[LatinPoler]

Also stretch the front of the foot. I like to stay in a lunge, but instead of flexing the back foot, I point it. That will give you a good stretch.

[LatinPoler]

You do not and should not do tricks for the length of a song. Give yourself (and your audience) a breather incorporating some floorwork. As others mentioned, competition songs are usually capped at less than 4 minutes (3:30 for level 3 -intermediate- PSO), besides, you’ll need to move from the static pole to the spinning pole and there is where floorwork comes into play, at a minimum.

Besides, in my opinion a balanced pole routine should work all pole levels: floor (most of the body on the floor), grounded (feet on the floor) and aerial. This will keep it interesting.

So do not make yourself your life more difficult 🙂 One minute is more than enough for a pole pass/combo/routine section. Then do some floorwork, have a little rest, and tackle another 1 minute combo!

[LatinPoler]

I have the ones from Cleo and I’m not fan. They do grip the pole for legs hangs, sits and climbs, however, I never feel as safe as gripping with my own skin. I have not been able to do a side superman in them.
I also have the crack issue LoL My booty is quite rounded, thus they are loose on the waist and I have to adjust the gap constantly. Plus they do not really breath so they will make you sweat.
You will not be able to do drops in them, if you like drops.
As Veena said, OK for some tricks but not to dance.
Cleo’s are cheaper than other brands so you may want to give them a try before investing in something more expensive. And if they do not work for you, you can always wear them as street apparel.

[LatinPoler]

Thanks!! This will help plan my training 😘

[LatinPoler]

Hi Veena, are you going to post the list of moves (combos in this case) as you usually do? Thanks!

[LatinPoler]

Thank you Veena! I’m going to add this exercise to my training. How many reps do you recommend? 10? Thanks.

[LatinPoler]

Thanks Veena!! I look forward to that video, I guess shoulders are a weak point for many of us…

Quick update: I’m feeling OK now. I researched the rotator cuff suggestion, and I found that there are several trigger points on the Infraspinatus muscle (back of the shoulder) that when active can cause pain on the front of the shoulder, basically where I was feeling it. So I did self-release with a tennis ball and it worked wonders! Pain mostly gone, besides, I felt the arm/shoulder more relaxed.
I used to foam roll my upper back more but lately I had not been doing it because I was feeling fine, no soreness. Maybe that lack of massaging encouraged the trigger point activation… besides overtraining, I have to admit it.
Lesson learnt (I hope). It sounds like it was a warning from my body to take things easier.

[LatinPoler]

Zumba is a great idea! I think it can help you with pole dance and flow in general, as it’s dance based. I used to love it years ago, when I was a gym rat 🙂 Then I discovered running and pole and I have not stepped into a gym in years.

Agreed with Veena, sometimes we set the bar too high and we don not stick to a routine because of it… walking is great, easy, you can do it almost anywhere. Plus personally being outdoors help me boost my mood. Hopefully when winter is over you can do it.

[LatinPoler]

I would recommend lower body centric cardio like power walking, running or cycling. Pole is a very complete workout but in my opinion it does not provide enough cardio, specially if you only do tricks and not dance. Yoga is fine, but beware that it can be shoulder and wrist intensive (downward dogs, planks, etc.) and pole is also shoulder and writst intensive. You may want to choose a sport that fills in the pole gaps.

[LatinPoler]

Thanks ladies! I’m feeling way better but not 100% yet… maybe 90%? I can only feel it in very specific movements.

@Mystical, yes! The side pole hold test is a great idea!! I usually do several leg tucks and pikes in that position before inverting, as warmup and conditioning. I will probably try tomorrow. I’ve been doing floorwork this week mostly which is easier on the shoulders, but still a lot of pushing. But pushing is OK, it does not bother my shoulder.

@StrangeFox I hear you… so difficult to stay away!! Yes, all that leg centric floor work is a fantastic suggestion and you know I love floorwork, leg waves and splits!

In any case, the good thing is that I can still dance… not like when I hurt my oblique muscle… because it was the core and the core is always working, no way to avoid it. So I will try carefully tomorrow, maybe do a short session if it feels OK. If not, I will stick to floowork and chair. Honestly, lately I’m more into dancing than into tricks.

Lastly, I wanted to add that I got a massage and the therapist told me it could be one of the rotator cuff muscles irritating the front of the shoulder, that is where I mostly feel it, somewhere between the deltoid and the biceps. Makes sense as all is connected and actually I foam rolled the back of my shoulder today and the front felt better… crazy. Also, one of the movements that still bothers me a little is the internal rotation, and the rotator cuffs are involved in this. I need to research this more.

Thanks again.

[LatinPoler]

Very basic question but do you use body lotions or products with oils (like shea butter) or petrolatum? This will make you slide. Use lotions with glycerin instead, preferably not the same day you are poling but the night before. I use Aveeno Sheer Hydration and it works well, it hydrates and it won’t make me slippery if I apply it well before my pole session.

[LatinPoler]

Yes, swimwear in general is a good low cost alternative! Target, Express or Betsey Johnson have very nice pieces and coverage is good, they are supposed to be designed to swim so they usually stay in place. Regarding pole brands, I like Cleo the Hurricane and PoleActive. PoleActive is actually a multi brand store, they carry USA brands but also European and Australian. To me, it’s the most convenient way to get gear from non-USA brands. I have not tried Kupmykakez but they have good press. Never,liked Badkitty especially, only their Brazil shorts.

[LatinPoler]

Glad to hear and very happy for you. I think you did all the right things!

[LatinPoler]

Do the performance climb type, and think of squeezing your knees and anchoring yourself with your upper body. Practice wearing socks, that way your foot won’t anchor you even if you flex it.

[LatinPoler]

I’ve always heard that looking up is better because it helps to maintain a hollow body and engage the core, which helps with balance and alignment. This is true not only for Ayesha, but also butterfly, extended butterfly, inverted D, etc.