"Big Girl" learning to pole

Julialaing1772 started this discussion · 10/10/2015

Hi everyone! I hope this is the right place to post this; I am in my twenties, just over 6'0" and about 300lbs. I've just started attempting to pole, I've been at it for about 2 months now. Yesterday I was finally able to pull my body up off the ground and hold myself on the pole for the first time in those 2 months after trying, wishing... and at one point nearly crying, haha. I was so happy all day afterwards and proud of myself because the first day I set up my pole I felt a world away from even that, the most basic of movements. I haven't always been overweight but I have never been a particularly strong or active person although I have always loved dancing and more recently yoga. Anyway, that was just a forward to let you exactly where I'm at in my journey LOL... 😝 I joined up here after reading some forum posts and I have a few questions; 1. What would be a good strength building exercises for the pole at my skill level? And possibly a nice warm up routine? 2. Is my experience normal? I was working fairly hard for 2 months and just now gained the strength to lift myself.. I felt ridiculous when most of my girl friends were able to do this on there first shot. 3. Are there any major tips/things to keep in mind safety wise when first learning? Thanks a ton in advance, it's so cool to find a community like this! Sorry for the long winded post, I look forward to any responses. 😊

5 replies

quancutie23 · 10/10/2015
Your doing great for two months. Everyone progress differently in dance. and veena has a lot videos and suggestions always search your questions in the discussion box. Just keep practicing
gerfina84 · 10/11/2015
Welcome to the pole community 😊 keep going u will gain strength and you will get better and better and all will get easier 😊
Lee lee · 10/11/2015
Congratulations on your new addiction! Your struggle sounds normal, not just for a "big girl" but for someone without a lot of athletic or fitness in their background. It's going to be hard, but try not to compare yourself with your fellow classmates. I know that I get frustrated internally when someone who just started surpasses me. But then I have to remind myself that I don't know if they go running everyday, have practiced ballet or used to be a gymnast. Everyone starts their journey in a different way. If you can afford it, I highly recommend Veena's lessons. In the future if you find yourself struggling with a move, you may even want to consider a private lesson. While my instructors have been great about giving everyone equal time, there have been things that they were able to point out during private lessons that gave me an idea of what I needed to work on and how.
Veena · 10/11/2015
Don't let yourself get discouraged right away! Pole is a progression and for most you need to start off with strength building and conditioning moves in order to get to the point of holding your own body weight! Not being able to lift your feet off the ground is very normal and regardless of size anyone can learn to pole and enjoy benefits from it! The 30 day take off program is perfect for new dancers and takes you though 30 days of tasks and tips to help you gain the strength, flexibility and knowledge to pole with less frustration and injury! You will also find many routines here for both strength building and warming up. You can see what the lessons have to offer for 3 days free if you use this code! GET3FREE. The lessons here are all placed in progressive order so unlike learning on your own you'll have guidance and even the ability to contact me directly on any move you have questions on! Lee lee is very right when it comes to not comparing your progress with others, so try to keep that in mind...I know it's not easy! :) Any progress is good progress!!!!
Phoenix Hunter · 10/12/2015
It took me months to be able to hold myself off the ground or even do a simple spin . The lessons here help me tremendously. I really recommend the strengthening routine. It has helped me so much . At first I couldn't do some of the exercises or I could only do a couple . Just do what you can with good form and eventually you get stronger and can do more. Yes, others in my class passed me quickly . I was slow to learn and build strength . I was just coming from a different background, I was much weaker than my classmates and heavier