Runemist34
Forum Replies Created
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Hi Luna!
I hope that your uncomfortable experiences fade with time, and that you enjoy your pole journey from now on! Sometimes it can be painful, or you might have to face down some demons (such as fear of inversions, or those things that make us feel like our bodies are “less than we think they should be”), but for me, the support and strength of the community here has been more than enough to get me through!
Looking forward to seeing you post around, and seeing your videos, if you post them! -
I agree with Veena- I’ve had to search for a long, long time to really get a sense of things in the fitness industry. So many people have so many different reactions to things, and our bodies can vary quite widely, so for some people one thing will work, and for others, the opposite. This means that the world of fitness has more than enough opinions to have your head spinning, just on a topic like how to stretch, what to stretch, how long to hold it for… And, in many instances, it’s advertised as being “expert advice,” or the like.
This is why I like Veena’s lessons so well. I’m very scientifically minded when it comes to this stuff- if it’s not based in science, I don’t want to hear about it! And, Veena has clearly gotten into the science of things, and she doesnt’ push it to one extreme or the other. I prefer the middle road, so it all works out well for everyone involved.On the Splits challenge, I’m hoping to post my progress for each month! I’m thinking maybe the 1st of the month. Probably have to get the boyfriend involved to get some actually good pictures! I’m excited to work on it with everyone!
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Hello, Fcolace!
It sounds like you’ve been doing lots with pole dancing- things like Ayesha’s and Handsprings are pretty advanced, and your back, shoulders and arms are really going to feel it! A lot about pole dancing can be very upper-body focused, so seeing changes there isn’t surprising.
As you said, you carry more of your weight in your lower body, and you feel that it’s a “problem.” Working the muscles in that area, however, is not likely to change the weight you carry there. “Spot reduction” of fat on a person’s body is a myth, and it’s unfortunate that it’s still perpetuated.
In order to reduce the fat on one’s body, you need to burn it. Muscle increase, strength training, is going to “tone your muscles,” but they live underneath the fat.
The ONLY way for a human body to burn fat is in the presence of oxygen and heat- in other words, a cardio-oriented workout, which you do for at LEAST 20 minutes. Scientifically speaking, at the 20 minute mark, most people have increased their internal heat enough, and introduced enough oxygen into their bodies, that they can now access the fat they carry, and burn it.So, a good cardio workout, done frequently, should help you see the results you want! Running or cycling can definitely do the job, and also works the legs! I’ve found running to be excellent for my muscles, as well as burning off some fat, all over my body.
Hope that helps!
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Oakmama, that’s a good question! What I’ve heard is that a stretch is most effective, at maximum stretchiness, when held between 30 second and one full minute. Lots of people disagree and agree about this- I’ve heard everything from an hour to 10 seconds. But, I’ve found that the 30-60 seconds range is best for me, it prevents me from getting bored and doing something stupid, and it gives me results!
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Well, for flexibility training (which is what we’re talking about, technically), it should be done ONLY when you are super warm. So, after a good workout, or after a really hot shower! Some people prefer to stretch every day, and some only when they work out (I’m more in the latter camp).
It’s not entirely about how often you stretch, but HOW you stretch that is the difference between injury and health. Making sure you know the difference between “feeling a bit of a stretch” and actual pain is key. Not pushing yourself immediately to full-on, hardcore, as far as you can possibly get is important. Usually, I’ll go until I feel the tension in my muscles, wait a bit, focus on relaxing, and once the tension passes, go a bit further (sometimes this means as little as a few centimeters, or even just tensing one muscle) till I feel tension, and continue in that way till the feeling doesn’t pass anymore.
Stretching should NEVER be actually painful. That’s how you injure something.
Also, remember to drink lots of water, and if you’re sore from stretching, maybe ease off a bit. We are technically doing damage that is similar to what we do when we do strength training.Just be gentle with yourself, and remember you gotta be super warm, and not push it to the point of actual pain. 😉
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Epsilonte, I just want to mention that… sometimes pulled muscles and such can take a really long time to heal. My hamstring (after I pulled on it too much, somewhat repeatedly), took months to heal, and then yet more months to actually respond to stretching in a way that wasn’t hugely painful, and was actually showing result.
Please take it easy, everyone! A year is a LONG time, so it’s important not to push yourself too far, too fast. Injuries can sometimes set you back by years. -
Runemist34
MemberDecember 12, 2014 at 8:19 pm in reply to: I think I’ll stick with Veena’s IronX Tutorial!!…I agree with IchigoMewMew- I could see something was off right at the beginning! The way her body sort of… wiggled, forward and back, very minutely… and her muscles weren’t properly engaged enough! There was a clear difference between her muscle engagement when “demonstrating,” and when she did the lift.
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I know how you feel when it comes to scents; I’m allergic to perfume, it makes me immediately ill to smell, and if it doesn’t pass quickly, I’ll end up near passing out. I’ve not yet lost full consciousness, but it’s pretty clear that it IS the perfume, because it happens immediately when I smell it… and passes as soon as I don’t.
For Lush products, if you’re wanting to avoid super-sweet smells, I’d say go for anything in the Dirty product line. And, often they have descriptions about the smells and stuff.
If all else fails, you can always ask me to go smell something for you, and I’ll report back 😉 hehe -
I know that Lush has a lot of presence in the UK as well, and I’m not totally sure about the US… I think there are some stores.
I would HATE to have all that happen to me as a customer! Ugh! The staff in town here are really nice, they ask and then if you don’t want them to bother you, they leave you alone. No inappropriate touching, no following. They’re all super happy, super friendly, and I love going in there to chat with the people I know there. They often offer me hand massages and stuff, which I am perfectly free to decline.
I’m sorry to hear that your local store is so… pushy :/ I’d probably get really upset if they started putting things on my hands without permission. Touching is a big boundary for me, when it comes to strangers. -
Ooh, talk of body products!
I am a HUGE fan of Lush- everything they make is basically gold to me, I love it. However, they do put out a lot of stuff that is very sweet-scented, and it can be too much for me. I love my sugar, but when I’m covered in the smell, suddenly I just can’t anymore.
So, their Dirty product line has been excellent for me. The scent is soft, sometimes minty. I use the hair cream (excellent for curly hair, it’s literally the only product I use), the shaving cream (I go through it really quickly, though, and it can be expensive- smells good!), and their body wash (spearmint! I love it!!). Other Lush products are things like their face wash, Ultrabland, which smells like nothing and makes my skin happier than it has EVER been.
But, the most important of all of these… two products: Turkish Delight, which is a soap-thing (more like a whipped cream) that’s basically the greatest smell in the whole world, and Ro’s Argan, which is what I use to moisturize and comes a close second to the smell of Turkish.
Lush is also the most expensive I’ve ever used for products like this- things are expensive, so I tend to look for cheap and effective. Seriously, with no Lush, I use the Walmart Special body wash, and just try to get along. I have definitely been spoiled by them.Have you figured out what the scent was that your husband likes so much?
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Hey VerticalVenus!
Holding yourself up on the pole is a very difficult thing, and something that a lot of people struggle to do, especially within (I would think) the first year or so.
Something that has helped me quite a lot is reviewing the placement for hands and arms in Veena’s pole hold video, as well as the side pole hold video. The placement is something that really improved my ability to hold myself up.
Another big thing is keeping your scapula (shoulder-blades) in the right place- neutral, so that you don’t strain anything, and so that you can use the correct muscles.
Don’t push yourself too hard- knowing your limits is part of the game when it comes to pole, and working out in general!
If you take a look at Veena’s lessons, she’s set them out in a way that is safe for progression, and will help engage the correct muscles, so that you can move up easier!
I’m not sure how your studio is teaching, but having your own pole at home, and doing some strength training (within reason!) and dancing on your own will really help! -
Really neat idea, Veena! Definitely something to work up to, and something I can look forward to working on once I can do all those advanced moves.
And fun floorwork, too 🙂 -
I would love to participate in this with you, Saeth! I have an awful time remembering my splits, and having someone holding me to it (and someone to celebrate my tiny, tiny amounts of progress) would be awesome! Christmas tree splits… for next Christmas 😉
I’m working on all the kinds of splits right now, and I am certainly making some progress with my left and right forward splits, but middle splits are… tough. I’m trying 😉 -
Hi Leea!
Welcome to SV, and to the pole world!
Most of us didn’t start out as dancers, or as athletes, or flexible or anything else! It can be really tough to look at all the lovely ladies in videos and compare them to yourself, but seriously… please don’t! Your journey is yours, and you’re just at the beginning!
The 30 day takeoff is a really awesome option, especially when you’re not sure how to structure your workouts at home. It’s a good example, and then if you want to add more or do less, you can adjust as needed. Veena has put all of her lessons in order of difficulty, so you’ll find that a lot of the beginner lessons are fairly easy, but you need to master them in order to move up to the harder ones, because the techniques you learn will carry through! So, beginner section in order, and then you move up from there!
And, please try not to push yourself too hard to move forward. Certain moves seem like they’d be awesome, like they’re easy, or you just want to GET THAT MOVE, but pushing to hard can be rather dangerous- I’ve heard a lot about injury when people do things incorrectly, and personally speaking, I’ve fallen off the pole, and done damage to my shoulders and arms doing things too quickly, or wrong. Keep your safety in mind!
Because Pole is a lot of strength training, you don’t want to do it more than five days a week. Rest days are essential for letting your muscles repair and grow stronger! My own routine is three days a week, with one rest day in between, because I tend to push myself hard, and I really need the rest! I get very sore, and that’s a good sign that you need rest.As for the pole itself… I’m curious, what kind did you get?
Slipperiness is often affected by the finish of the pole (powder coated and Titanium Gold are often very grippy, where stainless steel and chrome can be slippery), as well as the chemistry of your body (if you sweat a lot, or just how your skin reacts to the needs of pole dancing). Also, very important, is the WARMTH of you and your pole! If you or your pole are cold, then you won’t grip nearly as well, and this is likely a bad time to work on harder moves. Doing some dancing, and warmup for you and your pole will bring everything up to speed, and seriously prevent injury. I believe Veena’s warmup is for both you, and your pole.I hope that helps! If you have any other questions, feel free to ask, or search the forums and see if anyone else has asked, too. 🙂
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Looks like a Remi-sit layback to me!