[Runemist34]

I found that doing two-handed spins, and working up to doing all of your easy spins one-handed, until you can do your hard spins one-handed.
Having amazing lats, shoulders, and grip is all very important. You have to be able to keep your shoulder blades (or, scapula) in the right position, and engage everything all down your back and side, in order to do spins like DB is doing in that video.
If you hang, you’re more likely to slip, and to wrench your arm right out of joint.

[Runemist34]

Wow, thank you all for your awesome replies! AliPali, I totally agree with you- that eye contact would be pretty difficult to maintain… but I think it comes with practice and confidence. One of my favourite burlesque dancers (Michelle L’Amour) said “Sex is in the eyes, not the mouth” and I rather agree with her! She has the best eye contact, she’s totally not ashamed, and she’s dancing for audiences of thousands!
I’ll have to practice all this stuff with my camera 😉

[Runemist34]

Poling at home, especially when you’re used to the environment of a studio, takes some getting used to. Humans tend to compartmentalize, especially places: We have our bedrooms, kitchens, bathrooms. They’ve got specific uses, and they’re optimized for those uses. Dance studios are similar, in that they are optimized with the best lighting, sound, floor, and atmosphere that we can make, so that when we got there, we associate dancing and working out with being there.
However, if you have your pole (and thus your intended workout) in your bedroom, or living room, or even a spare room that may have been re-purposed for your pole, you may have a difficult time “getting comfortable” with it. You’re changing the nature of the room, and the way you label that room, and it can take some time.
That being said, if you have it in a spare room, you can do your best to optimize the space, and you’ll likely get more comfortable with it in a shorter amount of time.
If it’s in a multi-purposed room, such as your bedroom, see if you can find some “rituals” to do before getting into your dancing. For me, it’s things like cleaning up the massive amount of laundry on the floor 😛 And, also setting up my music. I hope to get my big stereo into the closet one day, so that I can have some really awesome bass!

Just give it time 🙂

[Runemist34]

I agree with Chem: I’ll learn any move thrown at me, but I may not perform it. I actually have a few moves in my repertoire that I don’t use, because I find them too… “blatantly stripper-ish,” if you catch my meaning. I’m not the “pole hump” kind of girl.
But, any move can teach you something new, can improve your strength or your understanding of your movements, and can potentially improve all the other moves you do use! That’s my philosophy 😉

[Runemist34]

I know that Alethea Austin took over 2 years to get her splits; she says that in her DVD. Most people take a very long time.
I’ve worked on them off and on for a long time, and not made brilliant progress. However, my muscles always seem to “remember” how to get to the last point I’d been at fairly quickly.
My only recommendation is to take it slow, remember to take rest days (yes, even from flexibility training), and don’t push yourself to the point of pain. Ever.

[Runemist34]

I got my mirror from a place that sells glass- they do auto glass, as well as mirrors and such! It was nice and cheap, because I wasn’t paying for a frame. They gave me some small brackets so I could hang the mirror on the wall wherever I want. It’s actually a bit wider than the normal full-length mirror, too 🙂

[Runemist34]

As far as I know, we’re just stuck with… whatever sports bras, bikini tops, or anything else we can find that fits. I’ve got big boobs and big hips, so it all kind of looks normal, until you realize my waist is a 10 inch difference from both! I cannot find ANY nice tops that fit me. :/

[Runemist34]

Hey there!
When it comes to poles, you’ll want to look at the “top three,” those being: Lil’ Mynx (who makes the Studio Veena pole), Xpole, and Platinum Stages. These three are trusted in this industry, and have proven to have stable, sturdy product.
Personally, I have always danced on Lil Mynx- currently my pole is the Studio Veena pole, and I’m very fond of it. The powder coating provides me a lot of grip, especially compared to my previous Stanless Steel, and I like the fact that it has an option to spin. I’ve never had issues with the bolt into the ceiling. Upon moving, I simply fill it in and no one notices! There is a bit of a squeak on spin mode, which… either I’ve gotten so used to that I don’t notice it, or it may have worked itself out? I’m not sure!
Xpole has a lot of very loyal dancers, and I’m sure that people more experienced can tell you about them.
Same with Platinum stages, haha.
You can also check out their websites to get a feel for pricing, and what they offer, especially at your ceiling height.

I’m positive that all three of these types of poles will be able to hold your weight- I am sure that they’re at least up to 250lbs, and I have personally been about 185lbs while dancing at one point.
Just… don’t go with something cheap. Don’t go on e-bay unless you’re an absolute hound, and be very careful about knockoffs, especially Xpole- I’ve heard a lot about cheap knockoffs selling themselves as Xpole.
Anything like the Carmen Electra pole, or any other less expensive poles, is a ripoff. I’ve seen these things bend and flex, even fall down during spins. They’re NOT safe.

Good luck with your choice! And I wish you lots of luck!

[Runemist34]

It’s normal, and it’s very, VERY good that you are stretching to the point of uncomfortable, not pain. If you stretch to pain, you’re going way too far.
For maintainence, what I’ve heard is that you should be holding the stretch for about 10 seconds, and for increasing flexibility, you hold for up to 2 minutes.
Stretching does similar things to muscles as strength training does, so feeling a little sore as your muscles heal is normal. Remember to take rest days!

[Runemist34]

Hmm! Butt grip… I’ve never considered that! Very interesting 😉

[Runemist34]

Unfortunately, ladies, I cannot find any kind of proper pole wear that would actually fit me, and meet these requirements 😉 I have a bikini I could wear, but I’m not sure how well it’ll be keeping the girls in (especially if I’m upside down), and most sports bras (or, bras in general) made for my size look like they should be made of iron and scaffolding. Not exactly the best when you’re looking for something with large arm-holes!
I could fold my current shorts down, certainly, but… I might have to look around, and perhaps even tape myself into something… oh well, I’ll figure it out!
Also, Lilredrobinhood, I do actually tuck really hard when I’m doing a teddy hold, but it actually brings my lower back away from the pole! I’ve been thinking I might have to tuck a little less, or find some way of exposing/using a different part of my back 😉

Thanks ladies!

[Runemist34]

It’s totally normal to struggle with these sorts of moves, especially when you’re starting out. I find the inverted crucifix (the move after the invert in your video) to be… terrifying. I’m starting to get it, but I’m still terrified of it. That tends to set me back a bit!
I agree with Saphyre- make sure you aren’t jumping into an invert. Bring your hands lower (seriously, the hand position in that video makes me cringe), like face height or so at most. Some leg swing is fine, but please don’t jump!
As for getting the inverted crucifix… it’s a tough one. Can you do the move right-side-up? That will help you get used to the leg hold position, and strengthen your muscles for it. Just remember to grip as hard as you can, and turn your knees in toward the pole!
Also, an aerial invert is crazy hard to do, so don’t feel bad. That one will probably come way, WAY later than right after learning a basic invert from the ground. The strength required is… a lot. haha 😉

[Runemist34]

If, indeed, you have a rotator cuff strain of any kind, you should NOT move that shoulder. Any kind of backpack swinging, rotation of your shoulder, weight… just leave it alone. I’m serious.
I’ve known people who have strained, strained, strained… and then it tore. They pushed it too far and didn’t rest it, and it really did go rip. She is in constant pain, she is rarely even able to lift a cup of milk, she’s practically disabled.
Rotator cuff is really, really touchy, and really important. Even sitting still, doing nothing, may cause you pain. It’s horrible. I get tendonitis in the rotator cuff now and then, and it is absolute hell.
I know how frustrating it is to be off pole, but… seriously, if you don’t want to take the risk, I’d say seek a doctor. You don’t want to take any risks with your shoulder.

[Runemist34]

Anything with a leg hook, with your leg to the side of you (and either spinning backward or forwards, if you are spinning) you need to push your hips forward.
Seriously, if you leave your hips behind and scrunch your knees up toward your chest, you will find that you just slip right off. Hips forward means you’re angling your knee away from you, giving you a better grip behind the knee, and the ability to use your calf in opposition to your thigh, rather than at direct right angle to it.
This is SUPER important if you want any kind of grip with the leg. Even better is getting your leg up higher, so that your knee is at the same horizontal level as your hip. But… some people just can’t keep it up for very long without lots of practice!

[Runemist34]

I generally think that it depends on what you’d like to train! If you want bigger arms, a stronger core, a more developed back… all that stuff, or none of that stuff…
Most people know about bicep curls (as in, you hold a weight in your hand and bend your arm at the elbow all the way up, and then all the way back down?), and it’s fairly easy to tell what muscles those target: Biceps.
Best thing would be to decide on what you’d like to work on, and ask Google about it! That’s what I usually end up doing! You can find some really awesome websites, and gear it toward the equipment you have at home.