Down hearted about pole today

jeansgina started this discussion · 12/4/2012

Ok here goes.... I practised at pole on Friday and then today (Tuesday) I practised again but had no energy and I struggled with the most basic spins. When I started pole dancing I took to it really well and learnt things very quickly. But then I took up silks, trapeze and hoops and noticed that I was putting too much strain on my body so I quit. For some reason I can't pole as much as I'd like because my muscles take too long to recover. I have no idea if my body will ever get used to it or if it's becuase of my age (i'm 30). I know everyone learns at their own pace but I feel that I'm starting to slow down rather than getting better. Seems like the more muscle I build on my arms the less I can train. Does anyone else have this problem and have a way of dealing with it?

17 replies

Danielle Tillie · 12/4/2012
My muscles are very mad at me sometimes. I do way too much on occasion. What helps me is taking care of my body as best I can. I take protein after every workout, take a multi-vitamin, Epsom salt baths, and massages. Without those things I'd be down and out.
Veena · 12/4/2012
Make sure you're eating enough! As Danielle said, make sure you're having some carbs and protein right after you workout. I notice a BIG difference in my energy level and recovery if I'm not eating well. I received a juicer for my birthday present and it really helps. I only juice every few days, because you can over do it. But it's a fast way for me to consume the veggies I need. I'm a very slow eater and have a lot to do in a day so yay for the juicer. When I'm serious about training I make sure I have healthy grab and go snacks. I tell my kids chips and cookies are not snacks, they're treats. lol Making sure you get enough sleep is important too. If you want to see how hard your working out, make sure you're writing down what your doing for practice. If you do set and reps of anything write it down too. When it comes to training for myself (I'm 35) I do find that less can be more when it comes to working out. Quality not quantity. I hope you figure out what works for you! xoxo
Rosanna Danna · 12/4/2012
omg ! :( i hate days like this. i get em too and then ill be like "oh man i suck at pole, i suck at dance i cant do it because of this and this and that" but then the next day comes when i rock it and i figure maybe i just had grumpy bad day on pole and ill try not to let it get me down. when i have bad days now, i recognize it as simply A BAD DAY, not that i suck. and i know tomorrow is a new fresh day. i then proceed to tell myself how far ive come, what ive leanred so far and tell myself that my progress is not a race. dancing and spinning around is for me and me only. so i smile, get off the pole, make some good food, have some drank, chill, and tell myself today just isnt the day.. and its ok :) hope ya feel better soon.
jeansgina · 12/5/2012
Thanks for the replies, they have really helped. Veena, u do not look 35, I need ur secret. I don't eat after my pole sessions because its a bit too late in the evening so perhaps I should start taking some nuts with me. Today I was struggling to lift my own handbag, my arms are so weak after a workout. I don't eat much protein so I will make it my next task. I'm more junk food, carbs and fruit girl if I'm honest. Gonna have to make some changes. Thanks once again, I really value the support I get from this site :)
Elektra Vallens · 12/5/2012
@jeansgina - What really struck me about your post is how much you're doing. I'm 31, and I do pole, silks, lyra, and other things, so I can understand how hard it is balance everything you want to do. All these things, and the things you mentioned doing, are strength workouts, which are ideally only done 3-4 times a week. So how many days a week are you doing this stuff? I balanced my schedule by doing pole twice a week for 1 1/2 hours and once a week doing lyra and silks for an hour each. I had to go down to this schedule after trying to pole 3 times a week, do lyra once, and silks once. It was too much for me, and instead of building strength I was staying in the same place. You really need that day in between to let the muscles recover. On the subject of food, if you can't eat after your class, try just having a whey protein shake, or just put the protein in a glass of lowfat milk. Make sure you're also getting enough sleep, and that you take a rest day every once in a while.
Krista Bocko · 12/5/2012
how many hours are you poling/doing silks/trapeze/etc? I don't get to do as much as I'd like, just for lack of practice time, but I second and third everyone suggesting plenty of sleep, rest days, good nutrition, drink lots of water, etc. It does sound like you're not getting enough protein, too. I don't think it's your age...30 is young!! (I'm 38).
jeansgina · 12/5/2012
I had to quit silks, trapeze and hoops but I was doing that all in one lesson which was only an hour long. At the moment I'm lucky if I can pole twice a week. I'm glad everyone agrees it isn't my age because someone recently told me that i'm like this because I've hit 30 which was odd to me but they were 60 so thought they would know best. I few months ago my digestive system started playing up and my immune system wasn't great so I will ill for a few months which resulted me in quitting silks trapeze and hoops. Also I had to give up pole for a while because I was so lethargic all the time and suffering with fatigue really bad. Now I'm getting my energy back but my muscles are holding me back. I'm defo going to try the protein shakes.
Kira · 12/5/2012
I only do pole and that's enough for me lol I got really lethargic and so tired all the time but I was eating correctly, sleeping enough and not practicing excessively. I decided to try vitamin b because my friend told me she takes vit b-12 to help with her energy levels. I've taken it for about 3 week now and I've noticed a difference in my energy, I still get tired but nothing like I was before, so maybe give that a try? I just got them from holland and barret :)
megan12 · 12/5/2012
I'm sorry to hear that :( Maybe I can offer my opinion? It seems like that amount of pole should not tire you out to that extreme. I probably pole too much (on average 1-2 hrs/day in total, in intervals) and I'm 27. I do get sore occasionally if I do too much of a certain thing in a row. It is strength training and can wear on you. Perhaps you should see your family physician to see if you are having hypothyroid, anemia, or some other condition that is causing you such extreme fatigue.
Krissykiki · 12/5/2012
Lots of great thoughts here, just wanted to add that I have experienced lots of days where i can't do anything on the pole and my muslces are feeling weak. I took the suggestions to rest, make sure i'm getting enough sleep and to up my protein intake after workouts. It made a huge difference for me. I can always tell when I am bad and not taking care of my body, I see less progress and my muscles are often sore and tired. Healthy diet, sleep and rest days are so important, i wish I had known that years ago!
azblanco · 12/5/2012
I guess this is relavant: I am really weak when my period is nearing. I don't know if you still have a menstrual cycle, but being 30 its more than likely you do. I try to focus more on the dancing aspect when I feel really weak. Its discouraging, I know. But we will always have our good a bad days. =)
jeansgina · 12/6/2012
Thanks again, there's some really good advice here. I've just started taking b vitamins so I was glad to hear those being suggested. Think I'm going to work on a better diet and eating after workouts to see if that helps first. I have to marina coil fitted so I don't have periods and I wonder if that has something to do with my fatigue because I get some very random period symptoms which aren't monthly and its hard to track when they will appear.
Hazi411 · 12/6/2012
I think everyone probably has bad pole days. I'm horrified that you thought it might be your age! I'm 57. I work full time. I pole twice a week at the moment, for an hour each. A few months back, I was doing 2 hours of pole on one day, and an hour's stretch class followed by an hour of pole on another day. A couple of years ago I was doing some form of exercise 6 x hours per week (flex, pole, pilates, Jungle Body, pole, Xtend Barre). I almost never eat junk food or drink soda.
rachface · 12/6/2012
I'm new to pole and I have a question about taking protein after a workout. Does everyone just mean like a whey protein shake? Or like a piece of chicken or some other protein? If you mean the whey protein shake, are there any alternatives? I'm severely lactose intolerant, so I can't have any whey. Hope that's not a silly question. I've never been super into working out (I've always just walked a lot for exercise), so I just don't know, however I'm getting married next November, and I'd like to have a bit more arm muscle definition if possible.
Veena · 12/6/2012
Rachface, its not a stupid question at all. It doesn't have to be whey. I use soy protein because I'm also Lactose intolerant. But it also doesn't have to be a powder, it can be chicken or any other high quality protein. Don't wait to long to eat after pole dancing. Try to have your recovery meal about 30 minutes after you've stopped working out. Unless your working out pretty heavily you wont need to eat TONS of protein any where from 15-40 grams is good, staying on the lower end if you not working out too hard and the higher end if you're really training a lot. Something as simple as a peanut butter and banana roll up can be a good option. 😀
chemgoddess1 · 12/6/2012
Also whey isolates tend not to cause issues with lactose intolerant people. There is a company called 4ever Fit out of Canada (I believe) that makes some really yummy fruit flavored isolates. http://www.4everfit.com/powders/fruit-blast-whey-isolate.html
Dancing Paws · 12/6/2012
there are otehr good protein sources out there. Quinoa is one, I think chia seeds are a complete protein PLUS they have a lot of omega-3s. Animal products and soy are not the only complete protein sources.