poledanceromance
Forum Replies Created
-
I look forward to watching that video, I have trouble with this as well. Hip flexors and quads are painfully tight for me, and my bendy back compensates, but that only works in certain moves. I’ve recently picked up a few awesome stretches and exercises for this, mostly from the contortion coach at my studio (the infamous Sofia Vanezetti) that are really working for me right now (like a ton!!)
One is to go into the frogger stretch, and one at a time try to lift each leg up and point the foot at the ceiling, which rotates that side’s hip down toward the floor and in the process rolls “across” the hip flexor in a way that feels awesome for me and loosens them up better than straight up and down hip flexor exercises (like pulsing up and down in a lunge) which can tend to make them tense up on me because they’re so overly tight right now.
Another is to simply do a regular lunge, but turn the front foot outward (back foot still pointed straight back) and press forward into the lunge with that front foot turned out for a super deep stretch in the hip flexor. That simple rotation changes the way you’re stretching the front hip to focus the stretch more specifically on the back hip flexor. (Got that one from my 14 year old cousin who does competitive gymnastics and who is so bendy she makes me look like a board lol)
Another is to lay flat on your back, tuck one foot under your butt so you’re laying on your shin, you can keep the other up on the foot…the less arch in the back, the deeper the stretch. This one is more intense on the quad than the hip flexor but both are a problem for me. It’s like when you’re doing the basic standing quad stretch and you pull your foot back to your butt, but when you lay it down it gets much more intense.
If you’re having a hard time visualizing any of those I could make a short video. Sorry if you included any of that in your vid veena, I haven’t had a chance to watch it yet. Just wanted to kick in a couple things that are really helping me a lot right now.
-
I’ve done this and it’s shocking how much it hurts. Neosporin with Lidocaine could help. The lidocaine is a mild numbing agent that can help take the edge off. Otherwise all I can suggest is to keep a bandage on it and a tape wrap. Usually when the nail breaks, there’s some sharp points that can catch on things and tear even worse. If you keep that finger wrapped up as the nail grows out, you can trim it as it comes in, and it will give your finger some protection from any trauma that would prevent the new nail growth from properly adhering to the nail bed.
-
I totally don’t get this. I’m VERY happy to teach someplace where we welcome other instructors to come take classes, and where we are never discouraged from visiting other studios to learn as well. We even have a big team going to CPC, yet the studio doors are open the weekend of the competition so that other competitors from other studios can come rehearse in our space because we are just a few blocks away from the competition venue and our poles are spaced the same as the competition poles, so it just made natural sense to us and didn’t strike us as a threat to our competitors or anything remotely like that….if another studio wants to bring their team in and rent the space and rehearse, awesome! Good fellowship from dancer to dancer across studio lines is important at the Brass Ring, and that’s a huge reason why I’m so proud to teach there. I believe that attitude of community shows in everything TBR does….the whole philosophy of the studio is to be an open door for the pole community in the Chicago area to train in a facility with a multi-disciplinary approach to pole.
-
Oh and the alley access to the back yard has a secure gate!
-
We would love to have you where I teach at The Brass Ring Chicago! Any dates that work for you, aside from CPC weekend may 25th the schedule pretty much open all summer. The setup is 8, 12′ chrome xpoles. 7are 45s and the teacher pole is 40. We have folding chairs, silks, Lyra, fly gym, and professional grade hoops. We also have a full kitchen and full bath with shower, as well as a back yard with alley access which I believe would be big enough for you to park the trailer in. Melissa Schrader is the owner and she’s an absolute peach who totally adores you…she gave me the go-ahead to invite you! If you’re interested, I can give her your email!
-
Just checking in as a pole teacher and regular performer to say that I absolutely do not train 100% perfectly 100% of the time either, not even close! This is something I repeat often to anyone I hear talking about some part of their body they’re particularly unhappy with, often the stomach when I hear “I just want a flat stomach/six pack!” There’s been times when I’ve had a visible 6 pack just because of the level I was training at to achieve a certain goal, not because I was training for a six pack. But damn, when I’m in that kind of shape I can see puffiness and loss of definition the next day if I had one bad meal. It’s not possible to sustain that kind of shape permanently, but I think it’s easy for us to forget that when we see videos of pole athletes who are only posting videos when they’re in training form for a competition etc. and we don’t see the in-between.
-
It would concern me if an instructor who claims to be running a teacher training program for the purpose of keeping “up to date” is saying that and behaving that way. I think it should be reasonable to expect that instructors who pride themselves on staying up to date on training practices would have an understanding of the mechanical differences in the various bracket grips and how to safely train them all based on what works anatomically for each student. I think there’s something to be said for an instructor who can explain to a student what’s different about the way those grips work, benefits and problems of each, versus an instructor who has beliefs about some grips being bad but doesn’t explain that belief in terms of the specific risks involved based on their understanding of how the grip works mechanically.
-
Uhm yeah this comes as no surprise to me….I am 100% convinced my long limbs and tall body type are why it’s taken me like 5 years to get close to my Iron X as compared to some people who have been at it far less time and can’t do some strength moves that I can do, but who can do that Iron X no problem. All in perspective…
-
Great tips here already. Another is to work it as a descent. Invert to crucifix, bring the legs down into chopper, then lower (reverse invert) holding the chopper legs straight as slow and controlled as you can. Good luck! Inverting with straight legs takes time and practice and puts a big load on a very small muscle group (hip flexors).
-
Too bad that if I comment on it how I would like to, I’d be a criminal in Russia.
-
Yes that’s mirror finish brass.
I will say, if your problem is that you feel like no matter how much you wipe, the pole is greasy, then brass might not be for you. Some people have a hard time with brass feeling really slippery. Is there a studio anywhere near you where you could try out a different finish? If you know what finish works better for you than brass, you can do something about this. With xpole you could just get new pole sections, and keep your existing hardware, so it wouldn’t be as expensive to replace just the pole sections as it would be to replace the whole pole.
Also, in the meantime I would seriously advise you to do some exercises specifically for hand grip (veena has some in the lessons I believe) because working on that grip can accommodate for hand grip problems better than any grip aid. I don’t mean to accuse you of not having “good enough” grip, just that really training that hand grip can help compensate a lot if you’re working with a pole finish that isn’t ideal for you.
-
That’s me. Even really good brass is a nightmare for me, just because of my own personal sweat and grip issues. Don’t feel too discouraged. Almost everyone has one or two finishes that noticeably are worse or better grip wise, it’s totally normal although understandably totally frustrating.
-
Just checking in to say I am 26 years old, 5’8″, ~130lbs and I have cellulite as well.
This is just how women’s bodies store fat. I have seen plenty of women who would qualify as “stick thin” who also had cellulite.
-
How long have you had the pole? Is it old enough that perhaps you have one of the brushed finish poles and not the high polish poles? (Or was the brushed finish only ever in use on the stainless poles? Apologies if I have the wrong info, xpole techs)
-
I’m going to be honest. Anyone whose boyfriend is pulling that shit instead of discussing his concerns with you like an adult should take a serious second look at that relationship. Adults who care about each other discuss these issues calmly and respectfully. Only controlling assholes feel the need to DEMAND things like that of you. That’s not love, it’s control.
He doesn’t own you, and you don’t have to do that to prove that you respect him. For real.
I’m not telling you to immediately dump your boyfriend. I’m just asking you to think about this like you would if some guy were making these demands of your best friend. Think about this like it were a friend coming to you with this issue. It’s simply not ever okay for a boyfriend or girlfriend to make demands like that in the relationship, simply because that is not the way healthy relationships work and that is not the way adults comminicate.
I’m sorry if this offends anyone, but this is an issue I see a lot on social media and as an instructor, and as a survivor of an abusive relationship. If a man is making demands and ultimatums over pole dancing, that man has love and control confused and seriously needs to sort out his fucking issues and not put them on anyone else!!!!