot of new dancers. Sometimes it goes away once your out of a group setting and feel more comfortable. Other times you might find you need to invest in some grip aid. Use ok one like Right grip or dry hands for sweat.
As for pole size Pixie gave a good description of both sizes. There are several hand and wrist strength exercises you can do as well. Find them in the conditioning section of the lessons. 😊
-
I have roughly the same size hands as a child. They don’t even sell leather gloves in my size in most shops. I bought a 40mm as my first pole and I loved having the thinner diameter pole to try moves on. Although I didn’t notice much of a difference between 40mm and 45mm, it was nice when I was learning to feel a little more secure on a thinner pole.
That said, I now prefer a 45mm diameter pole. I find with the 40mm, I tend to over grip (if that makes sense) and this puts a lot of pressure on my joints. Also, I’m built kinda stocky so I found using a 45mm pole was more comfortable for me when I had to do moves that depended on alignment (ayesha, cartwheel mount) – it’s just easier on my joints. As you continue on your pole journey, your preference may change. 🙂
Check with the studio what diameter the poles are (they could be 50mm, 45mm, 40mm…) to get a better idea of what each diameter might feel like. Also, as Veena suggested, try out some grip aids! Another member on here had luck with Carpe Lotion for sweaty hands, but you might find dry hands works well. You may also find you do better on a brass or powder coated pole as opposed to chrome. Keep us posted on what you decide to buy!
-
40mm would probably be best if you have small hands.
I have a 40mm pole as my hand grip is the weak link in my poling, and I do lyra too and prefer a smaller diamter of tube on that too (my first lyra was 34mm but I now have a narrower one, 28mm if I’m not mistaken.
For me, Tite Grip works against sweaty hands.
Log in to reply.