What to Expect

MommaBear started this discussion · 4/13/2010

I am wondering what expectations to have for pole dancing. I goofed around at a local bar on a pole (which I think was a flagpole) and OH MY, I am still hurtin' a few days later. That got my mind wondering, How long should I expect to feel like a rag doll after a workout? I mean, I just feel like mush! Then, out of the blue, I picked up my daughter and felt like superwoman LOL. Weird feeling, one minute those muscles are screaming in pain, the next they are giving me all kinds of strength I didn't know I had. All that from just about an hour of playing around - excited to see how it will pan out when the real workouts begin. I was pretty stoked, I got myself upside down by kicking up and locking my legs. After that, I was just hanging there, upside down, not sure what to do next (and probably turning incredibly red as the blood rushed to my face LOL) but it was really fun. What kind of results do you get in terms of weight loss and toning? I would love to have abs for once in my life, but I'm a realist, 3 kids later, abs just might not ever be in my future. How long will all this bruising I've been hearing about last? What about the blisters? I'm guessing it's like anything new, your body is going to take some hits, but I am hoping that eventually your body adjusts to the physical demands - please tell me it will LOL. On a side note, I've noticed the worse spot in under my wedding ring - should I remove my ring during workouts? I've never been a physically fit person by any means - I hate exercise. We have an elliptical in our basement but the only use I get out of it is hanging the laundry on it. I smoke, which means I can't get from the basement to the boys' room upstairs with a laundry basket without breathing heavy. I've never taken an exercise of aerobics class and have no desire to. Considering these factors, I am poised for failure here? On the positive, I am really super excited, I feel like this would be a great way for me to workout because I *think* I will really enjoy it. I have even started to think healthier - like I should start taking some vitamins and try and cut down on the smokes. That in itself is pretty ground breaking - me - and thinking healthy - not something that generally occurs. The thought pattern is more along the lines of - a bag of Peanut M&M's and eight Oreos at 10 PM are a completely acceptable snack - I'll burn it off when I mow the lawn next Tuesday. So, wondering how you ladies did in the beginning. Did poling meet your expectations?

20 replies

megs982 · 4/13/2010
I have no answers really for your questions, but i just started a week ago! Im really interested in what others have to add to some of your questions 🙂 And welcome to our little newbie section 🙂 Oh, wanted to add...the soreness i felt from my first poling only lasted a couple of days, as well as my new bruises lol
MommaBear · 4/13/2010
Okay, I am seriously impressed, and a little intimidated LOL I watched your clips from your first and third day, and your already doing cool stuff, and awfully flexible too! Did you do a dance studio class before hand, or is this literally like - I got a pole and on day one this is what I can do? I thought about taking a class, but I am not a class kind of person, don't like large groups. I have a touch of anxiety. I have noticed myself watching my posture lately as a side effect to watching all these videos LOL I not longer just hunch over to pick up toys off the floor, I purposely keep my legs straight, tuck my belly, try to keep back back straight also and extend myself down LOL Does that make me a dork?
amcut · 4/13/2010
Nah, pole posture does NOT make you a dork. I don't think I've bent down regularly for alooong time. You pretty much get new types of bruises for every trick. Eventually you stop getting them for certain tricks, but I expect that every blue moon you'll get a good one to remind you it's been too long. With soreness- you'll be sore if you push yourself, but you.. generally don't want to get noodle sore. Noodle sore is soooo hard to get over from. Lets just get regular sore so we don't walk like a horror story mutant the next day. I only get sore if I actually WORK myself, which in pole dancing, for me .. is easy not to do. Sometimes I just wanna dance! Only some people get blisters, but everyone gets callouses. Callouses are a way of life- but they feel alright. Not like a steel worker's callouses. A thickening of the skin rather than a roughening. They're useful, so don't go on a crusade against them. I dunno about the abs. Maybe if you have a low body fat percentage but just haven't done any core work in years? Or if you're dancing to techno and eating PERFECTLY. Yeah, you'll get abs. You'll have nice arms, definitely. Everything will look 10x better, so it's worth it in that regard. Uhhh. As far as your fitness level.. one hopes you will stop smoking - but plenty of us are smokers, and plenty of us have lived fairly sedentary lives. Something about LOVING one fitness (pole dance) that makes us want to be healthier for it, right? I quit smoking and drinking around the same time that I started dancing- Two years in August, hellz yeah! You'll be fine. 🙂 ...Hmmm *skims through post* what else, what else. ... I have loved poling since the very beginning, and I will love it until I am old and crinkled. LOVE.
minicoopergrl · 4/13/2010
You will get abs, Im pretty sure of it. I only have 2 kids but ive seen a difference in my abs and ive had 2 csections. Lots of women who have had no previous dance experience or even fitness background has progressed amazingly doing pole. I played sports my whole life and pole still beats the life out of me. I remove my rings when I pole, I havent danced w/my rings on in a few years. Its just out of habit for me. I dont wear any jewlery when I pole. Good luck on your pole journey!
AnjilsBaby · 4/13/2010
hello 🙂 throwing my two cents in, ive been poling regularly (2-3 times a week) for about 3 or 4 months now, and i still get bruises. i dont push myself too hard cause i dont want that "i cant do my job the next day" feeling though - im a wench at medieval times so i have to walk an average of 4 miles a night up and down stairs carrying 40+lbs of food/dishes, so if im too sore to do that im SOL on making money to pay the bills. but right now my legs are all bruised to hell still, and you will get bruises every time you learn a new move, for the first few weeks i was getting bruises on the top of my feet cause i was doing alot of fireman spins lol, now my legs are bruised cause im doing more climbing, but i never get bruises on my feet anymore. I would not suggest wearing any jewelry when dancing cause you can really really hurt yourself. i have nipple rings (sorry if its TMI) and i refuse to take them out cause it hurt so much to get them done, i know i would never be able to get them done again lol, but i wear heavily padded bras, and the one time i smacked my boob into the pole OMG i felt like i was gonna pass out it hurt so bad. so be extremely careful wearing jewelry. as for body changing, i personally see alot more toning to my body, not abs but more muscle tone, and i smoke like a fiend. i got blisters on my left hand but it wasnt bad lasted like 2 days, mostly callouses, and they dont bother me at all. i didnt pole when i had blisters though cause i didnt wanna make them worse. just make sure you take your time and progress at a rate your comfortable with and be aware of what your body is telling you. 🙂
megs982 · 4/13/2010
Okay, I am seriously impressed, and a little intimidated LOL I watched your clips from your first and third day, and your already doing cool stuff, and awfully flexible too! Did you do a dance studio class before hand, or is this literally like - I got a pole and on day one this is what I can do? Please dont be intimidated, I edited the crap out of those lol. Had a LOT of soreness the first day. I was in gymnastics, cheer ect growing up. but that was 10 years or so ago..The only other thing i've done since i've had my kids was coach competitive cheerleading and hip hop for little girls. Im out of shape trust me, i get really tired really fast..its going to build up over time..and you have to tell yourself that.. The difference in my stamina was dramatically different between the two days..the first day i didn't know what to expect, the 2nd day was a little easier, and the 3rd was a little easier..just like with anything it takes time to build yourself into. Im a smoker unfortently..been trying to stop forever now..but we know how that is. You can do it as long as you are determined, which seems you are!
stars2shame · 4/13/2010
I feel in love with the videos by Tara Karina, and Felix Cane on youtube because the ladies looked so beautiful and graceful!! I wanted to be just like them! But after watching the videos day and night waiting to get my pole, I imagined jumping on the pole and being able to invert and spin gracefully. But boy was I wrong! I could barely do the fireman spin, I couldnt invert, and dancing around the pole made me feel so unsexy!! But the yearn for gracefulness kept me at it and after about 4 months I had lost 10 lbs! The last 10 lbs which is so hard to lose! And keep off! I still get bruises and I hurt when I try new moves but it is all worth it when I can carry many of groceries all by my self, or open jars! It's amazing that the grip strength you gain with pole dancing means you will never need to ask a guy to open something for you! And soon, the pole will feel like an extention of your body, it will just feel right. It will feel as right as it feels wrong when you first start. I remember I kept thinking.. is it supposed to hurt THIS MUCH to do a pole sit?! Why don't I stick?! Why am I sooo weak! But I promise it gets better. If your not into classes order veena's lessons, they really help you to understand where your body is supposed to go. Good Luck!!
minicoopergrl · 4/13/2010
im a wench at medieval times so i have to walk an average of 4 miles a night up and down stairs carrying 40+lbs of food/dishes, so if im too sore to do that im SOL on making money to pay the bills. but right now my legs are all bruised to hell still, and you will get bruises every time you learn a new move, for the first few weeks i was getting bruises on the top of my feet cause i was doing alot of fireman spins lol, now my legs are bruised cause im doing more climbing, but i never get bruises on my feet anymore. Not trying to hijack this thread but do you work at the one near me???? Youve probably seen me a few times if you do, I go Arundel Mills alot. Be awesome to spot me in public + go "OMG its Minicoopergrl!" 😮 😂
Danielle Tillie · 4/13/2010
Hey there! Welcome to the community! I've been pole dancing for 6 months now, and I started in a studio and then found this virtual pole haven. The day after my first class I was SO very sore. I was completely out of shape, though not overweight, but my muscles were starting from ground zero. The soreness lasted for almost three days. It wasn't intolerable, a massage from my boyfriend helped, hot baths are soothing as well. If need be, you can take some ibuprofen and just relax to help the muscles heal. As far as bruising is concerned, I don't bruise too easily, I'd say I'm pretty average. I bruise every time I learn a new trick, and every time I pole for an unusually extended period of time. The bruises aren't huge and gross, most are just spots that range from quarter to 50-cent piece size. Sometimes you'll go into a trick that you've done many times before, but you'll hit it slightly different and get a little bruise from that. My left leg has leopard print bruises on it from Saturday night! None of the bruising hurts me. I actually take pictures of it so I can remember, "That day I learned how to do Scorpio... and I got this fantastic pole kiss to prove it!" I also get pole burn on my wrists from learning new spins, and I've even gotten some floor/carpet burn as well. I don't mind any of these battle wounds! They are marks of honor! 🫡 My body transformation felt substantial to me. I lost 12 lbs pretty fast, however I've gained in muscle since then. I did acquire abs, though I have not had any children. I just love how toned I look. I love noticing that when I flex my leg, there are no little dimples on the sides. Everything just got so smooth and firm. I now have noticeable biceps! I'm about as strong as my boyfriend now, if not stronger in some areas. I don't have to ask for help when lifting heavy objects at work anymore. Walking the stairs is actually fun because my bum is so nice and firm. I went bikini shopping for the first time in 5 years the other day! A pole journey feels almost like a rite of passage. You work through the pain. The pain from soreness, from the dreaded first several pole sits, the bruising, the pole/floor/carpet burns... these are all markers in the journey. It can only be described as euphoric when you accomplish a pole goal. All you have to do to succeed is refuse to give up, then you can bask in the splendor that is pole dancing. ☀️ ☀️ ☀️
MommaBear · 4/13/2010
You all have me feeling so inspired - I can't wait!!!! I feel like a little kid waiting for Christmas, about to pee myself in anticipation . . . okay . . . no peeing, but really frickin' excited.
polefairy · 4/13/2010
Hey momma bear, I'm pretty new to poling too, I did one 6 week course last November and after the first two classes I was in agony, my muscles ached all over so much that I actually limped into uni the next day. I was SO out of shape. Since my course ended I've been keeping up some of the stretches and doing very light weights a few times a week (nothing drastic) and I thought I wasn't doing enough to really be of any benefit to me. But lastnight I started a new pole course and as usual, the teacher warned us that we would be aching all over today. But I have no aches apart from my abs. They bloody hurt today!! But my arms, legs, shoulders etc feel great, not painful at all. I reckon the stretches I've been doing since my last course has kept my body from going back to square one again but the one place I NEVER work on (because I hate hate hate hate crunches) is my abs. However, lastnight my new instructor made us do an aerobic workout followed by 10 mins of crunches and today my tummy feel so delicate because the muscles just hadn't been worked like that in a long time! I think my point is that I'm very new myself and already have seen a difference in my body, not a lot but enough that I'm not in agony today. I don't bruise a lot either but the first 2/3 weeks of my last course left my hands feeling very sore. They'd look all red and the skin would feel pulled but I don't have any of that this time either! So like you.. here's hoping I can get fit/tone etc. My observations so far tells me that there can be changes if I put the effort in. I just have to stay disciplined. 😂 Good luck with the pole journey, I'm sure we'll bump into eachother here looking for advice many times!
Veena · 4/13/2010
Its normal to be very sore at first. Always warm up well and stretch after you done. Also make sure that your allowing for recovery time in between poling sessions. Every other day is best, not everyday. On your off days you can stretch (after a warm up) but if you knew to exercise in general you want to give your body the rest in needs so you will not suffer from injury or just get too sore that you cannot even move. haha 😂 I still get bruising and pole burn now and then and callouses are a permanent part of my hands. LOL Everyone will lose weight at different rates though, it depends on how in active you were before you started and how long you dance, you body type...my guess is you will start to notice it in the fit of your clothing more than anything. Don't look at the evil scale cuz you will gain muscle too. 🌸
horsecrazy12987 · 4/14/2010
Well, if you've been very sedentary than your experience will be different from mine, because when I started pole in September, I was already very fit. (I've been strength training since I was 14, and I'm 23 now, so when I started pole dancing I was ahead of the curve in that respect at least. Don't ask me to do the splits, though!) However, I can tell you that no matter what your fitness level, you will get pretty banged up at first. In my first couple of weeks I didn't really have any regular muscle soreness in that they didn't feel overworked, since I was used to a lot harder workouts than just a few basic spins and pole squats, but I had massive bruises all over my legs. I bruised the backs of my legs so badly from trying to do a back hook that just sitting down was painful, and my shins were purple for several weeks. Then when I started doing pole climbs and sits and some basic inversions, pole burn set in and my thighs cursed my name. I also had pole burn on my wrists before learning to hold myself out more away from the pole during spins. I know this all just sounds like a buttload of fun (not,) but trust me, you will get used to it all, and faster than you would expect. I love it. Just be safe, don't push yourself too hard (like Veena said, you need to give your body regular breaks, especially since you're coming into this having been sedentary for a while,) and have fun with it. There will be lots of moments of frustration, especially in the beginning, but you will also feel a huge sense of accomplishment when you nail something new. Oh, and if you are noodle sore the next day, you've worked yourself too hard. You don't want to push yourself to absolute failure--you have to be able to function the next day, after all. Soreness is to be expected, but if you can barely walk, you need to ease back on your workouts a little until you can maintain a more brutal pace.
AnjilsBaby · 4/14/2010
Not trying to hijack this thread but do you work at the one near me???? Youve probably seen me a few times if you do, I go Arundel Mills alot. Be awesome to spot me in public + go "OMG its Minicoopergrl!" 😮 😂 lol mini, yea i work at the castle at the arundel mills mall 🙂 i havent seen you there but i see alot of people in the day lol, if you ever go for dinner ask to sit in Wench Cim's (pronounced Kim) section and they will have you sit where i can serve you 🙂 if you want you can send me a pm here if you ever go so i can let you know ahead of time if im working
PoleDanceABCs · 4/24/2010
You'll feel like a ragdoll for a while... especially if you don't already have a super strong core and upper-body. It took me a couple of months to feel like I wasn't beating my body on the pole. lol You will def. notice tight abs and a strong upper body. I have a bit of belly flab but it was umm, loose (hahah ewww) before and now it is like I got a tummy tuck. Tight and strong. My arms, well, I have a little Popeye bicep going on and carrying bags of groceries is a breeze!
tiffthebest · 4/25/2010
I havent been on the pole in 3 years and I havent been doing much exercising either so for the past two weeks I have been so sore it hurts to drive = So yeah pretty much I feel your pain and soreness is normal lol
Solya · 4/26/2010
I think pain and skin damage come with pole at all levels 🙂 I've been poling for 1,5 years and I still get massive bruises when I try something new or do a spin many times over. Mind you, I don't feel them when I get them and they don't hurt after, so I just don't care. If I overdo training a bit then I get sore muscles - but it feels SOOO good when you wake up in the morning, can't get out of bed because of the pain and you think, wow, I worked out well yesterday 🙂 It's got to the point where I do pressups at home just to get sore muscles and feel that I've done something 🙂 Bottom line is, your body gets used to being exercised and you'll feel much better overall. You'll definitely get abs, there is no way you shouldn't! 🙂 I haven't lost much weight (maybe 2-3kgs) but I dropped almost 2 dress sizes and got lots of muscles. Pole is not a cardio workout so you'll build muscle instead of rapidly burning fat, I guess. I had back problems all my life (curved spine, big boobs, bad posture) and pole has eliminated every single one of them. I carry myself much better, stand up straight and my back never hurts (and it has pretty muscles on it 🙂). Whenever I stop poling, my back starts to hurt and it goes away when I pole again, it's pretty incredible! Overall pole makes you a much healthier and happier person. You'll build muscle and feel better in your skin. Frankly, the pain doesn't really matter. Your skin will get used to it after a while and it's worth it anyways 🙂 Just make sure you don't push yourself too hard and get more serious injuries like tendonitis or torn muscles.
MommaBear · 4/26/2010
I had back problems all my life (curved spine, big boobs, bad posture) and pole has eliminated every single one of them. I carry myself much better, stand up straight and my back never hurts (and it has pretty muscles on it 🙂). Whenever I stop poling, my back starts to hurt and it goes away when I pole again, it's pretty incredible! I'm SO glad you shared that - my back is a major issue for me too - curved spine (sucks when your wanting an epidural), bad posture, I guess somewhat big boobs LOL. I was wondering to myself if I would achieve a nice straight back like I see in some of the videos because I tend to have that curved, hunchback shape instead. So excited to find out that it IS possible!!!!!! Per my daughters request: 🌸 👸 ☀️ She was dying to click those into a message 😂
Solya · 4/27/2010
Haha your daughter is a sweetheart 🙂 And yes, if you pole regularly your back will improve very soon! I was in physio for 2 years because of my spine and it did absolutely nothing compared to what pole has done so far. My back and neck used to hurt all the time and I'd get migraines, it's all gone now 🙂 As for general muscle development, in descending order it would be back, arms, pecs, abs and thighs - you'll get toned up very nicely!
loopielou · 4/28/2010
I had back problems all my life (curved spine, big boobs, bad posture) and pole has eliminated every single one of them. I carry myself much better, stand up straight and my back never hurts (and it has pretty muscles on it ). Whenever I stop poling, my back starts to hurt and it goes away when I pole again, it's pretty incredible! ME TOO!!! I used to wake up with trapped nerves, muscle problems and they wouldn't go away for days. Since I started poling I haven't had any of those problems at all! Apart from when I stopped for 2 or 3 months and then they slowly started coming back. It's amazing how much it has helped me feel better. I have been poling for about 1.5 years as well and I have probably put weight on according to the scales, but my clothes are looser and I have toned up dramatically. Prior to poling, I pretty much hadn't done any exercise since forced PE at school and that was coming up to 20 years ago. I smoke unfortunately but trying to kick the habit. I don't drink and have a pretty healthy attitude to food, etc. so have never had a problem with my weight, but I can safely say that I have never been happier with my body than I am now - the only thing I wish pole could do for me is grow my boobs! 😂 It is a brilliant form of exercise. It will improve your posture, the way you think about yourself, your confidence - or it has for me - along with all the other benefits of being fitter, looking better and having muscles and that. There is also such a good community around poling - whether that is here online or in classes. I would recommend you do a course and push yourself to go to one as when you first start out I feel it is important to have that support around you and it is good to get a group of friends who do the same as you that you can jam with on occasion. Welcome to the world of Pole 😀