[Runemist34]

Hey Dana! Welcome to the forums!

You sound like me- sedentary and work from home 😛 I'm a student, so a lot of my activities are done sitting down, staring at some boring writing and trying to make my brain accept it. Hehe https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_wink.gif

I also pole from home, and I gotta say…Veena's lessons are one of the best. I've tried out lots (seriously) and they're just about as good as being in a real studio…and you can even ask her questions, in case you're getting stuck on something! As a testament to her excellent lessons…I learned booty popping this morning! https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_surprised.gif I've been trying to get it for AGES! Veena has a lesson on it, lol! Seriously, though, there's a lot of stuff in there that's just awesome. 

So I hope you have fun here! https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_smile.gif

[Runemist34]

Hey hon,

I've been pole dancing off and on for the last 3 or 4 years. It's a long time…and I've not really accomplished much on the "inversion" side of things, let alone any aerial tricks. 

I've got little to no fitness background, and aside from horseback riding a long time ago, I've led a mostly sedentary life. Little flexibility, even littler upper body strength. It took me a long time to understand my limits and I'm still learning about my range of movement, my creative expression with dance, and what works.

However, I'll tell you this: Work out for 45 minutes to an hour. I used to work out all the time for about 30 minutes, and I found that pretty gruelling. I was tired all the time, and workouts became frustrating, I wasn't showing much improvement at all. However, this time, I asked "How long do you work out for?" on the forum, and everyone said they do pole for at LEAST an hour each session. Usually sessions were about 3 times a week. 

I gotta say, changing to an hour was hard, but it's really making a difference. I see myself growing stronger all the time. 🙂

Also, welcome to pole dancing! Trust me, it's an addiction 🙂

[Runemist34]

Kat: Totally static pole, chrome/stainless steel (I can never tell the difference!) and it's always humid here 😛

Oh yeah, and I forgot to add…yes! I've been looking them over, and the lessons are wonderful! I'll be working on them hardcore for the next month!

[Runemist34]

Hi Roxy! I was just thinking about you recently, and that super awesome spin you came up with! I've been away for quite some time, too, so I'm just getting back 😉 Super glad to see you come back, too! https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_heart1.gif

[Runemist34]

Hey ladies,

I can understand the "you get used to it" thing, and I suppose, yes, you would get used to it. I'm not normally into dancing with just shorts, as I started dancing a long time ago in pants, and have thus moved to capris…so I guess I'm progressing 😛

Usually, when I spin, I find that even my calves stick. I mean, a fireman spin is much harder for me when in shorts, as my knees make contact! A front hook spin (or back hook, for that matter) results in the backs of my knees sticking, and…well, pole burn isn't fun, even when it's minor!

I HAVE shorts, I use them for climbing, and I purchased them from a small dance clothing place here in town. They're super short, black, and if I didn't know better, I'd say they were some kind of heavy-duty underwear…just without the lining and with way better sewing. I only use them for climbing and whatnot, though, so that's why I asked.

[Runemist34]

@Polefitfanatic: Wow, broken ribs hurt like hell! Or so I hear! I don't think I'll be, er, that vigorous trying to get upside down, though 😉 Honestly, I've had my share of slips…I know relatively well how to fall, from some early martial arts training…it's just stuck with me 😛 And yes, I generally give it a go as best I can on both sides, a few tries to each side. I can try to lower my hands, too!

@Kobajo84: I never thought about where my hips were! I'm pretty sure they were in front of the pole…but I'll double check! Thanks 🙂

[Runemist34]

That works for me, Veena (though I had to figure out how far ahead/back central time was! lol!), and lots and lots of thanks! I didn't expect to get any personal teaching ;P

[Runemist34]

Wow, thanks everyone! I'm super happy to have a few fellow polers who share my frustration!

I've been doing some tuck type things…positioning, lifting my legs, letting them down, etc. More like leg lifts than anything else, but it's helping. I'm also working on my knees (physiotherapy is great!), lifting weights, and making sure I get the correct amount and kind of stretching, warm up, cool down…I gotta say, I've really changed the way I work out, and it's showing!

I do understand that this takes some ab strength, arm strength, and such…but if most of the power is in your shoulders and upper back, I'm frigging set, and obviously have my technique wrong. Those are some of the toughest muscles I have, aside from my inner thighs, because I refused to use a locker in highschool…you try carrying a 20lb backpack every day!

@Veena: OH GOD I would LOVE to video chat! I do have a webcam built into my laptop, as well as a microphone and stuff. That would be awesome. Perhaps…tomorrow? Do you have that free? Maybe you, me and reenie could get together on there. We could have a "Teach Rune how to Invert" party 😛

[Runemist34]

Okaaaayyy,

While I can understand that we are all looking to do the splits, and we are all interested in achieving them quickly…but I don't think this sounds good.

I mean, correct me if I'm wrong, but this website seems to think that one can already achieve the splits, which some people cannot, and also, that we are all perfectly flexible enough…if only for that silly muscular tension.

From what I understand of muscles, they are created by building up the muscular tissue, and depending on whether you stretch them, your muscles can be different lengths. When you stretch, it's similar (but not the same!) to weight lifting. When stretching, you are generally tearing tiny bits of your muscle all over, as well as your ligaments and tendons. When repairing, your muscle will repair slowly and try to reach the amount of stretch that tore it, so that such things don't happen again.

That said, attempting to achieve the splits in 6 weeks sounds very dangerous. What happens if your body cannot keep up? What if you don't repair quick enough? What if you're pushing yourself too hard? Worst case scenario, you could tear a muscle, ligament or tendon, and be down and out for MONTHS. Seriously, repairing damage like that takes a very long time, and you'll never, ever be the same. It's also hideously painful, and really, really picky. You move wrong, you're back to square one.

Is it really worth it? Why not just use conventional methods?

[Runemist34]

Dustbunny, and Polkadotpoler, would this be with the palm of my hand facing toward me, so that my forearm is on the opposite side of the pole than I am, or the other way around (back of my hand facing me, forearm on the same side)? I think this sounds like a really interesting variation, I'd love to try it!

[Runemist34]

I, like Polergirl, am quite intrigued! I would love to see a quick demonstration of this move, if you girls could give it a go. Also, are you staying vertical the whole time? This isn't like the…umm…"sideways" or "Dizzy lizzy" spin, right? That's the only one I know of where you use the pit of your knee that way.

How do you keep your hand on the pole when you're on the floor, and then spin up? Do you switch hands halfway through really quick? Do you end up basically in a pole sit? https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_surprised.gif

[Runemist34]

Okay, well, I tried to turn my hips, and that seems to kinda work…

However, turning my bottom hand so that it's "thumb up" and that totally didn't work at all. Suddenly, all of my weight was hanging on my top hand, and I slid rather quickly down! I can understand how this is supposed to go, but I don't know if it's really for me.

So, that's kind of my last question: How to prevent slippage. I slip pretty badly on holds, though not with holds done with my legs. I've got some pretty strong hands, and everything I do usually involves my hands in some way…so I would know! Is there anything you guys can recommend? I don't have money or access to grippy…er, stuff. Yeah, I'm totally articulate today!

[Runemist34]

I can completely understand your plight. I, too, have no close friends who are able or interested in poling, and I've fallen in and out with it for some time. The last was the biggest yet…8 months off the pole, and I'm only just getting back to it. at least 6 of those months, my pole was actually down, and shoved in a corner.

Lessons are also not really feasable for me, as I have "history" with some of the girls that teach here, and I don't feel that they are teaching well or safely, so I don't go. I'd really prefer to do it in my own home, so that I know when I'm pushing myself too far.

I can also completely understand feeling a little overwhelmed. You may feel you need to progress quickly, get into climbing and above-the-ground moves in order to be "accepted" by this amazing online community. You may even feel like you're "doing it wrong" because you may not have gotten those amazing moves yet that you want so much. 

Trust me, this is not true stuff. I haven't done ANY climbing, and I started poling on and off about four years ago, I think. Possibly three… But, anyways, it's not a requirement. Each person has their own journey, in life and on the pole, and sometimes one must remind oneself of this.

I agree with Thesoulstudio, talking about goals. I like goals and I find them to be useful to me, as I'm somewhat addicted to this "sense of accomplishment" thing. Perhaps they would be helpful for you, too!

[Runemist34]

Hey Eagle,

I would love to trade with you, but I don't think this would be the right time for me. I have the Polepeople DVDs, and seriously…they work here in Canada. I can play them perfectly fine on my computer! I can even try them in my playstation 2 if you like. 

The reason I say it may not be the right time is that I'm currently in school, so I can't really plough through both the DVD's yet. I don't have the time and I have a really strange schedule, so my progress is a little strange with them.

So, if you're willing to wait, I'll trade with you, and if not…perhaps we'll see what happens 😉

[Runemist34]

Webmaster, what kind of DVD reader do I need for that? I run a Mac, so generally I just stick the disk in and it runs…

Also, I did ask the Polepeople ladies about playing their DVD's in Canada (or at least out of the UK) and they told me "We've never heard of anyone having issues playing our DVD's in any country…we've even sold to countries we had never heard of!"

My impression was that they just have DVD's that work anywhere, because as far as I could tell, the only reason for them wanting to know where I lived was so they could get them to the right address, not to encode them (or select the correctly encoded ones) for my country.

I'd like to see this codey thing, though!