does it stop hurting as bad?
Dancing Paws started this discussion ·
Does gripping with your skin ever start huring less? It kills me to grip with my thighs.
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Dancing Paws started this discussion ·
Does gripping with your skin ever start huring less? It kills me to grip with my thighs.
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Short answer. Yes it will hurt less with time. :) Everyone goes through this.
It does stop ;) These things take time :)
Yep. Your body eventually conditions itself to it. :)
How long does that take if you do it several times a week?
That's just not an easy question to answer...here are some things to think about. You have to find your own "sweet spot", everyone will find it, but it's different for everyone. Once you find the perfect spot, angle, position, whatever, you will instantly notice a big difference! Also everyone's skin is different, and can take longer or shorter to "get used" to it. It WILL get easier with time and practice though you can count on it. :) One more thing to keep in mind...every new move you learn that has a different grip contact point will hurt just like this until that part of your body also conditions itself to it's new intended purpose. I'm a big baby when it comes to this, and there are/were some moves that I avoided for a while because it just hurt too much! Also if you don't do certain moves for a while, you can lose that "conditioning" and it will hurt again when you try it next. Pole = Pain but don't be afraid, we love what we do! Keep at it, it is sooooo worthwhile. :)
I've also found that when I'm learning a new move, I tend to have a death-grip on the pole because I don't want to fall on my head! lol But as I get more comfortable with each one, my body seems to naturally adjust how hard I'm gripping so I get fewer bruises and it hurts much less.
This was such a GREAT question. I was wondering about that too. I thought it was just cause of being older with a little thinner skin! Thanks for the 'hope'!
Every new move means new pain! And every time you enter into a trick in a new transitional way, you might end up gripping with a slightly different area of skin, and that also hurts. Still to this day, after a long practice session, my inner thighs might feel like they're on fire! More factors to consider: your personal pain threshold, skin sensitivity (which can also change depending on hormonal changes, stress levels, and skin moisturization), and the way you enter into a trick (for example, going into a scorpio from an invert and going into a scorpio from a gemini can lead to totally different skin sensations). It does get better! My first pole sit brought tears to my eyes and it felt like it took forever for the pain to subside. After that hurdle, new tricks came easier and skin sensitivity subsided quicker. I think that was partially due to the fact that I was more mentally prepared for the pain. Don't give up! Your conviction can and will outlive your skin's opposition.
Yes it will get better 🥂 Also something to remember...you'll be most sensitive to "pole pain" around your menstrual cycle.
FINALLY.. a + for the menopausal crowd. 😀
@LoneStar, love your response for menopausal crowd! Now that you mention it, I'm glad for it also cuz I don't get sore boobs anymore, can't imagine inverting, etc with full, sore boobs, haha Speaking of pole pain, I remember hopping off in sheer pain between thighs when learning the Superman, then Shoulder Mount was horrible. There were other painful sweet spots, bruises, but these two moves are most memorable :)
xthisc ·
I actually have a question ...I am new to pole, but I find myself getting bruising on my shin from pole climbing. Am I doing something wrong? How do I fix it? Or is this normal?
Normal! I just got the Mighty Grip ankle protectors with tack and I LOVE them! I've been doing a lot of climbs lately and it actually opend up a sore on the top of my foot! The MG protectors have been a godsend.
@xthisc, don't worry, this sounds like the first of your pole badges(/bruisees)! This is completely normal and just like the pain it'll fade with time :) But don't worry, new ones will always tend to appear to replace them :| Welcome to the world of pole dancing - I doubt theres any poler out there without some bruises!
"Pole sit looks eeeeeasy" -> me hopping off the pole a second later without having managed to let go with my hands because even taking most of the weight on them it *burned* :) That was just over a week ago, and now it still hurts but is bearable enough to sit for a little while with no hands. My boyfriend commented today on the bruises absolutely covering my legs. But then, he's taking up wrestling training as of next Sunday, so he'll be as bad as me! I'm about a million years off of being able to do a shoulder mount, but since I just *know* it's going to be immensely painful, I've started getting into the position to begin it and just doing a tiny hop whilst pulling as you would to get up into it. I don't remotely have the strength to get up, but figured acclimatising my shoulders to the presure might be a good idea in preparation!
@miraine and others new to shoulder mount; I'm still getting to where I want to be consistent with sm and I don't dead lift into it yet. Are you able to get veena's lessons? I love her sm lesson where she shows how to begin it from the ground. However, I'm sure everyone recommends to make sure you're ready, don't rush. I learned the hard way to be patient and not compare what others are doing. Although, I'm sure most of you, if not all, are younger than I am, patience goes for us all :) There's plenty to practice and learn, strength to develop that leads up to learning new things. Enjoy every practice, bruises and all :)
hahaha... I was in class yesterday and we were doing an elbow hold (right side up) with top hand and bottom pushing pole away and going into boomerang pose, etc. I slid down the pole and went "holy crap that kills". My instructor laughed. And so did I. I then said "I wonder why I thought it wouldn't... everything hurts at firts). I remember my first climb OUCH.... Shoulder mount killed, and now I don't understand how it did. The best one for pain is knee hold. THAT IS SOOOO PAINFUL! I did it once last week and it didn't hurt at all. :) I can't believe it. Becca Butcher told me at a workshop that it's a move that hurts and hurts until one day it just doesn't. Can't wait for elbow grip to stop hurting!
I've started apologizing to my foot every time I try another climb during practice. 😀 During Wednesday's practice it actually swelled up a little by the end of it, I was just so damn determined to work on my Crucifix that day, as well as making my climb look prettier and moving smoothly into a Pole Sit. Pain is often a mental thing as much as a physical thing. After my first pole sit, I had some trouble doing it again and again because I knew how much it would hurt. Now I just lift into it without thinking - and I've only been at this for a few months, so it's not like it took very long for me to get over the mental hurdle of the pain. But when I tried for Wrist Sit and had to adjust the pole out of my normal "sweet spot," the pain returned with a vengeance! One last thing - sometimes too much pain might mean you're actually doing something wrong. I did a Reverse Handstand into an Inverted Crucifix but I was gripping WAY too much with my thighs and not enough with my knees, and it hurt like hell! So if the pain is just extraordinary, you may want to check your points of contact.
Yes, it does go away :) I started poling last year, and I remember how painful any type of pole sit or crucifix and climb was. Now, I don't feel pain at all, except when I try completely new moves, such as superman, where the pole is tugging my skin a completely new direction. Reminds you how far you've come after you feel that pain again. Keep on working at it, and you'll feel the pain go away over time 🙂
