[Runemist34]

I am wanting to know this also, as I’ve also had this issue! I know it takes a lot of back flexibility… but I also know that I could get a lot farther into it than I can now if I knew how to engage correctly. My back is flexible enough for more!

[Runemist34]

Well, first off, I find that the largeness of my own thighs tends to help in a lot of moves- cross knee releases and such! I get more grip, and better grip.
With the pole sit… it can look a little misleading at first, because most people assume that you are crossing knee over knee- you are NOT. This, I think, would be impossible for any human. We have bones, it gets in the way.
So, the hip tilt (either to the left or right, bringing one hip down and one hip up) is fairly important, as it allows for some extra grip and keeps your thigh bones from ramming into the pole too much. It also allows us slightly more range of motion in said hips… but that’s sort of a different thing.
Secondly, most people are NOT crossing their legs at the knee! I know I certainly don’t do that. With Veena’s lesson, if you look at how she’s got her top leg turned, it appears to be that she’s crossing knee over knee, but she also has her whole top leg turned so that the inner part of her thigh is pointing more upward- sort of like how you do when you’re sitting, and you cross your ankle upon your knee. Veena is also tiny, as VERY long legs, and very little fat, so what would allow for greater illusion. The hip tilt is also CRUCIAL for this kind of look- Veena has her upper hip right into the pole!
For me, I usually get the side of my calf upon my knee, or better yet, just cross my ankles, and even hook one around the pole beneath me! It gives me that little bit of stability, so I can feel free to let go with my hands.
Many people have challenges like this- it all depends on your preferred point of contact with the pole, your hip configuration, the length of your legs, your flexibility… so many things. Larger thighs may be a small part of it, too 😉
Good luck! I think you look great 🙂

[Runemist34]

RIGHT so there’s a couple things for updating people on:
First, the running. I did go to the Running room, as per you guys and also my cousin, and my own suspicions. The shoes I got were VERY freaking expensive ($160!!) but, I like them and I don’t feel like I’m fighting them constantly. Apparently I have a fairly straight, neutral gait, which is good, and I also have high arches, so that also means that I need a neutral shoe (because correction either way will screw me up). So, that’s what I have. Actually, they’re the same as PrpleGrl10’s! Brooks Ghost.
I’ve also done a bunch of research into the feeling of pain I was having, and in particular was tipped off toward tendinitis (which, this early in the game, is not possible, but I entertained the idea of it BECOMING that, as I’m very prone to tendinitis). In particular what I found that there is, in fact, a tendon that attaches to the side of the foot, runs through your ankle, and attaches to the soleus muscle in your calf (I believe). Being that my soleus has probably never had a call to arms like that before, it’s probably fairly weak, leading to the major pain. I’ve taken up doing exercises on my stairs for the poor muscle, and hopefully it’ll figure it’s life out soon.

On the topic of my knees, and physiotherapy: My knees, both of them, have what’s called “patello-femural syndrome,” which is considered a sports injury, and was probably from my horseback riding days. In particular, it is caused by my outer quad muscle not being strong enough to pull my patella (the kneecap) over enough and keep it in the right place, so that when I bend my knees and it’s in the wrong spot, it and my femur rub together and it’s quite painful. The doctor gave me some exercises that actually made me worse, which is why I went to physiotherapy.
The $50 per session, one hour for a session, was actually under my Mum’s health care with her work. Otherwise, it would have been a lot more expensive. I couldn’t technically even afford that, but my Mum was kind enough to cover it for me. I learned about which muscles, I was given some proper exercises, and have been on my own since.
As of this month, I haven’t had any “major” knee pain in almost a year, and I’m really pleased. I’ve not had to take days off for them, and I haven’t been in constant pain for a long time. They twinge now and then, some days they’re sore or kind of swollen, but this is far better than what I used to live with.

Thank you for your advice and discussion

[Runemist34]

jsheridan: I don’t exactly have a “crooked gait,” I have fucked up knees. Particularly, my gait is fine, but unfortunately there are certain muscles that aid in keeping my kneecaps in place that have been very weak for a long time, thus causing the kneecaps to move, and grind against my femur on the inside when I bend. It hurts and it sucks, and my assumption is that my arches are unhappy because my knees have had this tendency to want to collapse inward when I’m standing around or whatever. It’s more of an issue with the movement of my hips, and I’ve been working on it a lot- they are much happier, much stronger, and have much less pain these days than they ever have.
I do actually go barefoot at all times that I can feasibly do so- if I could go outside barefoot, I would. I hate socks, and by proxy, I hate shoes. They restrict my foot movement and generally screw me up, and always have. When I was a kid, nothing could keep my shoes on!
I’m not sure that I’m wearing a “corrective shoe,” though I think I did once and it really hurt for a long time. I don’t think I had those shoes around for… more than a few months.
As for my running surface, I have a trail around back of my house that is mostly just… trail. Dirt, and such.

L4D and MonikaB, Thank you for you support 🙂 I’ll probably just see my doctor on Tuesday if I can, and find out what he/she says. And, as for the physio… unfortunately, I can’t afford that. $50 per session could be a hell of a lot of food that I, my boyfriend, and my roommate would miss eating.
Might possibly be able to see a podiatrist though Oo;

[Runemist34]

Hey Anzia!
I’ve been running every second day, so letting myself rest in between runs for a day. I don’t really do much else right now (working on getting back to poling). I only run about 3k each time, and I can’t go the whole distance. I’m seeing marked improvement in my stamina for sure, but each time I go out (which has been three, I’ll grant you) it hurts like crazy.
As for “compensating for my particular gait,” I don’t honestly know of any place in my entire town that would test for that. And, due to my knees and their issues, my gait is changing. If I don’t use my hips and certain muscles properly, I’ll cause myself further damage. Running is new to me, so I’m often paying the most attention to not hurting my knees further, not whatever my feet are doing.
I have been considering asking my doctor, though, as I’d like to keep running, but don’t want to just have crazy-bad pain all the time in my right foot. I’ve been told that my arches are probably collapsing, but… with trying to make my knees work correctly, I’ve noticed a fairly good improvement on that issue.
I might have to save up money and get the really, crazily expensive special running shoes. Ugh.

[Runemist34]

And as for the running shoes… I don’t know? I’ve never run before. Generally I just prefer to work out in barefoot (if I’m at home, poling) or in my climbing shoes (which are HORRIBLE but quite necessary). I asked the person at the store, but… they didn’t seem to know much except about whether the shoes were cross-trainers or whatever.

[Runemist34]

Hmm, not sure it could be a stress fracture after literally three times? Those things take a long time to come up, and the pain fades after I stop running.
It was suggested over on Facebook that I may be putting too much weight on that part of my foot, but I’m actually prone to rolling inward, due to my knees being jerks. I’ve been working hard on keeping things straight and level, especially when running.
It feels like muscle cramps, if I’m honest, but I don’t know how to deal with them at all!

[Runemist34]

You could always hold squat position while leaning against the wall, and also lunges are good, work similar muscles (but aren’t exactly the same, so be aware).

[Runemist34]

Mine also did that- Mine is on carpet, I always push the button all the way down. HOWEVER, I’ve noticed that it has faded, or stopped, over time. Or else I just have stopped noticing it…
But, yep. Don’t worry about it!

[Runemist34]

Definitely something a lot of people deal with! It’s super frustrating, so… we all feel your pain.
What I did was switch up my strength training (even so far as getting more into rock climbing, or even doing strength training at the gym) so that your muscles don’t “get bored” or used to what you’re doing…
And try to do all the moves I know, VERY SLOWLY. I don’t know what your preference to dancing is, but I LOOOVE really slow, sensuous dancing, and teaching myself how to slow down is basically pushing a boulder up a hill… but it is also HUGE for strength training!

[Runemist34]

This sounds like an issue with jumping or throwing too much weight into it.
There are a lot of troubleshooting tips for inverting:
-Bring your hands lower, like around face level, as this will make it easier (trust me, it does)
-You may swing your leg, but NEVER jump, even if it’s a tiny bit. Never.
-Be sure to pinch the pole between your side and your inside (or pole-side) arm, to give you better grip
-Inverting will take time! Be patient, and if it hurts, back off and see what you can do otherwise
-Be sure that your hips are in front of the pole before commencing the actual invert part. As I said, leg swinging is okay, so you MAY wish to swing from a slightly less-than-in-front-of-the-pole position (sorry, it’s late, I’m not very wordy right now! haha)

As for exercises, I would recommend two: First, lots of core strength. Don’t just focus on abs, but the whole core. Transverse abdominus, back muscles, obliques, the lot. They will ALL help you in this endeavour. Really good one for this is Veena’s free 30 Day Ab Workout. Seriously.
Second, is sort of… leg lifts? You lay on your back, with your back flat on the ground, and lift your legs straight up, so that they point toward the ceiling (your body would be making an L shape). Then, push your feet up toward the ceiling, without using your hands. Your hips will lift, and at first, you may only be able to do just a bit of a pop. Try to work slowly, controlled, and with time you’ll find that you can lift higher, for longer. This will give you the strength and control for the second part of your invert, so that you can push your legs up while also hanging from your arms.

As I said, if it hurts, back off the move. This goes for pretty much any move; having some pain from gripping the pole is perhaps acceptable (depending on what kind, and how much stamina you have in the way of pain), but muscle pain is NOT good. You need to take it SLOW.

And, good luck 🙂 It’s a big milestone!

[Runemist34]

I’m pretty happy with the SV pole… I think my issue is more that I’d like to have my dream HOUSE, so I can have a much taller pole to dance on!

[Runemist34]

So, just wanted to say: I had a 50mm SS lil mynx, and I found the coupling in the ceiling that came from my old one to be different than my new Veena pole, so I used the new one. It may have just been because my old SS was like, 5 years old though, and things may have changed since then.
Also, I find the smaller diameter much nicer now that I’ve gotten used to it, and I love the powder coating. I liked the SS, but I never really felt very stable on it. The powder coat is amazing!

[Runemist34]

I’ve been poling for almost 6 years (off and on) and only last summer have I gotten the chance to even try spinny pole! It’s been quite the change for me. Lots of fun, but super difficult! I find that it takes a lot more strength and control than static… but it may just be that I’m getting soft again 😉
I think that spinning pole control takes a lot of practice. Veena’s lessons are pretty awesome, too, because she gives you pointers on things you may not think about… like how one may swing one’s leg into a spin and SERIOUSLY SHOULDN’T (cough >_>)
Anyways, if you have access to a spinning pole, why not make it part of your home practice? You can always take your studio lessons, and see what you can make of them at home with spinning mode. 🙂

[Runemist34]

Hmmm, there are a lot of reasons why one may not stick to one’s pole.
So… Are you warm? As in, have you warmed up for about 20 minutes of mostly-cardio exercise, gotten the blood flowing, moving around, etc?
Is your pole warm? Have you used it while you were warming up, so that the metal is warm and more grippy, allowing you to stick to it?
How’s the temperature in your room?
Are you majorly sweaty between your legs?
What kind of pole is it? TG, Stainless, Powder coated, chrome? Some of these may be more difficult for some people to stick to!
Do you have the grip between your thighs right? I know a pole sit looks pretty easy, but sometimes… You gotta play with your grip!
And, finally… are you using just your skin on the pole? (I know this sounds like a no-brainer, but… much like asking “Is it plugged in?” sort of a necessary thing!)

Any or all of these can be a huge factor in thigh grip with pole dancing. I know that I stick to things fairly easily with my hands, because of the different skin and the fact that my hands are usually the warmest part of my body, but… thighs are a different matter!