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Need help!!!
My husband surprised me and got me a carmen electra pole….i have heard so many bad reviews about it and a few okay ones..He said this is my starter pole to see if this is somthing im really intrested in..So i bolted it in and its pretty secure like i kicked it and tried to move it and shaked it some more and it hasn’t moved..but my question is.has anyone had this pole…like i know i have no upper body strength as of right now im trying to figure out how to gain that but this pole is soooo slippery..i tried acohole and i am going to try the tite grip but is it really suppose to be that slippery.
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9 Replies
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Hey girl!
Ok…all I’ve heard about the C.E. Pole is that its poorly constructed… Does it even bolt into a stud? (my hubby did almost the same thing – i have the "my sexy lil pole" in my basement – it’s cheaply made however it does bolt into a stud & with a quick trip to Home Depot & a $5 flange, its also bolted to the floor – which has made it quite secure, actually… too bad the finish is very cheap….) I’ve never even seen the Carmen Electra pole in person… if it doesnt have anyway to secure it, I’d stay off of it!
As for the slippery factor…part of it may just be grip strength (which you can build up quickly with simple exercises) however, I always go by the 3 "H" theory (heat, humidity & hormones) will all affect how slippery or grippy the pole feels to you…. also what type of soap you using if its just a matter of your hands slipping off… (if its extra mosturizing hand soap, thats pretty much equal to putting hand lotion on & attempting to pole….LOL!) What is the finish on the pole? Is it chrome? Or stainless?
There is a product called "dry hands" that really helps with slippery or sweaty hands…. (I personally cant use it, I have some sort of weird reaction everytime I try…. but most people really like it!) If that doesnt work, I put a dusting of rosin on my hands & a light mist of warm water… for me it works like super glue, and the water stops the rosin powder from scratching the finish on the pole.
Start with the basics (blah blah blah, I know youve probably heard that before) like just walking around the pole or a basic fireman spin & but put very specific concentration on your grip & what your doing with your hands to gain or slow your momentum during your walk/spins… sometimes just focusing in can help you troubleshoot whats going on!
Also, to clean slime off a pole (that pole in my basement has a very cheap finish…) I personally dig Method glass cleaner applied with a "urp cloth" that my son has grown out of (if you go this route, do not use liquid fabric softner or dryer sheets when laundering your pole-cleaning "urp-cloth" – the chemicals in them will re-slime your pole)
Good luck & keep us posted!
xoxo ~Lori =) -
I’ve never seen or used a Carmen Electra pole but I have heard about some of the plastic parts developing stress fractures after a while. Inspect it regularly for any cracks to be on the safe side.
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I haven’t ever seen the CE pole so can’t comment on that. As to building strength….working on the pole in a progression of moves will be the biggest aspect. Don’t rush! Take your time and do moves until you can do them in your sleep. Then do them one-handed, and so on. Do pole pullups, pole hangs, slowwwwwwww controlled slides down, ab curls on the pole….and Pilates! When you hang make sure you’re engaging your back and core rather than just hanging on with shoulders and biceps.
I would also STRONGLY recommend lessons at a reputable studio.
Good luck and happy dancing!!!!
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Hi!
I don’t have any personal experience with the Elektra pole, but from what I understand the finish is chrome. Is that correct? If so, I can say something about that, because after I learned on a brass pole at a bar I frequent, my chrome X-Pole seemed like someone had smothered grease all over it before I tried to mount it.
I found out that while I could grip the brass pole okay with a minimal amount of warming up, I cannot do that on the chrome X-pole. That has become even more true as the weather has become cooler. I do about ten minutes of calisthenics on the floor, like lunges, push-ups, crunches, and a little Yoga, and then I proceed to climb the pole and slide down a few times with as much skin on the pole as possible. In fact, you watched me do that in chat once! But maybe you didn’t realise that’s what I was doing at the time. If I am right that the Electra pole is chrome finished, it seems reasonable to me to think that the same principle would apply. I would suggest that warming yourself and your pole should help a lot.
Also, my skin is a little dryer than some other peoples’, so I have to make sure I moisturise my thighs and hips and anything else I might try to grip the pole with. Dry skin won’t hold the pole. So even though it’s a bad idea to use the pole while lotions or moisturisers are on your skin because it can cause a fall, moisturising several hours before poling may be helpful. Any excesses of moisturiser can be removed with a towel, or even just by the clothing you wear before you begin your pole workout. Make sure your moisturiser isn’t too oily though. Also, as your body temperature comes up, your skin will moisturise itself with a little sweat.
So warming yourself and warming your pole should help. Now that I know how to warm myself and my chrome pole, sometimes I almost feel as though it is TOO sticky, instead of slippery. Warming a pole is time consuming and can be annoying, but it’s an important thing to do for your safety. Trying inverts or body grips on a cold, slippery pole can be dangerous! But if you and your pole are warm, your skin is conditioned well, and your pole is clean, you should be able to start doing pole sits and other beginner body grips safely. Also, I like to wash my hands with warm water and soap right before I get on my pole, because unlike the rest of my body, sometimes my hands need a little drying out to get a good grip that I can hold for a while. Plus, if I have anything slippery on my hands, it will make the pole slippery any time I try to hold it with any body part. It sounds basic and silly to even say, but its easy for me to forget to wash my hands before poling, even though it makes a big difference sometimes.
I hope this helps! Last, if you pole in a room that’s usually cold, I recommend putting a space heater in the general vicinity of your pole for a few minutes before poling. Someone on this forum also suggested a hot blow dryer to warm the pole, which sounds like good, common sense to me.
I was relieved to find that my X-pole wasn’t teflon coated, but rather it was just cold. I hope that the same is true of the Elektra pole.
Oh, yeah, and I hope you don’t have to use this pole for too long before you get to have one of the safer, stronger, more-reputable ones. I’m in love with X-pole and recommend it to everyone. It’s a low-cost pole when contrasted with its reputation and what it offers, and the customer service at X-pole is fantastic. On the subject of customer service, though, I doubt Carmen Elektra, or the obese men in suits who are mass producing and selling her pole would take the time to tell you how to get the most use out of your pole.
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i too am a victim of buying a cheap pole. but i am the type to test the waters before investing that kind of money in to something. but after i started trying (safe!) moves and watching vidoes, i just can’t get pole off of my mind! and i know that if i want to continue with progress, i’m going to have to put money into a reliable piece of equipment. i also just wanted to say thank you to the previous responses, you guys are soooo helpful! at first i was thinking that there was no way anybody can stay on that damn pole! thanks again guys!
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*Bump!
Because I wanna know if you’re still slipping.
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I have several poles and the carmen electra peeka boo is one. it can bolt but as the other lady mentioned after awhile the plastic will crack. it’s really just for posing/dancing around. It can be unstable when you least expect it. You can have your husband put the flange on there but climbing not so sure how you will do. let us know how it goes.
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As of right now its okay…still very slippery..ive tried warming the room up.ect..i really dont want to do any grip aids…so i really dont know if its the pole or me….imma just save for my x pole…i didnt want my husband to think i didnt apperciate it.because i really did/do but the pole is already messing up..but he had heard me talk about how peek a boo poles were bad..but im going to keep trying and see if i can do a few lil things..ill keep u guyz posted…ps im gettin a video camra for xmas so videos soon to come…yay https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_santa.gif
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I tried a Carmen Electra pole – once. It came down mid-spin. Nothing fancy, either, just a regular Fireman. Be careful – the one I was on was bolted into the floor, but bowed horribly in the middle and then toppled over.
As for the slipperiness. You need really warm hands. Also, I find that if I spray some rubbing alcohol on my hands, it gets tackier on the pole. That’s what helps me with my stainless Lil Mynx, at least.
Good luck!
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