[Runemist34]

Hey 33Katenik- Yes, the way the Veena pole attaches to the ceiling is the same as all Lil mynx poles. I rent, and haven’t had any troubles with my pole when moving around. Easy to repair the hole in the ceiling and move on!

[Runemist34]

Some people can appear very open-minded, and push a lot of great boundaries in our society, but often many of those people will have “blind spots,” such as their children, where suddenly they start to make jokes and slip into that unfortunate stigma that society perpetuates. If she is politically active, that can also have a lot of pressure on her to “fit in,” as do many other social groups.
You may get some very nasty comments and messages because of your comment to it, but… keep your eyes on how it made YOU feel, because in the end, it was for you that you made the comment.

[Runemist34]

Hey there!
Have you tried looking for a pole on Craigslist, or Kijiji, in your area? Are there perhaps some studios you could look into, to try their poles and see what kind of finish, size, and type you prefer?
Also, a note of caution: The three big pole companies we stand by here are Lil Mynx, Platinum Stages, and X pole. Anything else would have to be thoroughly tested- there are also a couple of pole companies that are specific to their area. I heard of one in Australia (I can’t remember the name at the moment).
Anything else, especially ones that are from Peek-a-boo, or Carmen Electra, are not considered safe for pole dancing. Please be wary!

[Runemist34]

If you’re looking for “normal clothes,” such as ones you’d wear out to a job or to dinner, instead of stuff you’d dance in, I think it depends very much on your preferred style. I like a lot of dress pants, tank-tops, and suit jackets. I have very plain, minimalist taste when it comes to clothes! And, for fitting larger arms, big legs, a round butt… you gotta find the right brand for you! It can be tough, and it may take some searching, but you’ll find something. Stretch really goes a long way! I haven’t been working my arms as much as I could, and I still have issues finding shirts that I don’t feel like I’m going to “she-hulk” out of. They do exist though!
Yes, more muscles (especially on women) can limit the way you dress. I may never wear knee-high boots again because of my calves from running, but I love my calves, so that’s okay!

Personally, I don’t think you necessarily need to “flatter” those parts of your body- they do the job just fine! But, showing them off is totally fun. Find what you love to wear, and then make it work for you!

[Runemist34]

Hey there!
Yes, both of my poles (a stainless non-rotator, and the Veena pole) have clanged when I put sideways force on them. I’ve pretty much just forgotten it happens!
As for powder coating, I would go with the Lil Mynx word on this one- if they say it won’t work and you’ll have melted parts, likely it won’t work, and you’ll have melted parts.
However, it’s possible you could either trade or sell your stainless and put the money toward a powder coated one.
I found my stainless very slippery, so I don’t blame you for the temptation 😉

[Runemist34]

Taking breaks from pole dancing (or any other regular exercise!) is one of the most frustrating things I’ve ever done, and it’s not over for me yet!
I used to take extended “breaks” from pole dancing due to lack of confidence and motivation, and while that was sort of intellectually frustrating, I didn’t suffer too badly. I never progressed far from a few spins and one or two holds, so I never saw that much loss, either.
However, recently, I’ve had injuries in my knee, my bicep, and now my wrist, and they’ve all been very frustrating! I had just started to really work on tougher moves, and though my injuries weren’t pole-caused, they were aggravated by my dancing. So, it was break time.

I have to say, taking a break from dancing because of your health is also a great thing. You are listening to your body, and understanding that something has gone wrong and must be fixed. This is really difficult, and really important! So, make sure you give yourself the praise you deserve for being sensitive to your own needs.

I find (especially recently) that I tend to get depressed when taking breaks, because my brain craves the endorphins I am no longer getting through exercise. I tend to feel weak, useless, and very sad. I sit on the couch and do nothing all day, and just think about how much I would rather be doing ANYTHING else! This is very much not recommended!
Best advice I can give is, as long as your health professionals agree, keep moving within your comfort level. So, go for walks, or take up some gentle yoga if you can. Go for swims at the pool, or a bike ride once a week. Keep moving! You’ll still feel good, and still be working your body a little bit, keeping yourself feeling healthy, and feeling like you aren’t totally going to flop over.

As for losing strength, you’d be surprised at how quickly it all comes back. Your skills, especially the ones you no longer think about “training” but just use during a dancing segment, will be easily recalled. Your strength, though initially lacking, will return fairly quickly- As long as you don’t push yourself too hard! I’m going to say that again: When you get back, don’t push yourself too hard! You don’t want to get re-injured because you were impatient to get back to where you used to be. Take yourself at the state where you are when you get back, and try not to dwell on the past, of what was or could have been. These are recipes for frustration and possible injury!
Your first workout when you come back will probably suck. I know mine always did! You’ll maybe sweat a lot and feel sore, and sluggish, like you’ve got a lot less strength and energy… but your energy will come back for your next workout! The body (and mind) will fight you for that first workout, but afterward, it gets easier.

Best of luck! Heal quickly, and remember that your journey is your own 🙂

[Runemist34]

I agree with Cazzzz- I haven’t really seen any kind of difference when it comes to elbow stand or forearm stand. The Headstand, yeah, your head touches the ground, but the other two generally do not have the head on the ground.
It would be great to know for sure if there really is a difference!

[Runemist34]

Hey!
I could see that being very frustrating… perhaps even moreso compared to most poles, which spin very easily!
What kind of pole do you have? And, since installing it, have you ever tried it on spin mode? There could possibly be something wrong with how it’s installed- I know some poles are very picky about their installation for spin mode!

[Runemist34]

Hey Oleas4981!
Flexibility, like strength, is not something you achieve and then keep forever, it must be maintained! Even a while off, like two months, can seriously stunt your ability to achieve the splits.
Also, if you push it too hard, you may see some gains, and then see some losses. This is what happened to me when I damaged my hamstrings.
Be patient with yourself! Rushing will only bring harm!

[Runemist34]

Wow, that looks great!!

[Runemist34]

Haha, thank you 😉 I think Veena knows more than I do about most of these things. She’ll pop in when she can, I’m sure!
I would say that it’s not necessarily the bicep that is unable to draw in, as there are quite a few muscles that attach in and through the elbow as well! Many of the forearm muscles, too, can affect your elbows. Having too tight a grip, and working on static, would put a lot of strain on those! And I know for me, the brief times I’ve worked on the Reverse grab, those muscles sure did have to work hard!
I would say, ease off a bit from those till the pain dies down and you feel better, and as long as other spins and other moves don’t aggravate the problem, keep working on those! Pole dancing requires a lot of grip strength, I’m sure you know, so this one may just be taxing one particular forearm muscle in you than the others, and it’s not quite ready. So, ease off, and then carefully ease back in! Try it once only, when you’re better and no longer in pain, when you do your pole workouts. Be sure to give yourself rest days, and as you gain strength, you can eventually bring it up to twice each time you dance, and upward from there.

Though, once Veena has given her advice, I’d definitely take hers!

[Runemist34]

Hey there!
Reverse grab spins can put a lot of strain on the joints, and even if you don’t hyperextend your elbows, I think that this is a challenge that many people face.
This is why conditioning the muscles and making very sure that you’re strong enough to do the spins is key, as well as easing into them and being sure that you don’t over-do how many times you practice them.
I would say that, if you’re getting that kind of pain in your elbows, you may have muscles that aren’t strong enough to take the kind of pressure, and you should lay off them and work on conditioning in those areas for a while. It can be frustrating… but not nearly as frustrating as an injury that takes months to heal, and keeps you off the pole!

[Runemist34]

Hey there!
I think a lot of people have this issue… but, when there’s a class scheduled, we go because we’ve made the commitment. When it’s at home, it’s much easier to make excuses not to keep the commitment!
Food and proper sleep are definitely big ones for me- if I haven’t eaten enough, I’ll feel really tired, and not really want to move or do anything. If I haven’t slept enough, I’ll get anxiety really bad, and just not have anything to give.
However, I also find that movement and getting into my body helps me relax, and slough off the pressures and stresses of a day of work. It helps my joints and my back, and it helps me feel more like “me,” and feel strong and good!
So, focusing on the things that pole dancing gives you in the moment, and how good it feels to do, the benefits of practicing after work, can be major motivators for me. It’s similar to running in that way, also.

[Runemist34]

@Nats01- I stopped using the bicep as much as possible! I refrained from house chores like vacuuming, and any sort of lifting with that arm. I declined doing certain jobs at work that required a lot of bicep lifting (heavy buckets and such, I didn’t like having to tell them “no” but I couldn’t live with the pain anymore). I stopped picking up my bag with that arm, too. I put ice on it when it hurt, and made sure to extend the arm as much as possible to lengthen the muscle.
Now, as I am not in pain anymore, I am carefully reconditioning it during daily tasks, switching hands when I vacuum the house so that the right is not seeing too much action, and lifting things with either the left, or evenly with both if it’s too heavy for one arm.
I also completely stopped pole dancing for a while, because it was doing me harm with my bicep.

I’m going to be slowly getting back to dancing, one day a week, and very carefully. 😉

[Runemist34]

I also forgot to add some things!
For tips in practicing at home, remember that you have limits, even when the move you’re working on feels easy. Try to limit yourself to doing a move 5 times at most when it’s new to you, and eventually when this becomes easier, slowly increase up to ten- and I mean, SLOWLY. If it takes two months to reach 10 per pole session of one move from the time you start working on it, I would say that it sounds good!
Also, choose a few different moves that work different muscles. You don’t want to do too many shoulder-oriented moves and stress your muscles, so try some others that deal with core work and legs as well, such as things like floorwork, and some gentle dancing moves. These moves are also lots of fun, and benefit from practice just as much as tricks and spins!

I like to warm up with my pole by doing some light free-dancing for about 10-15 minutes. This helps both me, and my pole warm up to create grip and reduce the strain my muscles may take!
After that, I’ll work on more strength moves, beginning with the moves that I’ve been working on a while that feel a little easier, and moving up to very difficult moves.
Then I’ll work on strength training, which often involves body-weight exercises like planks and push ups, pole oriented ones like side-hold crunches, and use of free weights.
At the end I’ll stretch and allow myself to cool down, making very sure not to push my muscles to the point of pain when doing flexibility training (been there, done that, and I injured both my hamstrings, lost a LOT of flexibility!), but also to take my time.

Taking your time and getting into the dance, the expression, and the sensuality (if you’re into that!) of Pole dancing is one of the biggest joys I’ve found. After 7 years of pole dancing and being more-or-less completely grounded that entire time, I can honestly say that you don’t need big tricks to have fun! I AM working harder now that I am no longer injured, as I would like to see myself grow stronger… but I’m not in any rush, and you need not be, either!