LatinPoler
Forum Replies Created
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Hi!! I hear you… loud and clear! And look what I posted last Friday on my Instagram for Flexyfriday (@latinpoler if you’d like to follow). I think people that discourage open splits have a very narrow mind to be honest, or maybe they are gymnasts and don’t do pole or dance. I totally agree with what Veena is advising here.
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I love Queen, they are my favorites. I think they are true to size per their size chart though, at least for me. It’s true they stretch but they stay in place and will recover the original size when you wash them.
I have Bees Knees and don’t like the at all, they are bulky and stiff, and ugly! The nude color looks like a bandage. On the bright side, the Velcro is very convenient for training. -
I’m a non native English speaker and I do write a pole blog in English (link on my profile :-)). I guess it depends on how fluid you are in the language… I live in the US and I’m quite used to writing in English all the time, so it’s not too bad for me. Plus I learnt pole here in English so actually it’s weird to me to talk about pole in Spanish, which is my mother language. I have a good English pole vocabulary LoL I would say, give it a try. Just a piece of advice, don’t expect to get tons of comments and likes… people right now usually prefer visual content and they are not too keen to read long posts, based on my experience with my blog and other very good blogs that I know. Do it for you, but not for the Gram π Writing a blog is a effort, not only because of the writing itself, but also the presentation, visuals, etc. I use WordPress.
Good luck!!
PS: I’ve had my blog a little abandoned lately but stay tuned for an upcoming post very soon regarding my PSO competition experience! I was waiting to get the professional pictures to decorate the entry and I just got them this week so I’m ready!! -
I second the 3 moves idea. Even better, think of 3 totally different moves, like a trick (like butterfly), a spin (like back hook) and a pose (like a plie in front of the pole). Then play music and practice different combinations. I attended freestyle classes and this is what we used to do, the teacher had us pick one trick, one spin and one pose and then we played with it, trying to find different ways to transition from one to another. Then we chose our favorite transition or part of the freestyle and spent some time polishing it, then freestyle again with the 3 moves and the polished transition. Mmmm, I know the theory but I’ve not been practicing it, I should do this more often!
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I use Tite grip (antiperspirant) 30 min before poling + Dry hands on top as needed when I’m poling and they work wonders for me. These are available in the USA, not sure where you are from. There are also pole dancing sticky gloves from Mighty Grip which I purchased but I don’t recommend – they give that Spider-Man feeling and I don’t like it. Honestly I find it even dangerous, if your hand is too grippy, gets caught somewhere like behind your kneepit and you need to release it.
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Consistency is key for flexibility training so maybe if you stick to it you’ll see better results π What I usually do is to stretch after my pole training, cycling between front splits, middle splits, back, etc. I’m usually too lazy to schedule a flexibility session alone, not to mention going to flexibility class. After your pole session you are already warmed up so your flex session can be shorter and more efficient as you don’t need to fully warm up, maybe just some areas where you want to focus more.
Regarding square vs. open: I’ve just learnt that an open split is not a poorly executed split. It’s a different exercise that requires different muscle elongation. Open splits require more inner thigh flexibility and less hip flexor flexibility. For some people, square splits may be easier than open splits. Not me but tough!!! I have my open front split and I’m very close to my middle… My back flexibility is lackluster so there you have it, tight hip flexors. I think it also has to do with your body composition, hips structure, etc.
Good luck!!
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You can purchase any socks you like or use old socks you have and just cut one end and slip them on the platforms. You don’t need to spend lots of money on specialized “shoe skins”… I think they are several brands if you are still interested. I think Pleasers sell the strap.
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Thanks! I’m doing some stretches and exercises I found on the Internet and so far I think it’s helping. Mostly focused on piriformis release and sciatic nerve “flossing”. I will go to PT anyway as I believe I have a slight mechanical issue or unbalance in my hips. My left side has always been slightly problematic: IT band issues, tight calf, etc. π Nothing serious fortunately but it makes me think there’s something going on.
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I’ve tried both and I cannot feel the difference either. I have Xpole chrome at home and the studio poles are Lupit Stainless Steel. They chose that finish to avoid allergies, as many people use those poles. If you are not allergic, then you probably can chose any.
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Thank you!! Winning is not may main goal but obviously I want to do it well π
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I’m 46, started poling at 43 I think. I’m not 50 yet and I totally get the struggle of feeling the oldest of the class, or that you could be the mother of all your class peers! As others said, you’ll probably need more warmup and longer recovery, but that’s OK. Also, listen to your body. Don’t do anything just to keep up if you don’t feel ready. Focus on what you can do or interests you. Maybe focus more on flow than crazy tricks (we are not Greta Pontarelli :-)) One good thing about pole is that there’s variety of options and styles… choose what works for you! And yes, if you like it and enjoy it, it’s worth it.
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I’m not an expert but I don’t think a Cartwheel or handspring are fundamental, required moves. You use them to get into Ayesha type positions or just to invert, and there are many other ways to get into those moves.
Regarding the control and strength, I don’t share that opinion. Any pole move can be used to show control and strength – just a basic chopper invert, deadlifting, instead of jumping or kicking into it. Or even a basic climb with good form with back foot pointed!
I’ve been poling for almost 4 years and I cannot handspring, and I don’t want to learn it. Those are potentially risky moves, especially if using twisted grip which gives you the sensation of more stability at the price of stressing out your rotator calf muscles. Besides, being “pear shaped” with long arms, it’s harder for me to lift all that lower body weight with my tiny arms (and core). So no thank you, it’s not worth it. As others mentioned, pole is full of pretty options. Think pole longevity over checking off tricks.
Also, I hear you with the class situation because it happens to me frequently. I don’t want to be rude to my teachers, but if something goes wrong, it’s me and not her who falls, injuries herself, etc. So I always err on the conservative side. Better safe (even rude!) than sorry! I’ve found that there are teachers are young flexy ladies with background in cheerleading or gymnastics but maybe not much fitness background. So they really don’t understand a lot about mechanics and as everything is easy for them, don’t really get that we normal (older, stiffer) people may need modifications or progressions. Or we may not be even interested in trying that crazy new trick. These are not good teachers for me.
I love poling at home because I control my training.
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Of course I’m in!!! Love it!!!!
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I second all that has been suggested! Here are my two cents:
When stretching your hip flexors, try to start from a 90 degree lunge, tuck your hip, squeeze the back leg glute and start pushing forward from there, keeping the tuck and the squeeze. You won’t go as far but it’s a better hip flexor stretch as you are not compensating with lower back arching plus that squeeze will help strength the glute.
A move I like doing to condition for aerial splits like Jade is to go into my split or even a fake “belly” split with V legs, lay my chest on the floor inside the front leg and lift the back leg keeping it straight. This is awesome for the smaller glute muscles.
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It really depends on the each individual so unfortunately that question does not have an answer. You are doing great by being consistent, I think that’s key. Keep at it. Also don’t push it too much, be gentle to yourself. Patience and time as others said. Flexibility progress is made in millimeters.
You can try to hold your stretches longer (at least 30 seconds).
Make sure you are feeling really warm. Use legwarmers and layers of clothes. In Summer, turn off the A/C. Maybe use a back warmer, that may sound counter intuitive for leg flexibility but it will help you raise your core and therefore your full body temperature. I’m way stiffer when it’s cold!
If you are close to the ground, you can use a yoga block under the front foot to increase the stretch, like an oversplit. Some people claim this works wonders for the last inches… did not work for me though.