[Roadkillgerbil]

Thanks for that. I will!! Though, given how much I hate stretching, I will have to make sure I don’t try to count time spent typing questions to you as part of my stretching time. Otherwise, you’ll be getting 1,000 word essays on my questions. https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_rolleyes.gif

and yes, I really would usually rather write a 1,000 word essay than do my stretches. I am a very strange gerbil. https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_lol.gif

[Roadkillgerbil]

Some days, I find it’s not just my hands that slip. Everything slips, and I can’t even grip with my legs well enough to get a basic inverted crucifix. The cure I found was just a normal shower before practice. Post-shower, I’m so sticky (to the pole) that it’s amazing. I’ve nailed a few moves that way. Also, my pole’s in my kitchen, so I wash my hands a few times in a session. I find properly washing them makes more of a lasting difference than just wiping them dry.

[Roadkillgerbil]

I’ve looked for the DVD you mentioned, but in the UK it’s only available as a region 1 and for £45, which is a bit too steep for my tastes (especially as I’m not sure if my DVD player is mutli-region). https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_cry.gif I’ll just have to try to make do with the book (which I have ordered) and a whole lot of time and willpower. Well, that’s the plan at least. ~crosses fingers~

[Roadkillgerbil]

Count me in as well!! This sounds fab! https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_cheers.gif

[Roadkillgerbil]

I had one like that on a fb pic of me. I can’t understand why anyone would choose to spend their time and energy being rude to people they don’t even know. https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_scratch.gif

Personally, I prefer to spend my time and energy halfway up a pole. I think we all have the better idea, and the happier lives. https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_cheers.gif

Now I want a ‘group hug’ smiley

[Roadkillgerbil]

Thanks Charley. I’m also one of those people who has all the flexibility of a steel girder. I haven’t tried the foam rollers. What’s the deal with those?

I can honestly say that it is possible to make drastic changes, though. My martial arts instructor (I really wish I didn’t always type "marital" whenever I try to type that) said that I had the worst hamstrings he’d seen in over 3 decades of coaching, including rehab work. 6 weeks later (stretching for over 90 mins a day. 3 blocks of 30 mins) I had normal/good hamstrings. A while after that, I could kick well over my own head height.

I found dynamic stretches as well as static ones to be useful, but that might be largely because of my abysmal baseline. Another trick was to actually use a clock to measure my 60 second holds. Without that, my ‘stretching minute’ bore little relationship to a real ‘minute’.

Keep at it. Consistency is more important that being extreme on the few ocassions you manage it. Oh, and talking about it isn’t the same as actually stretching. ~slaps self on the back of head~ ~looks sheepish~ I’ll go stretch now.

[Roadkillgerbil]

My scales also measure body fat percentage. Most of the modern ones I’ve looked at do. That’s a far more useful measure than just your weight.

At the end of the day, your weight is a meaningless number. What matters is your body composition and whether it looks/works in the ways you want it to.if it does, win! If not, make changes. But it certainly is possible to gain ‘weight’ while losing inches. I know I’m over a stone heavier than almost anyone ever realises. Well, until they try to pick me up that is! ~evil grin~

[Roadkillgerbil]

I’m having definite trouble in this area. Given how narrow the space I have to dance in is, I really need my videos taken portrait, but my computer always recognises them as landscape. WMM doesn’t maintain the aspect ratio when rotating (I know my housemate’s version does, but mine doesn’t) so my ass ends up the size of the moon!

I tried using videospin, but couldn’t find anywhere that it lets me rotate the video (or, indeed, make it brighter. Another perennial problem). Any free software that does allow you to do this? Or am I doomed to being roughly square (at least in pole videos) for all eternity? https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_rolleyes.gif

[Roadkillgerbil]

Wow. A post in my honour. https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_biggrin.gif I’d better hope my story lives up to it now. https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_redface.gif

I did say there was alcohol involved, yeah?

I was at a club chatting to a lesbian friend of mine and a male friend. The conversation turned (as it does remarkably often) to sex, and specifically the way men frequently claim that they want to watch lesbian sex. I think I said that what they actually mean is that they want to watch bisexual sex, ‘cos they always have this vague hope of being invited in. The guy agreed with me in that wonderfully considered way the only utterly inebriated can manage and said, again as if imparting great wisdom, "Yes. I mean, lesbian sex, it’s a bit like seeing your ideal gerbil… as roadkill." The other girl and I stopped abruptly and sort of looked at each other. Slightly hesitantly she asked "Do you mean <insert name of breed of small rodent here. I was too drunk/intruiged to pay much attention to specifics>?" His voice was completely shocked as he replied "God, no. That’s a hamster!!" https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_scratch.gif

The very next day I had to find a new username (for LJ, IIRC) and the only thing I could think about was this completely random conversation. So, yes, I am a euphamism for lesbian sex. What can I say? as with so much that I do, it seemed like a good idea at the time. https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_lol.gif

[Roadkillgerbil]

Personally, I’d go for weights. A small weights bench and a few free weights don’t take up much space and I really feel the difference after a session. Now I have a pole in the flat, it’s pretty rare for me to do a weights session, as I’d much rather mess about on the pole, but I still use them from time to time. A bench isn’t even essential as you can usually find something suitable to kneel/lie on in the house.

I also do still use my skipping rope for cardio work, or as a warm up for pole. I have pretty amazing cardio fitness, which means that I don’t even start getting warm from the warm-ups in most classes but skipping for 6 mins is guaranteed to have me fully warmed up (usually, a little too mcuh so).

For low cost/space saving/high impact workouts, these two come a close second to pole.

And good luck with the thesis! https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_thumleft.gif

[Roadkillgerbil]

I had a complete pole-fail day yesterday as well. Sometimes it does just happen.

One thing I try to do is stop if I’m having one of those days. If you keep practicing and getting things subtly wrong, you’re teaching your body to do the wrong thing. Far better to leave it for another day and not have to try to undo bad habits. I know it’s hard, when you just want to force yourself to start succeeding, and I don’t always have the willpower to stop, but it is worth it.

As my tkd instructor keeps telling me – Practice does not make perfect. Practice makes permanent. Only perfect practice makes perfect.

[Roadkillgerbil]

I had my first ever pole show a few months ago, and invited my mum, her partner and his 15 year old son. And they came! ~glee~

For me, it was lovely to have people supporting me in the audience, but I think it was probably a good thing for him, too. It wasn’t a slutty show but it was full of great dancing and awesome moves. Realising that these women (one of whom was only a little older than him) were stronger and more highly skilled than him, not to mention confident, seems to have increased his respect for women, rather than decreasing it. We also had a few conversations about why this wasn’t something I did only for my bf. Admittedly, he’s already had to understand that I have two bfs and one gf, so he’s more prepared than most to understand slightly ‘alternative’ lifestyles, but explaining that "No, Alex isn’t ‘allowing’ me to dance in front of people. This is something I enjoy, and no-one gets to give me permission to do it" and having Alex reinforce that by saying how pleased he is that I could perform made it clear at an emotional level as well as an intellectual one. Not only is poledancing a perfectly acceptable activity, but women make their own decisions, and don’t need permission to show off.

So yeah, I say leave it up.

[Roadkillgerbil]

Last year my martial arts instructor pointed out to me just how awful my posture and gait were, and I spent months re-learning just how to stand and how to walk. My knees didn’t hyperextend the way yours do (I’m amazingly inflexible that way) but I used to keep them locked as I stand and it did give me lower back pain. It took a lot of concentration and determination, but teaching myself to stand with my knees ‘soft’ rather than locked and moving my balance from my heels to the ball of my foot has made a world of difference. Trying the same thing during pole moves, straightening your leg without locking the knee, should help with the bowing effect you can see, but personally I’d recommend working on it as a general, everyday thing and not just during pole.

That way, even your walk to work can be seen as pole practice. ~glee~

(If you’d like, I can take some pics, showing you the difference between the way I used to stand and the way I do now. I still don’t have amazing posture, but the difference is quite dramatic)

[Roadkillgerbil]

Wooo! Just posted my first video. That was fun. Though I’m not sure I’m going to ever get my ‘booty’ song out of my head now. https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_rolleyes.gif

Thanks. I can’t wait for the next challenge!

[Roadkillgerbil]

I don’t know if it counts as full-blown ‘Country’, but anything by Christian Kane can be fun to dance to. I particularly like "Whiskey In Mind". Lots and lots of fun.