[MD5677]

I am in the “political” world. I have no shame about my poling but I am realistic. There are certain positions /jobs I probably won’t take simply because not everyone thinks like I do. doesn’t bother me. I am willing to trade promotion for the ability to do what I want in my private life. Also I am very open about my poling because making it seem like a secret defeats my claim that there is nothing wrong with it. 😊

[MD5677]

I agree it was not one of their best shows. The performers in my show also had mistakes that were uncharacteristic of du soliel. The swinging act was in the beginning with people dressed similar to monkeys and the poles designed like tree branches. By the way, the next night I went to a performance called cirque Italia. A small production with a troup that looked like it consisted mostly of one family of about seven folks. It also featured a pole act that was far better than soliel. In fact the entire show was far more entertaining. I would recommend.
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[MD5677]

Hey! I am born and bred Tucsonian. Went to Catalina high. I am 51 and been poling for about 9 months. It is absolutely doable – just take your time. I would say strength and conditioning is priority for getting a good start. My problem is now I have developed poler friends – most are much younger than me. So sometimes it’s a rude awakening that I am not 29 anymore physically :). Good luck, stay on Veena for encouragement and make it your own journey!

[MD5677]

My 19 yr old son just told me about the story. He told me two ladies at his job were talking about it. He told them that his mom takes pole classes and they said thats cool it is a great way to get exercise. So my take away from this story is that it has people talking about poling in public and as a normal part of discussion. This is a good thing. If you are doing something without malice – good can come from it. I think it is an ingenious idea – more power to her!

[MD5677]

I second Tigers comment. Be careful and take the time to heal. When I began poling I injured my left elbow. It really hurt and I was sure something was broken. I could not even straighten my arm for weeks. Dr said it was golfers elbow. So I basically kept poling but only using right arm. Then I blew out the right elbow. So I went back to poling on left side but was never pain free. Now I do everything on left and can’t do anything on my right side. If I had just stopped for a few weeks at the beginning I am sure I would have healed better and my poling wouldn’t be so unbalanced!

[MD5677]

As this activity continues to evolve we could use more science based perspectives. Everything from how to more safely use the pole to looking at the implications of the various metals/powder coating/silicon on our bodies. Your two passions don’t have to be mutually exclusive. 🙂

[MD5677]

I am not sure why they closed. I do know that I am in an area with MANY places to pole. However the quality of instruction and equipment varies greatly. We even have pole classes in our community centers.

[MD5677]

Thanks Angel. Checking into Dr. Clare. GBMC is not far so I am hoping to get in soon.

[MD5677]

OMG!!! I am almost speechless. I have been trying to figure out my situation since i started poling. Tonight I was in near tears after class bc I thought I was just not working hard enough. I can’t believe I found this thread. I blew out my elbows the first week of poling nearly 7 months ago training with instructors who cared more about the tricks than correct form or strength training. Yesterday I was even considering surgery to get them back to not hurting. I nearly killed my rotator cuff trying to get a basic invert this week. I have hyperextended joints, mostly elbow and shoulder, but I never connected the dots. I did see a sports dr. When I first hurt my elbows. When I told him how I hurt them he laughed and made some crude reference to my age (50s) and keeping his daughter off the stripper pole. Needless to say it was not a good experience and since then have not wanted to go back. Now that I know I am not crazy, I am going to figure out next steps and go from there. Thanks so much guys, I feel soooooooooooooo much better.

[MD5677]

I think “scratch” is relative when it comes to pole. I have always been very athletic and active. I love activities such as high impact aerobics, tennis, zumba, etc. when I was young, I did gymnastics. I can dance for hours without missing a beat and I could probably choke a horse with just my legs :). So pole should be a little easier for me. NOT! I think bc pole requires full body cooperation most folks come into pole with something they have to really take baby steps to achieve. Maybe it’s spinning, or climbing or inverting or simple flexibility.

[MD5677]

The one thing I like about the xpole is being able to move it from place to place because I really don’t have a permanent spot yet. Turns out that it is the only thing I like about the pole so I am saving up for your pole. Do you offer multiple brackets so I can put it up in multiple places?

[MD5677]

I have the same issue and it can be discouraging. From what I understand, there are many factors that come into play including, pole finish, temp of pole, temp of your body, temp outside, humidity levels, sweaty versus dry skin. it seems like you have to find the right mix of these factors to get the best grip for you. There have been a couple of good threads on this issue. Try searching “slippery xpoles”. I think that one is fairly recent. Good luck and hang in there.

[MD5677]

What I love about being in my 50s and poling is seeing the look of admiration in my daughter, the look of absolute embarrassment in my teenage son, the look of envy in my peers who have retired to the rocking chair and the looks my husband gives me…and you can guess why 🙂

[MD5677]

Thank you R. I was really hoping not to sound whiny. I guess I was trying to see if there was something I should be doing differently based on my body type. It seems odd to look and feel strong but not to actually “be” strong. Maybe it is my perception that is off. I truly am amazed when I look at someone with little or no perceivable definition in their arms but they are able do to tremendous strength moves. Maybe it’s not about bicep’s and more about some other muscle. Or maybe if your built a certain way you should focus on a specific set of muscles. I guess I am trying to train in a way that will achieve the best results given my body type. I know, I know, I am probably waaaaay overthinking this. 🙂

[MD5677]

I am a beginner – kinda. I bought an xpole xpert chrome right after Christmas. It is a sturdy pole. However, you almost need a PhD to learn all of the nuances to actually grip/use the pole. It is slippery and discouraging. You have to be able to have some grip to do anything. That being said, once you learn all the nuances and the moon and stars align for that day – the xpoles work fine. If I had a redo, I would probably go with SV pole.

Also, I am not overly pleased with response by the the xpole folks regarding this issue – I don’t believe in putting all the blame and responsibility on customers.