Runemist34
Forum Replies Created
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Casey, I think you need to sit down and talk to him. Tell him how important this is to you, and that you need his support- even if that support is to give you some space for a while so you can concentrate on your dancing! You LIVE together, and you don't need to be attached at the hip all the time! Besides, a little distance for an hour or so each day won't kill him! Perhaps he'll be encouraged to take up something of his own!
My ex-husband was like that- any active hobby I took up, it was like it was getting between us. Yet, he never wanted to do anything particularly with me! Though, I will say, I'm sure that the situation is quite different otherwise.
You NEED this, and you need to have the freedom to choose. Guilt and all of that isn't going to make you want to go to him happily and willingly, and for some of us, lazing around the house just makes us feel awful! I'm just learning that 🙂
Knowing me, I totally would have taken the guilt trip full force, and gone and poled just to spite him! But I'm like that. No one controls me with anything! Rawr! (It gets me in trouble pretty often 😛 )
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Okay, so what KIND of warm up should I be going for? Can I just take a hot shower, or do I actually have to be doing cardio for 20 mintues just to do 20 situps in the morning?
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Skyler- Okay, well, most of that was exercises I don't understand… but my main question was that if I was going to do some LIGHT strength training, do I need to warm up? If so, why?
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Elektra- Not just sit ups. Say if I wanted to do my physio for my knees and shoulders, do some sit ups, and work on my push ups?
And that hollow body hold sounds like it would be more brutal than sit ups Oo;
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Inverted crucifix >_-
It just scares me!
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I'm right in this boat, too! The girls can often make me feel more awkward and large than anything else (I wear a 32 I cup). I often wear a sports bra to hold them in, and it makes me look like I've got great pecs too 😛
I think the right top can do everything you want to have happen, but if you have trouble finding the right shirt to fit over your chest… I'd say… find moves that you're comfortable with, and intersperse them in with moves that are a little bit more uncomfortable! That way, you're not feeling quite as frustrated, because it's not constant.
Seriously though? Work your pectorals. They're the ones in your chest, just above the boobies, which connect through your armpit to your upper arm (just above the bicep, sort of). These muscles are hugely responsible for lifting your chest up and keeping it supported, and making sure the girls don't get in the way! I've had great results so far, and I'm really happy 🙂
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Totally! I know that most, if not all of us have struggled with the strength issue, especially in the upper body 😉
I have personally found weights to be useful, as well as working on planks and pushups (honestly, I'll get a full, proper push up one day! I will!). Training both the core and the upper body (so, arms and all those fun back muscles, and the pecs!) will really help you to progress.
I really recommend Veena's lessons, if you can get them, as a good way of starting with strength training. I also found Jamilla's DVDs to have a pretty hardcore strength workout in them! Even the first DVD for beginners kicked my butt.
I often browse the internet for new and interesting exercises for certain areas, too. I have this weird thing where my body likes to pretend certain muscles don't exist 😛 So, changing it up is always good!
And, finally, just poling really helps. Working on the spins you've learned, and perfecting your technique with the moves you know (and often, the moves you struggle with) can really bring a lot of improvement to your strength. If you don't have a pole at home, maybe you can ask your instructor for ideas for exercises, and perhaps they have time for drop-in pole use, just so you can get that little bit extra time and practice in!
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Personally, I would be wary of training for oversplits before I have my proper splits! Mostly, because I know the danger of over-stretching… and I don't want to set myself back, AGAIN, for the splits I really want.
However, I also know that other people begin training for their oversplits in order to gain that nice, flat split we all so desperately want!
I think it's all up to you and your body, and how it reacts to stretching like that. I know I'm nowhere close to the splits, and I sure wouldn't be looking at the oversplits right now!
But, for you, if you feel comfortable, why not give it a shot? The worst you can do is find out that your body isn't ready for it yet, by a feeling of pain or overstretching, and then you know to ease off it. 🙂
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Hey KittyKat!
I've had a very long time to progress- most people are getting their basic invert within one year, and it took me about four years to get it!
I've found a bit of cross-training to be helpful. Lifting weights and doing those kinds of strength exercises have really helped!
Otherwise… you can try to really perfect the moves you know, and keep working at the ones you can do but aren't necessarily good at- those ones, as you get better, will help you get stronger!
I also strongly recommend Veena's lessons on here, as they have a lot of ideas of what you can do with what kind of skills and abilities, as well as the cross-training for weights and things that have really helped me in my journey.
Otherwise, if you want something like a DVD, you can also check out Jamilla's DVDs, or Felix Cane's. They're both pretty good for strength and flexibility!
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A basic invert is, unfortunately, a move that could really go wrong, even if you think it's going right. Best thing I would suggest is to work on some other things! Try doing some spins, see how they work, learn about climbing and gripping the pole with your legs only- these will help you to prepare yourself for a basic invert!
And, if you're really chomping at the bit for it, you could do some conditioning exercises specifically for the basic invert! Look up Dirdy Birdy on Youtube: she's got some great tutorials that also have conditioning exercises in them. Being able to slowly lift your legs to your chest while holding the pole with your hands, at head height, is one of those things you HAVE to be able to do!
I've worked toward the basic invert for almost 4 years! I'm only just getting consistent with it now. I've had a lot of downtime from the Pole, granted, but I had to go at my own pace.
Things to remember for the Basic Invert: NO Jumping, keep your hands lower than you think they should be (like, face-level), and if you feel any kind of pulling or twinging in your back, shoulders, arms or neck… stop doing it! You're not ready!
I wish you luck! I'm sure you can get to this one a lot faster than I have if you work on it 😉
There are also some other moves that get you upside down, and their lead-in moves. Look up the Plank, and the Cross Knee Release, and the Cross Ankle Release.
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I might actually try this! I definitely find that I get into the routine of my own combos (or no combos at all!).
However, some of the names on here are ones I've not heard before… The "sword" for example, or the fairy step.
Perhaps you could provide some translations?
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Hey! Welcome to the forums!
I started out a little rough, and I understand how things go in the beginning- those first few spins take a lot of bravery! And a full hour on the pole is awesome! That's like, an entire regular workout for me!
My first, and possibly most important piece of advice for you: Do not ever compare yourself to someone else! Those ladies who can pull themselves up with just their arms, or do spins with one arm and their legs completely off the pole? They've been training hardcore for a loong time! Or, they have a dance/gymnastic background. Their bodies are ready for that kind of strain!
I've been dancing off and on for four and a half years- my longest "off" was 8 months. I've only just recently managed to get my basic invert! And I couldn't be happier. I'm going at my own pace, gaining muscle the way I do, and each small step is something to revel and rejoice in!
Your best resources are a local studio, and failing that, the Studio Veena website. I don't have a studio in town anymore, and this place has been amazing. I've learned so much from the lessons and videos, and the members here on the forum!
You can also try DVDs, such as Jamilla DeVille's Art of Pole series. They're really well put together, and have a (rather hardcore) conditioning section on each DVD.
Not all of us polers have amazing flexibility or strength, but we're here and we're still respected, because we love to dance and we love to share! We're all on our own, personal pole journey, and we can all understand that different people have different challenges! From health problems to mental blocks… we're all here to support each other, and not to compare!
I hope you have fun 🙂
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My longest "hiatus" from pole due to a rut was 8 months. I lost a lot of strength during that time, but my body still remembered what to do afterward!
Honestly, I'd say do dancing for warm-up, and then take the focus off it. See about doing some strength and flexibility training, or practicing certain moves because you know they'll improve one of those (strength or flexibility).
I really enjoy doing strength training, and am only just starting to enjoy flexibility… but I know now that when I don't particularly enjoy the dancing, the pole aspect, those are things I can still enjoy, and still benefit from! The endorphins at the end of a good workout also help to condition you to want to do it more 😉
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http://gymnastics.about.com/od/trainingadvice/ss/frontsplit.htm
http://gymnastics.about.com/od/trainingadvice/ss/centersplit.htm
I found these have helped. You can also get DVDs such as Aletheas, and Felix Cane's, both of which I have and find useful for both back flexibility and the splits.
This is one of the reasons you see so much discussion on here about attaining the splits, and about flexibility. It's a difficult thing and has to be maintained, and some people find themselves working against certain difficulties because of the way their body is made.
My one piece of advice from personal experience: Do NOT stretch as far as you can, regardless of pain, in order to achieve flexibility. This will actually reduce your flexibility and set you back way far! Reach till you feel a bit of discomfort, and stay there- count to ten and focus on relaxing your muscles. You may feel the discomfort release, or fade, and when it does, you can move a little farther into the stretch. 60 seconds (about a minute) is what I find best, but… some people wait for longer, and some don't need to go for as long. Just be careful and learn what works for you!
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Personally, I was doing the CKR before I knew about the Basic Plank! Not exactly good of me to not do my research 😉
I find the CKR to be quite easy- Nonflexy has a good point, that you can grip your foot and allow yourself to hold on to that, keeping your grip a little tighter. I do that! I'm trying to teach myself out of the habit now, though.
It was my very first "upside down" move, and I still love it 😉
Try it from the ground, first! Wiggle your way so that your bum is up off the ground and resting on the pole, and see if you can get your legs into position strong enough that you can do a sit up into it. I find that to be a really good way of knowing if your positioning is correct, BEFORE you get into the proper aerial stuff! And, it'll help build your core up so that when you do the move up on the pole and don't have the ground to push off from, you can get out of the move by sitting up out of it!