scorpiotrickster
Forum Replies Created
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Just as a cautionary tale…I used to LOVE twisted grip, and had a beautiful twisted grip Ayesha. I had just gotten it from a deadlift and was really close to getting the Phoenix when I started getting a pain deep in my right shoulder every time I lifted my arm over my head. 6 months later, after taking a break to rest it, x-rays, physical therapy, a failed cortisone shot, and an MRI with an arthrogram, it turns out I had a tear in my labrum. The only way to fix a labral tear is through surgery, so I had it done 7 weeks ago. The recovery process is long and painful, and I expect it will be another 6 months before I am cleared to do pole or any kind of weighted overhead lifting, meaning a total of over a year out of pole! I am positive that the injury was caused by doing twisted grip moves all of the time. Good luck with the Ayesha, but I definitely recommend trying it with cup or elbow grip instead, so you don’t end up like me!
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I really like Isopure in Dutch Chocolate- it’s really low in carbs and tastes great in shakes/smoothies!
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Thanks for the advice! I think we’ve decided on seeing Mystere and Absinthe, and I’m super excited!
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My style is definitely gymnastic/athletic/trickster. I can pull off some awesome gymnastics-like tricks and strength moves, but I look absolutely ridiculous when I try to make anything flowing or sexy. I don’t know if I’ll ever be a heels girl, but I would definitely like to work on incorporating more flow and smoother transitions between my tricks!
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I haven’t had the chance to go to anything more than regular and “boot camp” pole classes, but there seem to be some really awesome ones out there that I would love to try! I had really wanted to go to a Body and Pole “Pole-kour” workshop, mixing pole and parkour, including things like jumping from pole to pole! I also like the idea of classes that would combine pole with gymnastics/tumbling or martial arts!
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I find that I have to explain myself even less and less lately, as pole has grown in popularity and is much more mainstream (showing up on stage at awards shows, in music videos, etc.)and pole studios are literally popping up left and right in New England. When I tell people that I take pole classes, the more common responses I get these days are “I heard that’s a great workout,” “I tried it once at a bachelorette party-it was HARD!” or “my friend/sister/coworker takes pole classes”. It’s nice to see that most people are now familiar with and respect the non-stripping side of pole.
When I do get the more ambivalent responses like “You pole dance? REALLY? What does your husband think of that?”, I tend to leave stripping out of the conversation unless they bring it up specifically, and will usually say something about how challenging and great of a workout it is, how it lets me use my childhood gymnastics skills, and how I go to a studio with a great group of women.
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Both studios in my area start everyone on spin exclusively, and then begin to integrate static spins later on. It seems to work for most people, but it is definitely harder to get enough height and momentum on static spins when you have been used to the pole spinning for you 🙂 Spinning can be more difficult to control the speed and momentum of the spins, and it’s common to see girls start spinning way too fast when they bring their bodies into the pole, so it requires use of a different type of muscle control.
I recommend learning everything on both static and spin, starting from beginner on-I find I prefer some things on static and some on spin!
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Like most of you, I will try most moves at least a few times, but there are definitely some that I don’t want to perfect or pursue more than that. For example, moves that require practically inhuman flexibility, such as Rainbow Marchenko and Spatchcock, or super-dangerous moves like Fonji. I know the limits of my flexibility, and know that I will be able to improve that flexibility with practice, but the fact of the matter is that I’m not a contortionist, so I don’t need to injure myself trying to do contortion tricks.
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I personally do not use grip aids because my hands do not sweat too much. Sometimes I will use a little Mighty Grip powder toward the end of the session when my grip is fatiguing or I’m getting excessively sweaty, but it’s not something that I want to rely on for everything, because I don’t want to become one of those girls who can’t do anything in class if she forgets her grip aid at home (and I do know girls like this). I tend to just continually dry my hands off and spray down my hands and the pole with rubbing alcohol, and that seems to work fine for me.
I tried the tacky Mighty Grip gloves, and they did not work for me. They were so sticky that the gloves would stick to the pole and my hands would slide out of the gloves…and forget about any move that requires moving or sliding hands!
I know it can be frustrating to not be able to grip the pole as well as you would like, but keep practicing the moves that you are comfortable with, as this will help you gain more natural grip strength. I remember being frustrated when I first started out, but all of the extra practice with bare hands definitely paid off!
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Cramps during running can often be caused by dehydration, lack of potassium, or improper breathing. Often they are more likely to be a “side stitch” type of cramp, but I have definitely gotten them in the pelvic area too. What do you eat and drink before a run? Bananas are a great pre-run food that are loaded with potassium, which often is enough to prevent cramps. You can also try a sports drink or coconut water for potassium and electrolytes before you run. In terms of breathing, make sure you are taking deep breaths in and out when you run and avoid shallow breathing/panting.
With that being said, if none of the nutrition, hydration, and breathing modifications help and you suspect it is a gynecological issue, definitely see your Ob/Gyn for an ultrasound!
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More flexibility and fluidity (always!)
Specific moves that I can kind of do but am determined to perfect are:
Deadlift
Phoenix!!!
Iron X
Allegra
Cup/split grip handspring/ayesha
Various tumbles and dropsI would also like to start learning
Russian split and other split moves
Shoulder mount flip -
Here are just a few of the reasons why I’m leaving my “home studio” of a year:
1. Owner holds students “hostage” in lower levels until they have taken some ungodly number of class hours. For example, after a year of biweekly classes, I am still stuck in “Beginner 2” classes because I haven’t done the 150 class hours there. In comparison, I am in the top level at all of the other studios that I have tried. So while the other students in my class are trying to figure out basic choppers and inverted crucifixes, I’m doing self-taught ayeshas, brass monkeys, jade splits, etc., and learning absolutely nothing from the class! This is most likely why she currently only has 1 student in her “Intermediate” level and nobody in her “Advanced” level- they all left after getting stuck in a too-low level.
2. The owner “teaches” all of the classes herself, because she cannot seem to keep any of the instructors she hires or trains for more than a month. Because none of her current students want to be instructors for her, she recently brought in 3 new girls to train to be instructors that have absolutely no pole experience (some of them did ballet as kids or do yoga, but that’s as relevant as their experience is…).
3. Frequently cancels or changes class times with only a few hours notice, without providing refunds to those who can’t make it to the changed time.
4. Doesn’t warm up students- is not in the room for the first 15 minutes of class, as students are expected to do their own warm ups during that time.
5. Often simply puts up a series of combinations on the board that we are supposed to practice, while she is off doing something else or is facetiming with her boyfriend.
Honestly, after writing this out, I am shocked that this studio is still in business after 5 years!
Due to all of these reasons and more, I am finishing up the last few classes in my package there, and am transitioning to a much better studio less than 10 miles away.
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I would love to get the phoenix, but am pretty far off still. I also want to figure out the allegra (for some reason makes no sense to me!), and work on my non-dominant side. I would also like to work on transitions and fluidity, since I am the queen of tricks and avoid everything else. Maybe enter another competition too?
The possibilities are endless!
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In the year I’ve been poling, I’ve gained about 8 lbs, with most of it being muscle. I’ve seen the most muscle gain in my shoulders/arms and abs. I have gained a crazy amount of core strength, but I will note that my waist has grown an inch from the addition of that muscle (and I measured my body fat %, so I know it is actually muscle and not fat). I’m sure if I actually dieted down I would have a pretty awesome 6-pack under there 😉 My lower half has stayed the same or gotten a bit smaller.
This being said, I have made no changes to my diet, and probably eat a bit more poorly and drink more than I did last year. I also am predisposed to putting on lots of muscle fast, so I am probably the exception rather than the rule.
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My Wishlist:
Elbow grip Ayesha
Aerial Shoulder Mount
Allegra
Get more comfortable with Brass MonkeyDead lift twisted grip Ayesha, and from there….my ultimate goal is Phoenix!!!