Is there EVER a time?

Stevesgirl started this discussion · 7/8/2012

Hey Veeners, Just wondering if there EVER comes a time where you are not sore after a workout / pole session? I am so tired of being sore the next day and beyond. I know I am not over-doing it (at least most of the time!). I do have a lot of health problems and perhaps that could be the problem, but I am hoping it is just a matter of getting my body used to it. So what do you guys say? Can I look forward to not hurting one day or do I resign myself to always be sore? (Please note, I am not talking about bruises after learning new moves. I am talking about muscle soreness after excercise.)

19 replies

JeHanne · 7/8/2012
Honestly... I am always sore somewhere! I have found I am less sore then when I started pole even though I am working on more challenging moves and doing more. I seem to recover quicker now. Experiment with the intensity and duration of your sessions and see how your body responds. I do make it a point to allow 48 hours of 'rest' for the primary muscles involved between sessions. Ex: Mon/Wed/Fri are my heavy pole sessions where I do lots of climbs, inverts, strength moves etc. Tue/Thur/Sat I focus on flexibility training mostly lower body. I also do 'active recovery' where I will do light cycling for 30 minutes a few times a week and light stretching and gentle range of motion movements for my shoulders and upper body. Since that is not taxing I do it any time I fit it in... it isn't on a certain training day. I make it a point to do something active every day, even if it is gentle movement. Listen to your body and it will help you structure the perfect program for you.
JeHanne · 7/8/2012
One idea that came to mind... if you like to journal, you can log your pole session/moves/etc and then the next day or two write in your level of soreness related to that workout. You can look for trends and improvements and adjust from there. Some people are not into journaling anything so I am not sure if that is something that you would find helpful.
Stevesgirl · 7/8/2012
Thanks JeHanne. I generally am not one to journal, but I will try it. Like I said, I am just so tired of being sore and having difficulty getting up from a chair or picking up my granddaughter because my muscles hurt.
calipolepixie · 7/8/2012
Ive found that taking alleve/Advil before poling helps & soaking in an Epsom bath & then streching before bed lessens the soreness a great deal. Using my infrared ultrasonic massager on my legs, back & arms helps too.
Stevesgirl · 7/8/2012
calipolepixie, I have not heard of an infrared ultrasonic massager. Where did you get it? Thanks for the other suggestions, I'll try it!
Saphyre · 7/8/2012
You mentioned your granddaugter, so I will assume that you are a bit older, as am I. While we can still rock at our age, our bodies have a way of reminding us that we have many miles logged. All of the suggestions JeHanne mentioned are great ones and are even more important for us older chickys. I limit myself to poling 3 times a week and sometimes only twice. In between sessions I do cardio, stretching, and conditioning as much as possible. As cali mentioned, taking advil or aleve a couple of hours before can help. Just be careful as anti-inflammatories can make you bruise easier and may upset your stomach. One thing I haven't seen mentioned is stretching. Make sure you stretch really well after your sessions. The Epsom salt baths are also a great suggestion. All in all, listen to your body. It will take time to adjust, I have been poling for just over 8 months and I do not get as sore as I used to. Have fun!!
JeHanne · 7/8/2012
If you aren't into journaling don't worry about it! If you are having soreness that is keeping you from your day to day activities, you might be pushing a bit too hard. I saw that you mention health conditions... please be proud of yourself for working hard because it sounds like you have a lot going on even at rest. You've gotten some great suggestions, experiment to find what helps you feel your best. I hope that as you continue on you will get less sore with time.
poletrickster · 7/8/2012
I am beginning to wonder about this, also my muscles quiver when I try to lift things and feel like jelly now that I have added strength training I can no longer pole even when I take 2-3 days off.
Dancing Paws · 7/8/2012
I get really really sore when I overdo it. If I do just enough, then I am mildly sore the next day, sometimes not at all. Being so sore that you can't move easily is a sign that you overworked yourself. My soreness has gotten better over time.
Veena · 7/8/2012
Including a really good warm up then adding stretches and foam rolling the muscle groups used can help reduce muscle soreness. It's normal to be sore if you do not pole regularly.
Veena · 7/8/2012
I meant to say stretch at the END of your pole session.
Paunobs · 7/8/2012
Lots of good advice here! I find that making sure to really stretch out and a soak in Epsom salts bath and sometimes s bit of heat rub works wonders! I would stay away from the pain killers it is generally muscle soreness from lactic acid build up which means you need to make sure you spend more time in your cool down and stretching!:-)
Paunobs · 7/8/2012
Poletrickster, make sure you are eating enough carbohydrate that's where we get our energy from, sometimes we focus on eating mainly protein for muscle build but that won't supply the energy you need!:-)
sundcarrie · 7/8/2012
I am always sore somewhere but it is mild unless I try something new but I do pole at 5-7 days a week sometimes more than once a day. I eat a lot of protein and fruits and veggies but after my second month I was less and less sore. Until I added intermediate classes to my beginner classes then after two months of that I was back to mild soreness most days. If there is a day that I am super sore I don't do pole that day. Streching at the end helps a lot and Alieve got me through some really tough days before I was in my fist show at the studio. For me it got a lot better I hope it does for you.
monica kay · 7/9/2012
Honestly, i hurt prerty much all the time. If its not my neck, its my back. if not the back, one of my ribs is hurting. if not a rib, i pulled something in my shoulder. if not that, its my knees. once, the top of my foot hurt for approx 6months because i banged it into the pole. my wrists get sore sometimes too... magnesium from natural calm tremendously helps ease my pains. i'd rather have dance pains than be a coach potato!!
RoseMay · 7/9/2012
I'd make sure your nutrition is supporting your body's repair processes ... make sure you get enough protein, fat and carbs. Usually what people REALLY eat is very different from what they think they're eating, food journals (like fitday.com) help with that. Also vitamins and minerals are very important. You can also look into fish oil. I take a multivitamin, vitamin D, fish oil and ZMA on a daily basis and I'm usually only sore after flexibility training. I'm a bit younger, but my body is due to several past injuries/surgeries definately not very forgiving ...
Stevesgirl · 7/9/2012
Thanks for everyone's ideas. I will see what I can try. Because I have both MS and Lupus, I am always in pain too, but this is different - I know it comes from pole. I do pole regularly - 3-4 times a week. When at home, I do stretch after every pole session but when I go to class they don't stretch afterwards or do any cooldowns and they really overwork you. When I pole at home, I'm not near as sore as what I am after class but I am still quite sore and I am really tired of it!!! I have diabetes too, and my body really reacts to carbs and I have real problems wth them so I have to extremely limit my carbs and I can't take vitamins because I get violently sick. I know I have to get better at eating a more balanced diet. I am not horrible with what I eat, but I know I can do a WHOLE lot better. I have been very good at drinking enough water so at least I'm good with that! I will see what I can try to make things better. Again, thanks everyone! 😀
RoseMay · 7/9/2012
That sounds like an awful lot that you're going through health wise, kudos to you for doing such a strenous exercise like pole! Maybe you can try to find your own rhythm in class, so that you stop when things get too strenous for you and do a cool down by yourself? It will probably feel weird to just step away and do your own thing, but hey you're paying for the class, so you should be allowed to listen to your own body :-) If you can't eat carbs, you're probably eating enough fat for energy? I'm sure eating healthier will help a bit with your other diseases too though, that could be a motivation :-)
JeHanne · 7/9/2012
Hi Stevesgirl, if you are finding the in class experiece is a source of extra soreness discuss with your instructors. They can help you to modify the moves or modify the number of repititions you are doing during practice. Put your health and wellness first, you want to go to class and have fun and also feel well enough to get by the next few days too! There is nothing wrong with a different approach to support you getting the most out of class and also caring for your health. Let us know how it goes and how you are doing, I hope you feel much better soon!