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I've experimented with tying it a few different ways – the way I had it in the video, and the "normal" way. It's prettier and more secure when it's crossed in the back, but the straps dig in. Tying it straight across is a bit less pressure on my shoulders. I ordered a size small at first, and I felt like I was going to bust out. It fit fine in the band but the top part was really overstretched and made me look like a mom trying to shop in her daughter's closet. The medium covers me better but is bigger in the band. I guess I'm just between sizes. I've considered taking it in slightly at the band and then it'll be perfect.
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See that review from the girl with the polka dot cell phone cover? That's me 😉 I got it in a Medium too… I wore it in one of my pole videos. I like it and it fits OK, but not like a glove. The band is too big and the top part is a shade too tight. I find myself readjusting it a lot during classes. I do get lots of compliments and questions when I wear my Lynn to yoga. Everybody in pole knows about Mika, but a lot of yoga people don't. 🙂
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Ooh, I like the pink/purple combo on the Shock Absorber bra you linked! That's good to know that it's good for running too. My old standby for running is the Moving Comfort Fiona bra. It's not a fashion statement, but it does the job.
It's always such a challenge, especially for pole where less is more, but the demands on the bra are so unusual. If you're 32G, you get it. 🙂
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I've been in a rut myself lately. It ends up being self-fulfilling – you feel like you're not making any progress, so you don't feel motivated to practice, and then you lose the skills you've already gained through lack of practice. It is tough, but at least it's universal.
I think it's important to focus on more than just tricks and getting strong. The competitive aspect of pole can be great for some people, but it can hurt others. There is a video going around of a 10 year old Russian poler who executed pretty much every trick in the book in one routine. After seeing something like that, it can feel like… what is the point of trying? I'll never be like that, so why try? I can be very inconsistent poler, some days I am a rockstar and other days I struggle to invert or do spins. How am I supposed to know how "good" I am?
I really liked Veena's July challenge video because so much of what she did in it was within reach of the majority of polers. It wasn't just "hey, look at all the advanced tricks I can do!" You can work on hair flips, body rolls, floorwork, or just fluidity and grace. Some of my favorite polers are not necessarily the most technically skilled, but the ones that move in a beautiful way, or know how to tell a story.
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I've considered putting together a pole routine that is basically a riff on wuxia. It would be a great excuse to learn some Chinese pole tricks and experiment with the more masculine styles of movement that pair well with battle. And plus if I'm dressed as a ninja, then I can wear grip gloves and shoes… so it doesn't matter if I sweat 🙂
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I trained in karate for 10 years. I made second degree black belt and was on my way to third, but left for a variety of reasons. I miss it sometimes, but it was a big time sink and freed up time for other pursuits (like pole).
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Also forgot to mention, I did C25K as well and it really works. I never thought I could get to the point of running 5km nonstop, but by the end of last summer I was. Unfortunately I did not stick with it. I am thinking of trying it again, but this time I may try barefoot running. I think it will really help strengthen my ankles and feet for pole and yoga.
The nice thing about C25K is you can always use it to start over if you take time off from running.
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Running shoes are very personal, and wearing the wrong ones for your body can cause problems. If you're not sure what to get, try going to a running store (not a Foot Locker or something, a place that actually caters to runners) and get your feet evaluated. Once you have a brand and model that works for you, you can always just keep re-purchasing it when the old ones wear out.
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Remember to use your arm too. A basic jade split is like basic scorpio and gemini – you are using your underarm and side body to hold yourself in place, not just the inner thigh. Gripping with just the inner thigh is a more advanced version of jade and is more difficult.
Basic:
http://images.quickblogcast.com/6/4/6/2/0/310038-302646/Cleo.jpgAdvanced:
http://www.poledance-paris.com/12_repertoire/images/planche03_fig26.jpgVeena has a floorwork lesson called the inverted floor split. It is basically a jade split done from a shoulder stand. I found that practicing this move really helped me get the hang of the balance in the split position. It made doing it on the pole easier. My jade isn't flat, but it's getting there.
Good luck!
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I know I am not typical, but maybe I can shed some light on how many different types of people exist.
I am attracted to men and women. I've known this about myself for a long time. I happened to fall in love with and marry my husband (who is straight) but all things being equal, if he were a woman, I would have wanted to marry him (her?) anyway.
We also belong to the community that Danielle Tillie mentioned. We are happily married and monogamous, but we do engage in occasional sexual activity with other people. We always do it together, safely, and with other committed couples in our exact same situation. You would be surprised to know just how common this is. The internet has made it easier for people like us to connect and do something that is healthy, but still widely misunderstood and stigmatized. I would put it on the level of intolerance of homosexuality in many parts of America. It works for us because we don't have to hide anything and truly be who we are. It's not for everyone, but it is exactly what we needed.
So going back to strip clubs – we are in a unique position. We often find that we are attracted to the same people. We have attended clubs together, and it's truly for the benefit of both of us. I'm not there to babysit him, I'm a paying customer there to enjoy the show like anyone else. (Chatting up a particularly athletic stripper is what got me interested to try pole classes! Well, that and going to see Cirque du Soleil.) Some dancers really enjoy women like me, and other times they seem confused or even upset that I'm there. I know that many dancers are not gay/bi and don't know how to interact with a female customer who is. If I sense any discomfort, I just chat about pole tricks and that ends up being fun too. There is a wide range of attitudes even among dancers! And all are equally valid.
My husband has also been to clubs without me. He gets to enjoy seeing women who are the complete opposite of my body type and enjoy a bit of escapism, and then comes home to take a shower and enjoy boring married life with me. I haven't gone to a club by myself yet, but it would be the same idea. For us, variety is the spice of life and allows us to enjoy ourselves and still come home to the most perfect person.
I look at it like differing attitudes toward nudity. I am American, but I recently spent time in Germany. The tradition there is to be naked in saunas for sanitary reasons (bathing suits can hold a lot of germs). I was naked in front of countless other people, male and female, all ages, for no other reason than to relax. There was no sexual undertone at all, and I loved it. But I get it that things are different in the US. There tends to be more uptightness about nudity (remember Janet Jackson's nipple?) and sexual expression. I think this is part of why strip clubs still provoke very strong feelings here. Of course there are many other countries in the world that are much more conservative than the US, and that's OK too. It's all about respect. People who are more conservative in their attitudes are not wrong or crazy – everyone is entitled to their feelings. That's the most important thing.
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People tend to take a lot of vacations in the summer time. Mondays and Fridays will both be affected by people taking long weekends. Also, January is a very popular time for people to begin fitness routines due to New Year's resolutions, so your classes may have been unusually busy then. Gyms typically experience a surge of business in the winter, and then as the weather warms up, people tend to make more excuses not to go – either they have other plans, they get bored with working out in general, or they haven't seen the results they wanted.
If everyone keeps giving your classes rave reviews, then I would chalk it up to seasonality. You can also chat with other fitness instructors to see if they experience a similar issue around this time of year. I'm sure your classes are great!
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I think if you kick up into an invert, not only can you really hurt yourself if you miss or pull a muscle, but you can also end up overconfident in your abilities in strength. Then you may be attempting more difficult tricks that you don't have the back, shoulder, or core strength to execute correctly. I understand the desire to invert, "going upside down" is what many people want to learn and consider it to be the first major accomplishment. But it's not something to approach lightly. Impatience can lead to injury.
It's ok to swing/use your leg for momentum as you step into the pole when first learning the basic invert. I still do that when I'm getting tired. But that's different from jumping into it. The majority of the motion should come from your shoulders, back, and core working in unison to lift your legs and butt up. A lot like yoga shoulder stands.
My first pole instructor got us working on the chopper/V invert from the ground early on. I think that helped me a lot. It's much harder to do those initially, but it forced me to learn how to do it properly with the right muscles engaged. And then learning scorpio and gemini was a lot easier because I was already almost there. Another thing is if you can only invert by kicking up off the floor, you won't be able to do an aerial invert that way.
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Danielle, thanks so much for sharing. Not only was it a beautiful performance, but I really admire your courage and professionalism in going out and doing it again after the fall. It may be tough for you to watch, but I think it's amazing.
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The link abcollins posted is excellent. It shows that fitness competitor-type physiques require seriously low body fat percentages that border on unhealthiness for most people. It also shows that two different people with the same body fat percentages can look quite different.
The main reason I worry about belly fat is because I have a family history of high cholesterol, hypertension, and early death from heart disease. Studies have demonstrated links between high amounts of belly fat in women and increased risk of those conditions. So I have a vested interest in maintaining my waist to hip ratio, if not exactly worrying about having washboard abs.
When I was a teenager (about 16) I looked like the girl in the white bikini with 18%. I had the typical “beach body” and most people would consider me attractive by typical standards. But I was weak, especially in my upper body, had hardly any muscle definition, and ate a ton of junk food and was generally unhealthy. Now I’m 27, I look a cross between the girl with 20% and the girl with 25%, I don’t have as much definition in my abs, and wouldn’t win any hard body contests, but I am so much stronger and more capable due to yoga and pole. Age has a lot to do with how your body looks and feels. As soon as I hit 25, my body started to soften up and I freaked out about it for a while. But now I eat pretty healthy and exercise and this seems to be my new normal.
Your body will change as you age and as long as you live a generally healthy lifestyle, what your middle looks like is not the end of the world. Sure, you can try to reduce your body fat percentage and get that bodybuilder look, but it’s not necessary from either a health perspective or in order to be attractive. It should be a personal choice, not an obligation. It would be nice if we got away from only putting body builder types in fitness ads… I feel like it really creates unrealistic expectations and prompts a lot of people to “give up” on getting fit.
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Well, if you change your mind let me know, I have a 50 in excellent condition! https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_biggrin.gif
