PolarGirl
Forum Replies Created
-
I completely understand: So many people just don’t get it!
Thank goodness for StudioVeena! I am truly grateful for this community. -
In my head also, I think of the handspring as the mount (from floor) and Ayesha as getting into the move from on the pole. But the instructors and students at my studio call both “handspring” and never use the term “Ayesha”. Confusing, right!?
-
PinkPony,
Thank you so much. You give great advice. I will be able to focus more on other things. In hindsight, I was having wrist tenderness for awhile and looking way back, I remember now when I first noticed the tightness in my forearm muscles – when a certain transition into crow pose in yoga was suddenly painful/impossible, and it never had been a problem before. It did not dawn on me (in any substantive way) that it was just my too tight wrist flexors. If I had really paid attention then (and this was many months ago), I could have rested for a short while, done some self massage, and focused on gentle stretching and strengthening before jumping back on the pole. And even more recently when my wrists really started to complain (sore, tender), I did not think it was serious. I’m so busy and focused on school and other things that I didn’t think deeply enough about it. Self-awareness is so important. One day I had a particularly long pole session, then awoke the next morning and could not turn on the faucet with my left hand, it was so painful. I rested from activity and iced, took a whole week off the pole (which at the time seemed like forever) and then felt pretty good so I used the pole for a strength based workout (pull ups, knee lifts and the like), did a few very basic spins on my “uninsured” side, and did some theraband wrist exercises. I’d been told that as long as it wasn’t painful, the theraband work was good to begin. Well, the next morning I couldn’t turn on the faucet with either hand! So now I know for sure it is a tendon issue whereas before I thought my wrist pain might have been referred pain from a mere forearm muscle strain. As I said, hindsight tells me the muscle strain happened sooooo long ago and we are way past that.
So my advice is to listen to Veena when she says that if you only have time to stretch ONE THING after pole (or every day, whenever you stretch), MAKE IT YOUR WRISTS/FOREARMS!!!! And don’t ignore those early warning signs. Be very very good to your body. I am learning the hard way. -
Tropical,
Thank you for the suggestions. I will be a free elbow standing machine very soon π -
@krazykitty,
I am very impressed with your progression in pole. I’m glad your tendinitis went away so quickly so that you could stay on the pole. Did you go to a health care professional? I ask this because a muscle strain and tendinitis can feel very similar, and a strain is much less serious and a compression sleeve and light rest might alleviate the problem. Additionally, there are levels of severity of tendinitis, the most serious being a tendon that tears entirely, and obviously a sleeve is not going to get you back on the pole; only surgery and rest will. And a minor tendon tear can lead to a more major problem without rest. This has nothing to do with technique. It has to do with overuse of the muscle (or muscle group). I didn’t quit my job, so I do several other activities that are hard on the wrist flexors, my job and school being two examples. Thanks for your advice. I’ll consider getting a compression sleeve when my tendinitis is healed and I come back to poling. -
PS – AutumnSky, thank you THANK YOU again for the pep talk and kind words Γ°ΕΈββ’
It really helps! Happy, healthy poling to you! -
Wow, krazykitty. I didn’t just start. I did not even just start working on split grip moves. More importantly, ulnar deviation is not an injury; it’s a movement of the wrist — sometimes also called adduction of the radiocarpal joint. Muscle strains are probably common; tendinitis is not and is pretty serious. I would recommend doing some research. I mean this in the nicest way possible: please stop giving advice when you have not done your homework. Do you have stock in compression sleeves? You’ll have to excuse me, but I am so very offended by your advice and I hope no reader ever takes that seriously because it will be very bad news for them.
Veena and AutumnSky: thanks for the workout advice. I have been wanting to use the theraband to at least work shoulders and back, but the wrist is funny and every muscle in there stabilizes so much, I know the resistance when just gripping the band through a movement is a no no. I do have light ankle cuff weights that I never thought to use (above the wrist joint, genius) — thanks Veena! I’ll try it!
AutumnSky, I’m trying to a imagine doing theraband work with two hands. Pretty much all the exercises I do for the back and shoulder using a theraband (which are basically Veena’s) are one-handed, so holding between the hands would be tough. I would also worry about the muscles whose tendons are inflamed working too hard to stabilize. I’ll try later though (in several weeks) when the injury is less acute, possibly attempting to tie it around my forearm. As I’m writing this, I’ve even thought of a couple of two-handed things π So thanks!
I’m sorry to hear that anyone has had similar injuries (or worse!) but it’s so heartening to know that our experiences are shared. Thank you so much Γ°ΕΈββΊ
-
Thanks, Runemist. I needed the pep talk π
-
Thanks, jsheridan! I will check them out!
-
@grayeyes: yeah, I agree.
This is another one that isn’t what I was looking for (an actual showcase or comp mixed doubles vid that really did it for me), but it is awesome to watch and admire the contrast and beauty of both men and women on the pole π
Your comment made me think of it.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8RIjvRAM3u4 -
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=qYEu6cbo35I
Here is one that I had in mind but it’s less pole and more modern dance — like Marlo Fisken (love her!) took a modern dance class (which I’m sure she does) and this is what came out of it.
-
Thanks for sharing! That was definitely hot. I’m hoping to find some that are less erotic and more on the artistic side, but I’m having trouble finding much. I know I’ve seen some in the past that were so jaw dropping inspiring in terms of acrobatics and grace. Keep ’em coming! π
-
Runemist, don’t worry too much about your back arching in your vertical split. Avg range of motion for hip extension is only 10 degrees, so even for super flexy people who can hyperextend the hip considerably, the rest of the movement is usually mostly in the low back (and hopefully not overstretched ligaments!). No one (and I mean NO ONE) can hyperextend the hip to 90 degrees to have a flat split and a flat back to boot. So no pressure! You do want to make sure your hip flexors are getting a stretch though and not JUST your back – which can be a problem for some (me included!).
-
Also…it feels weird to me to NOT square my hips on vertical splits. I never stretch without square hips, because I feel like if I do, I’m not even stretching the hip flexors on my back leg at all — and I want to keep my body balanced as possible in terms of relative strength and flexibility of agonist/antagonist muscles (my hamstrings are pretty flexy). Plus, hip flexors are my personal nemesis in terms of flexibility, so that’s what I’m really focused on. AND how will I ever get that scorpion one day if I don’t seriously open those hip flexors?!
-
Damn, Phoenix Hunter! Very nice!!! I will be thinking of those pics of yours for motivation to go that last inch or so.
I don’t quite have my splits yet, but I am very, very close on my vertical splits, especially my right side, and both left and right sides are improving consistently, as are my straddle and middle split. I’m starting to work on flowing through from middle split to vertical back to middle to other side vertical, and on and on. (Is there a term for that?)
I will try to post picks soon. I’m very close to consistently having my chest to floor on my straddle as well — lately I am all the way there with a flat back on a good day. I am not quite low enough in middle splits to “swim” through from my straddle yet, but I am getting close to that too!
I have been working very, very consistently to make very slow progress, but I can see it happening! I maintenance stretch four times a week (holding 90 sec in each stretch including each split) and then do one day a week of deep flexibility training with longer holds for each stretch (at least 2 minutes). I always ease slowly into it, going light, medium, and then as deep as possible, as Veena suggests.
Keep working ladies! It will come for all of us eventually, with enough persistence!
What I would really like to be more consistent about is my back and shoulder stretching…I would love love love to have a scorpion someday!