Anatomy?

nwbutterfly started this discussion · 11/14/2013

Hey everyone! I haven't posted here before... But I've been looking around for awhile for something, and as I haven't found it, I thought you ladies would be the best to ask! I'm really interested in anatomy, physiology and correct body mechanics. I would like to learn more in the context of pole dancing as I don't want to get injured (I've already hurt my wrist multiple times) and of course want to build strength and skill in the best way possible. Whenever I search for information about this regarding pole fitness, there doesn't seem to be anything...no books, articles, diagrams. So, my question is this: does anyone have any good resources for teaching oneself this information? I'm not advanced enough to do an instructor training where they actually have manuals. I feel its really important for pole dancers to know this information, not just the small bits that I pick up here and there from videos. Thanks for any help you can provide!

16 replies

chemgoddess1 · 11/14/2013
Quite honestly the lessons here are probably the best for conditioning properly and correct form. If I recall Veena is or was a PT and it shows in the lessons here. As for other resources, pole is so new that there are not really any guides. It encompasses dance, gymnastics, bodybuilding and so many other "sports" that it is often difficult to put it just in one classification.
AriesWolf · 11/14/2013
I know what you mean! I'm one of those nerdy people where, if I'm interested in something, I have to go out and read all the top books about it. But I haven't really found any good resources for pole dancing. I hope someone has some good suggestions, because I'd also love to know more about the mechanics of it. I will say that Veena's lessons have been super helpful for the flexibility part. I still had to do some Googling to figure out what was actually happening biology-wise, but they're the best resource I've found in terms of actually making me more flexible.
Runemist34 · 11/14/2013
Teaching this kind of thing in the context of Pole dance is something that likely won't happen for a long time. Diagrams and books on the subject of "Anatomy for Pole dance" comes from things that are, in my experience, highly mainstream and well-documented by a very scholarly community. Kind of like Yoga these days. Anyways, if you're really interested in it, I think the best way to teach yourself about this is to really mire yourself in the mechanics of body movement, figuring out how muscles work together and all of the interesting things we have in our bodies other than muscles. Things like the Twisted Grip, for example, uses our joints and muscular structure "against itself," causing a kind of lock- very, very dangerous if you don't have enough strength to keep your joints in the right place, or slip the wrong way, because you could break or pull something very bad. Once you have all of the information, you can always look at a variety of pole dancing moves, which are very well-documented and displayed by Veena's lessons as well as a few others, or even go to a studio and ask for a few demonstrations of certain moves. Have a conversation with a whole bunch of pole dancers, ask them to tell you what muscles they're using, what they're focusing on when they do a move, where the pressure is. If they've ever hurt themselves or seen others hurt, and where/how that happens. Gathering information can be exciting and interesting, especially in this context! Who knows, maybe YOU will be the first one to write the "Anatomy for Pole Dance" book :)
Veena · 11/14/2013
You'll find a LOT of info in the lessons here. Learn what order works for progressively building strength and flexibility that's necessary for pole. This includes conditioning work for often neglected muscles of the hands, forearm and shoulders. You'll find that in every lesson description I include the muscle groups strengthen or stretched. You'll also see below the main video player, each lesson has a group of OTHER suggested lessons to work on to help the user achieve the main move. For example: Pole Sit lesson you'll see I suggest working on the Pole Hold, Forward and back scapula and The Switch. This also helps you understand what muscle groups you should be strengthening for that particular move. If you want a crash course in anatomy take a look at the foam roller section. In each description you'll find I've included info like this: Quadriceps, are made up of 4 Muscles: Vatus Lateralis, Vastus Medialis, Vastus Intermedius and Rectus Femoris. Origin: The first 3 muscles originate at the top of the femur/thigh bone. The Rectus Femoris originates at the pelvis. Insertion: The first 3 attach at the front of the tibia/shin bone. The Rectus Femoris attaches at the Knee. In each individual stretching lesson I give cues and tips for proper body mechanics as well as in all pole work, but that's assumed I think. :) I try to use terms that everyone can understand and relate too, so you'll find more "proper" names in descriptions for those who want more book knowledge.
nwbutterfly · 11/15/2013
Thanks everyone for the advice! Of course experiential work is the best teacher, but not the easiest! The world of anatomy is vast, and there are so many components to it: bones, muscles, joints, connective tissue, fascia, etc etc. Yes I think it's really necessary for someone to put out some "anatomy for pole" type of book complete with pictures and do's and don'ts. In the meantime StudioVeena is definitely great and I've also been paying a lot of attention to the principles of a system called yogalign (although that's more yoga, and less strength bearing activities like pole). Sometimes I worry though, that I don't have the strength to do certain moves. I've been poling for a little while but I notice that when I do spins, I sort of "hang" in my joints instead of engaging up in my shoulders. I don't know if that makes sense or if that's actually normal with spins but it would be the kind of thing that would be great to read more about in a book, and a kind of training how-to to building muscle effectively and poling safely. Anyway, thank you all so much! I will try learning this through the videos and my own anatomy research and experience :)
Runemist34 · 11/15/2013
I know exactly what you mean about "hanging" in a spin! Definitely check out Veena's discussions about shoulder engagement- they've changed my life :P I also know how you feel about strength and doubt. I also doubt my own ability to move up into harder moves, and to be strong enough to do things like the Ayesha, or the caterpillar. I'm still struggling with the inverted crucifix! However, I think that it has more to do with the way we engage out muscles... as well as being patient and understanding to our bodies about what we're asking them to do. Some of us build slower, and some of us have different struggles... but I think we can do it! :)
Veena · 11/15/2013
This video has some great excercises for learning proper scapula engagement and building muscle memory in the shoulders. https://www.studioveena.com/videos/view/52462459-db10-473f-ab4a-646d0ac37250
nwbutterfly · 11/15/2013
Thanks guys! I totally understand about scapula engagement, and this is why the "hanging" feeling in the spin makes me wonder...should I stop doing spins if this is happening? I'm not sure there's another way to do them!?
pegasusaerialfitness · 11/17/2013
Anatomy of Movement Book by Blandine Calais-Germain This is a great book. That being said, if you are more interested in practical ways to condition your self for Pole then I would go through Veenas conditioning exercise... If you are hurting yourself you should go back to the basics to figure out where the weak link is in the chain. Then you will be able to choose the exercises that will be the most effective. Ps.. Usually ( not always) the exercises we like the least and don't want to do give us a clue on what we need to work on.
pegasusaerialfitness · 11/17/2013
It come in English of course too
pegasusaerialfitness · 11/17/2013
I'm laughing at myself... Need to put my glasses on..sorry for the grammar errors
HilaryKate aka LolaSlaytor · 11/19/2013
The elevatED training course that is done by Marlo Fisken, Michelle Stanek, and Kyra Johannesen apparently really breaks down anatomy and safety. It's supposed to be excellent. Also, if you look up Kenneth Kao on youtube or facebook, he's also a sports chiropractor (one of the good ones, I'm usually pretty skeptical about chiropractors but his knowledge is spot on) and a pole dancer as well as parkour. He focusses a lot on injury prevention based on anatomical knowledge.
Bethany F · 11/21/2013
I wrote the book Vetical Athlete for applications like this. Knowing the basics of the body is so important in determining how to train for specific goals. The book covers physiology and bioenergetics, and how training fundamentals, overtraining, and best ways to train are based on these. It's short and written in normal people lingo. You can find it on Amazon or verticalathletepoletraining.com
Bethany F · 11/22/2013
woops! *Vertical Athlete
PippiParnasse · 11/23/2013
I don't know of anything pole-specific, but I keep the following on my bookshelf and reference them as needed: * Stretching Anatomy by Nelson and Kokkonen * Strength Training Anatomy by Delavier * Fitness Professionals' Guide to Musculoskeletal Anatomy and Human Movement by Golding & Golding I'm working on a handout for my conditioning workshops but it's going to be extremely basic.
inkyfingers · 11/25/2013
Learning more about anatomy is definitely a good idea. I've studied anatomy, physiology, hydrotherapy and pathology as well as orthopedic testing etc... to earn my title as a registered massage therapist (now practicing for 17 years), and even I come up lacking sometimes when trying to figure out exactly how something works. In my past 6 years of poling, I've come across numerous instructors who have led the class into doing unsafe strengthening and stretching exercises, and most of them were learned at specialty workshops for which they paid a lot of money. Always ask yourself questions when exercising. What is your goal? What structures are involved? Are you feeling it in the expected places? Is there a safer/more effective way to do it? Is it painful? If so, chances are you are either not ready for the activity, or you need to modify to suit your personal needs. To accomplish these things, it is helpful to understand your own parts, keeping in mind that we all have histories of our own that may affect how fast we can progress.