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One of the things that struck me when I first started poling was that there were so many non-traditional dancer body types, both amongst the students and instructors. The first class I took to try out pole, the instructor was a larger woman who didn’t look particularly athletic. But she amazed me with the way she could effortlessly lift and hold her body in different positions. Maybe it’s just by chance, but in pretty much every school where I’ve taken classes in two countries, larger women were at least half of the class, so I never felt left out or daunted because of not having a typical dancer’s figure. (By the time I personally started pole, I had dropped from plus size to average by American standards, but I’m still rocking some seriously large thighs, a copious booty, and ack, so much cellulite!).
I have had two skinny teachers comment on how us ladies with larger thighs have much more solid seats, leg and knee holds, and if I’m anything to go by, that might just be true. Also, a pole buddy of mine who has skinny legs but a pronounced stomach is amazing at all the armpit/stomach holds, like Yogini, Teddy, and Rocketman. So maybe having a little more to work with can even have certain advantages, once we build up the strength to support it.

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Thanks Red! I’d love to check out those classes if there is any way I can find the time. I will definitely look into it.

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What glowing recommendations! Now I’m just sorry I’m still recovering from injury and wouldn’t be able to fully benefit from a private class. Can I ask how much the private classes cost?

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Thanks so much Joni. Have you been to the studio? Any info on how the classes are organized (ie. more dance based or tricks, what kinds of things do they do in each level, etc.)? I see mostly beginner on the schedule, but maybe that could be fun too if they do a lot of dance moves and transitions, as my normal studio focuses on tricks.

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Wow Maria. You sound just like me. I’ve been out two months today thanks to a shoulder injury, and I keep reinjuring my right hamstring as well. I’ve just started back at classes, but so many things are off limits for weeks still as I wait for my shoulder to heal further. It’s both discouraging and exciting to go to the occasional class right now. I have lost so much strength and I’m less flexible than I’ve been in years. But, my motivation has never waned. Struggling with things that used to be easy could be disheartening, but I just keep thinking every time I do, I’m one step further along in my recovery. CI won’t be able to throw myself back into it completely until the end of July, but I think every lit bit I can do now will make that eventual re-entry easier. My physio says our muscle memory will make learning things again much easier and faster than they were the first time.

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I agree with dustbunny and cherished, certain pole moves can be a great way to build up your core strength. I don’t do any ab work off the pole, but my core has gotten so much stronger just from regular pole classes. One of the instructors at my studio has us start every class with a series of knee tucks, v-leg raises, aerial fan kicks, etc. And “working the negatives,” ie. doing slow, controlled dismounts, really is a great way to build strength and get those straight leg deadlifts. At first it may seem hard to lower yourself slowly to the ground every time, but you will quickly get a sense of grace and progressive achievement that will motivate you to keep making every v-out a controlled descent, and then every exit from a shoulder mount, iguana mount, handstand, forearm stand, you get the drift. I have no patience for traditional ab work, but just working on all those controlled descents has given me core strength I wouldn’t have believed. The best part is it barely even felt like work because I was so busy concentrating on trying to make those pole exits look smooth.

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I’m still trying to think how best to explain the feeling at the top of the move. For me, I swing up and am balanced with strong arms, and then I tuck in my butt and tighten everything and it feels like my body (without moving the arms) is lifting toward the ceiling, as if standing up straight but in reverse. Hope that makes sense!

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Hey there. You didn’t mention how strong your straight edge is. Can you get into a solid straight edge via other entries, such as from an inverted crucifix, from a handspring, or even from an elbow grip ayesha? If not, I’d suggest working on that first, since then your body will know what position and balance it’s trying to achieve already before you add the momentum component. For example from an inverted crucifix, you could go into a aplit grip ayesha into a straight edge facing the pole, and then rotate that 90 degrees to be side on to the pole. Feeling confident in that position will really help you commit to the momentum of the cartwheel knowing exactly where you are going at the top of the move.

I’m injured at the moment, so I can’t check my actual body positioning, but I seem to remember the key to positioning for me was tucking my butt in and squeezing it and pointing my toes to the ceiling, so get everything is in a stacked, straight line. I think it’s similar to the position you use to do balanced freestanding headstands and shoulder stands. Also, going into it, make sure you are really committing with your head. If it doesn’t go completely upside down, it throws off the rest of the balance completely. Cartwheel is one of my favorite moves, but I find I’m still nervous about doing it on my weak side, and being nervous means I don’t completely commit my head. Then my body can’t get into the right position and it’s just not going to happen. Just one of the many things I’ll be working on once my shoulder finally heals. Good luck! Cartwheel is so much fun and it sounds like you are really close.

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Yes, TG airwalk. One of our instructors taught us that in class. It takes a lot of strength, but can be very graceful on spinning pole.

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Hey. I have a similar set of rings. I find them nice to squeeze when I’m sitting in front of a computer at the office, almost like a stress reliever. I much prefer the rings to the spring-loaded squeeze bars strengthener I have. That one I find hard to use and it hurts my palms. The rings don’t hurt, so I use them a lot more.

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Hey. I don’t know if this is similar to what you are feeling. I was getting a dull ache on the outside of my elbow, especially when it was extended and had pressure on it. I think mine was from doing split grip moves, but it would also hurt doing small things like resisted shoulder stretches behind me. I had also had some previous problems with forearm tendon pain and side of wrist pain, and a doctor I finally saw about the latter told me the wrist problem was a weak ligament and the solution to all of those issues was to strengthen my wrist and forearm muscles. I’m now doing regular strengthening exercises, using tools like hand squeezers, a small weight to do wrist curls, and a gyroscope, which is supposed to strengthen all those muscles up to the elbow. In my case, it’s definitely working. If your pain doesn’t feel muscular but like a dull ache in the ligaments or tendons, strengthening the muscles that hold them in place may help. Veena has some wrist and forearm strengthening videos in the conditioning section.

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Thanks DizzyKitty and BabyDragon! Once I knew this injury was serious-ish and not going to go away on its own, I gave in, put my arm in a sling, told my boss I couldn’t do my main job for a week or two (gulp!), and started physical therapy. Weirdly, as soon as I did, I started to feel really optimistic, picturing how in a few weeks or a month i’d be feeling great and back doing what I love.

DizzyKitty, I worry about the same thing, that everyone I know is sick of hearing about it. I feel like I’ve become a pole evangelist. I don’t tell everyone I know, but when I do, I’m so enthusiastic that a lot of them want to try it. And then they introduce me to other friends with “she does pole.” Still not sure how I feel about that, but I can’t help being so enthusiastic. I’m obsessed and (where people aren’t throwing around dumb stereotypes) proud of it. 🙂

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It hasn’t ended for me either! I’ve been poling a year and two months and I’m still completely addicted and thinking about it constantly. Case in point, I’ve currently been injured for a month with at least a few more weeks to go before I can pole again, and yet I still find myself checking in here daily to read posts and watch videos, I do tend to completely throw myself into new things that I love, but pole does seem to be particularly sticky, for the reasons babydragon mentioned. It’s so rewarding to see how consistent practice pays off and to see yourself constantly learning to do things you never thought you’d be able to. My only worry is how much time I’ll lose to injuries from overdoing it! Enjoy!

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At my studio, they taught us TG handspring into Ayesha without teaching Ayesha first, so I guess that would mean I learned TG Ayesha at around 6 months. I learned caterpillar climb and elbow grip Ayesha at around 8 or 9 months. I had been poling almost a year when I taught myself split grip handspring and Ayesha, but they are both still weak and unreliable on my left side. I don’t have a cup grip Ayesha yet, but it’s on my list. There are girls at my school who have been poling much longer and only have their TG Ayesha if that. But, they can do Yogini and rocket man and pretty flow, which I can’t. Everyone really does progress differently and find certain moves easier than others. One day it will click, and when it does, you’ll feel amazing!

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Three weeks ago, a straight leg handspring directly into pencil. I was so excited to get it (a little messily) on the first try. But then when we switched to my weak side, I widened my grip last minute, went up too fast to be in time with the music, and had my bottom hand slip. I landed on my feet, but twisted a back muscle on the way down. Haven’t been able to pole since. I look forward to trying it again whenever these injuries (now I sprained my AC joint too!) heal up.