Saeth
Forum Replies Created
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I’m a lesbian but none of the people at the two schools I went to know it. I’m not really one for dancing around going, “Hi, I’m a lez!” but if someone asks if I have a boyfriend, I’ll say I’m a lesbian and no one has asked yet, ha 😛 That and the whole “Oh you are? Do you fancy me then?” is just my nightmare scenario. That and I’ve been wary of saying I am in dance class in case they think I’m going to perv or molest on them. Though sometimes it is hard when ladies are in little bitty shorts and heels, I’ve had to proverbially slap myself and focus on what I’m doing! It’s a blessing and a curse. I’m a bit of a perv like Polekat but it’s kept in check by my respect for the ladies. Also sitting there with dilated eyes and a drooling expression is a bit of a dead giveaway and will start all sorts of awkwardness lol. I’m really a very private person and as a consequence people get lots of shocks once they’re let into my private world 😛
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What an awesome challenge! I’ve just got back on the net after moving two houses and moving back in with my family and doing my exams. Life has been really hard for me on so many levels and it’s hit my poling as well as my splits. All progress has just stalled, including pole! It’s really frustrating and I feel disappointed in myself for not sticking through with it all. I had to scale back my stretching to twice a week as I was just stiffening up too much and then everything in life just went crazy. I’m going to try once more to get back into the swing of things but my mood has been low and I think a lot of it is the Mirena IUD I had put in. I know I’ve had a lot going on but I’m usually tougher than this so I don’t think it’s just that.
Oh well, I’ll just aim for a summer restart!
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The part of the video you need is from 13 mins 50 seconds onwards to try and adjust your pole without actually taking it down. Hopefully this will line up the line with the little cut out “keyhole” and enable the screws to lie flush. If adjusting it like that doesn’t work then it’s the length of the pole/extension that is the issue and you’ll have to take it down, change extensions and reinstall.
If I remember correctly from when I first installed my pole, those screws will not screw in flush or bite/lock to the pole if the extension is too small for your ceiling. Or is it too large. Both?! Either?! Sorry, it’s been a while! Anyway, the root of it is the extension is the incorrect one for your setup. Installing the pole isn’t technically hard, it’s just fiddly. Now, my ceilings are over 8ft, not 12ft like yours but I done mine without help. The top is top heavy so it can wobble about, that’s the only challenge really, along with getting it straight from top to bottom. You don’t need a builder to install it and by the sounds of it anyway he messed it up. Even if you just have a friend to keep the pole stable, it can make it easier. I just took my time, used my spirit level and was careful.
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Have you tried to play them? You can see the thumbnails but if you’re logged out and try to view them you are told to log in. Gz on your graduation and the watch btw!
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You can get sore knuckles/fingers, yes. There’s a number of things that can cause this. First the infamous “death grip” of pole newbies. Let’s face it, our instincts are to hang on for dear life when in fact we don’t need quite as much as we think. As you become more experienced two things will happen, 1) You’ll relax more and not hang on quite so grimly 2) You will become naturally stronger anyway and need to put less effort in for the same, if not more, return on your grip if that makes sense.
It’s important your body has rest days. In the beginning it is not uncommon to need a lot of rest days between sessions. A person is often unfit and weak. This means that you tire more easily and your body just isn’t as strong, flexible or adaptable so your recovery rate is very low. When I first started I was still sore four to five days after, it was insane. Now I do not suffer anywhere near as much. I know it’s tempting to train train train like some crazy pole bunny in the beginning but don’t do it. Resist the urge. You will be setting yourself up for injury, slow down your conditioning and put extra strain on your body. No one has ever regretted going too slow, plenty have regretted and paid the price for going too fast. Times of rest and recovery are vital for the human body no matter our fitness level or spot.
Another thing, keep an eye on your alignment throughout your wrists and ensure you are engaging your shoulder muscles. Not doing so can put strain on various areas of the body. Make sure you stretch out your arms, shoulders and neck after every pole session. It’s crucial.
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That’s weird, could have sworn I wrote a reply o.o Welcome back Luvlee, I’m sorry to hear about your back injury. I bet you’re thrilled to get started again! Maybe you will progress faster having already had the splits in the past? It would be interesting to see 🙂 In regards to photos you may find it more beneficial to work out where to place your camera/phone/webcam to take your own photos. This way you can take the photos from the same spot. A few degrees of difference in angle can make it look like you haven’t progressed at all. This way you won’t be reliant on hubby either 😀
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DLGBoricuaIVE: I’m hoping it were just for the photos but please be very careful about doing stretches on hard floors with the knees in contact. It’s possible to dislocate the knee cap and you don’t want that!
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Gizy, I know it’s hard but don’t be hard on yourself. Our journey’s to a high degree of flexibility are highly personal and influenced by many things that are sometimes out of control. I try to focus on the fact that the stretching has physical and mental benefits for me rather than any progress I’ve made. I know that might seem a little odd considering the purpose behind splits training is to achieve the splits! But it’s stopped me from obsessing. You are making progress and that is the more important thing. You are taking the time and setting yourself to the challenge. This is what to focus on when you feel disheartened. You’re still more flexi than a lot of people out there too 😀
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Ty ladies. I think really the proper root of the problem is the last two weeks I’ve just been slipping so much so I do not feel stable on the pole. Today inverted crucifix and general crucifix felt scary and my hands were slipping even though I can hang onto the poles with my legs and invert with confidence. This is at home and at the studio. It’s frustrating so I think my hands seeming to be “in the way” is just my nervous reaction to what’s going on. On top of this I think I’m reaching a bit of a plateau where I can do quite a lot of things but then I’m not quite strong enough for the more advanced things and I’m slipping so it’s limiting my practice. Argh!
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Ty Litlbit. I’ll definitely keep those tips in mind. The photo was one of my first attempts at Gemini. It’s much better now but I’m grateful for any tips given. I think I’ve been grabbing too high when trying to do the crucifix. I’m not sure if these tips will solve all my problems but they will definitely help, thank you! I’ll try to monitor more closely what’s going on. I find it a bit scary when I can’t re-grip the pole rapidly and securely because I just keep thinking if anything goes wrong it could lead to a fall.
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Welcome aboard, Boricula and Sarah!
Neesy, taking into account the different angles of your comparison photos, I don’t feel you left side has gotten worse at all. Regardless if you have, we all have our off days caused by all sorts of things. You’re doing so well, keep it up!
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I have problems with chrome too and in fact just had the most infuriating “practice session” on my home chrome pole. I couldn’t do a lot of the stuff I wanted to do. The pole just wasn’t holding the heat. I find then what happens is I get hot, the pole stays cooler even with me climbing it and sliding down it, pole sit, spins, planks, etc and then you can literally see the condensation where my hot hands have been reacting to the cold pole. Not only is it maddening but sometimes it can be out right dangerous. I live in the UK and so naturally it’s cooler here and high humidity by default. I have the same problem in the studio at times, but to a lesser degree. On top of this I do sweat. I don’t feel I’m an extreme or heavy sweater but I sweat to some degree. I would like to try brass myself as I’ve never played on it before but my pole is not even 6 months old so you can understand why I don’t want to invest in a change right now. I have had plenty of good days too but enough bad days to make me grumpy! I’ll have to try some of the suggestions here.
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I finally got some pictures. I was convinced I hadn’t made any progress which wouldn’t be unreasonable considering I did nothing for a good few months, however, there are definite changes in the before and after photos for front splits despite feeling a bit stiff and off the last few days. To stop me and others from scrolling up to whenever I posted my starting pics, I reposted my dec ones (pink trousers) and the ones I took today (navy). The angle is a bit different on the two sets but I’ve figured out where to place the cam for future shots. I have to say, I hate middle splits, it just feels so foreign and “unsafe” and the stretching feels unrewarding. I don’t see any progress in the picture for them but it’s hard to say because of the angle etc. I don’t really mind, I’m more focused on front splits right now.
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Joice: The Gemini and Scorpio are different moves though highly similar. There’s only a difference in which leg is hooking. With the Gemini, your outside leg is the one that hooks around the pole when you invert, and then the inside leg drops back and down. With Scorpio, it’s your inside leg that is hooked, and the outside leg (the one in Gemini that would be hooked) is back and down, to the varying degrees in the “short” and “long” Scorpio.
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I was going to do some stretching today and post the pictures but my hip flexor is a bit grumpy so I’ll leave it for today.
I do have some questions. On Veena’s stretch where you lie on your back and bring the thigh to your chest, my leg shakes a lot. It’s weird. There’s no pain, in fact there’s no discomfort really so I’m not over stretching. Why is this? Also she says to lead with your chest and not your head and I realised I do not understand this term at all! Does it mean to fold down with your chest, then stretch forward, rather than stretch forward then down?
On Wednesday my fluid intake was a bit low and it was obvious in my stretching! I was going to take pictures but I was so inflexible it looked like I have made zero progress but I know I have. I can nearly touch my legs with my nose in pike/single leg pike stretches now. It’s pretty exciting. I’ve noticed also that my flexibility has increased in poling too even when not as warm, especially in flip split and side spin sit. I can almost touch my toes on the floor behind me while doing a sexy pike too 😀 No pictures of that because I didn’t think to monitor it O_o There wasn’t really any progress between Dec and Feb as I done no flexibility training, and there was Christmas break with classes too.
It seems my limiting points are around my knees and right/deep under my butt cheeks. I think it’s either the very top of the hamstrings and/or the adductor magnus muscle. Calves seem to be another limiting factor. It’s certainly proving an interesting journey so far.