Kyrsten
Forum Replies Created
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I have them in a pale purple/lilac and they don't show sweat.
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Platinum Stages and Lil Mynx poles are also removable. Hugely subjective which is "best", it all depends on what you are looking for. Platinum Stages has great one-pieces that are really easy to put up and down quickly, X-Poles are good for portability if you are going between locations or rooms with different ceiling heights, and LM is the best for putting up and down really quick (it takes like, 2 seconds, lol). All the brands carry different finishes. I have used all three many times and they are all very reliable solid poles, it just depends on how you want to install the pole and what finish you are interested in.
Grip and pole finish will depend on your skin type. If you have drier skin or don't sweat a lot, you will want to use grip aids that add moisture to the skin without oil — , Corn Husker's, etc. If you are sweaty or have oily skin, anti-perspirants will help you
(Tite Grip, Poletice, etc). I find that iTac and Dry Hands are pretty universally friendly as grip aids go, so that may be a place to start.I generally recommend chrome to beginners as it's widely encountered, not very expensive and most people get along well with it. You can always sell it and get a different finish later if you find you don't like chrome since poles don't devalue much 🙂 In order from least sticky to most sticky, general consesus seems to be Stainless –> Chrome –> TG –> Brass/Powder. If you live in a cold climate though chrome can take a while to warm up!
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I've only used brass a few times and wasn't a big fan (I have very dry skin, for the record). I think it tends to be better for those with oily skin or those who sweat a lot.
But I don't have that much experience so I don't want to offer you advice on that… however, if you're willing to shell out the extra cash for brass, another option would be to buy the chrome pole and have it powder coated locally, if you love the powder finish! I don't believe it's that expensive (it would probably be less than buying a brass pole). My studio has custom powder coated poles and they're super grippy. 🙂
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My cats pop into most of my home pole videos, lol. They love to play with my hair while I'm inverted. They sneak attack, too, out of nowhere!!
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Totally normal and has nothing to do with having fat or not! Many moves will be painful to the skin at first (pole sit is usually the worst for beginners). You will get used to it as 1) you learn to engage the proper muscles to hold yourself in place and build strength so you aren't relying on that skin as much and 2) as your skin toughens up a little. Some areas/holds don't take long to get over the burn, but it's not unusual for a new trick to take a few weeks or even months to stop burning!
Unfortunately there isn't a whole lot you can do. We have a saying at our studio… No Pain No Pole Gain :p
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I've been poling a little over a year (started last August, so 14 months to be exact) and I haven't looked back since! I started out taking class on and off when I could, then I finally got my own pole up last November and it's been a full on addiciton since then.
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Thanks guys!! I never realized I had hyperextendable knees, but reading into it a little more, I definitely do and it explains a lot… Looks like I will have to make a conscious effort to keep them slightly bent. Hard because I’m used to pointing and straightening as hard as I can. Thanks for pointing me in the right direction.
Thanks Emotioncatcher for the tip… My oversplit is 4 inches and my knee is still flat on the floor when I do it lol
🙁I also have noticed a lot of rhythmic gymnasts have this… It explains why I always found their legs sort of off looking… The extension just doesn’t look graceful to me with the extended knees. Looks more contortiony.
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Start now! It's a completely different technique and dynamic… actually, I sometimes start people off with the spinning pole (if they're strong enough to hold their weight, that is) because it's easier to focus on correct positioning when you don't have to worry about generating momentum, imo. Especially combination spins – I find it much easier to try them first on spin, then take them to static once I have the feel for what my body needs to do.
As for inverts, those tend to be harder on spin, so generally I will start those on static and move to spin once I have the fundamentals. But the only way you'll learn is to practice, because again, totally different technique. I don't really think there is a certain point where you should "start" learning on spin, provided that you are comfortable enough holding your body weight (which you should be if you are spinning anyway). If you have a static/spinning pole, make use out of both at every opportunity.
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http://www.usmagazine.com/uploads/assets/article_photos/gabbydouglas-2-467.jpg
(try that again.. lol)
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And as a counter example: Gabby Douglas… her leg has a very slight bow, but it isn't like Felix's:
http://www.rutgersprep.org/kendall/7thgrade/cycleB_2012-13/04_gd/gabby
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The spinning scorpio always gets a good reaction for me!
(Scorpio, thigh hold, then Scorpio on the other side)
Jasmine to Gemini is another favorite.
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The spinning scorpio always gets a good reaction for me!
(Scorpio, thigh hold, then Scorpio on the other side)
Jasmine to Gemini is another favorite.
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Emotioncatcher yours looks amazing!! I doubt I’m flexible enough to pull this trick off nicely but I’d like to try it… I can do the diva dive and pull my foot overhead, but I never realized it was meant to be the opposite hand! Hmm…
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I always do it at the end of a long session, personally, because I'm really warm, flexible and sticky (I have dry skin so I have to be super sweaty to stick to the pole lol). It does come at the cost of decreased strength, but I sacrifice it for the flexibility and not having to use a million grip aids.
After you warm up but before class is probably a good idea if endurance is the problem. The good news is, your endurance should improve greatly just from doing those freestyles after class every week 🙂 Long sessions have been the key to building endurance for me.
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Mine all goes right to my thighs. Lol.
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I can do a few, but they aren't my favorite exercise… I can do about 10 on the pole and maybe about 4 on a bar? I'm kind of bottom heavy so I don't really like pure arm strength exercises lol.
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Personal favorites are the BK gogo short then the Mika mikaela shorts. I have the BK brazil ones as well and don’t really like them, but I think I may have just gotten a size too big… They’re kind of saggy looking and feeling to me lol.
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That's helpful Elektra, thanks. I want to start working on this but I'm terrified of anything shoulder mount… I hardly ever use them because I feel like I'm going to break my neck, even though I know I'm just being silly…
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Small feet here too! I would recommend trying Pleasers… they seem to run small, at least the classic ankle-strap platform stripper shoe type shoes.
I wear a 5 in most dance heels, but Pleaser's I wear a 6. The non-platform ones don't seem to run as small though — I have a pair of shorter stiletto pumps from Pleaser in a 6 and they're pretty roomy.
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I got the split Marlo is doing… I’m going to try and see if I can’t figure this one out tonight, hmm. My back isnt that flexible though…
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I think it’s lovely… I don’t think it looks “manly” or whatever, unless you’re on steroids. And even in extreme cases, I admire women with good muscle tone, it shows dedication and strength! I personally wouldn’t want to look like an extreme body builder, but I can still appreciate all the effort they put into maintaining that body. But if I could look like a gymnast or have a 6 pack?? That would be awesome lol. As someone who gets almost no muscle tone no matter how much I work out, I’m so jealous of ladies who can get the nice toned muscles…
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Are you doing it from the floor or from a climb? It hurts much worse and is a lot harder from the floor, imo. Teddy hurt me REALLY bad at first but after a little technique adjustment and practice it was painless.
Like Danielle said… When I do it the grip is lower than my armpit… closer to the top underside of my bicep, and you want to be pulling down. On the floor, try raising your arm straight up. parallel to the pole. Keeping it SUPER straight, pull it down and way across your body in a diagonal line. Try to reach your opposite hip with that hand. That's exactly how it should feel when you're in the move. I find you really get maximum skin contact that way, which reduces a lot of the pinchiness/burn.
And make sure you are wearing low-rise shorts… I have seen higher-rise shorts cause slipping when teaching the trick, since the lower back is a point of contact 🙂 A lot of girls roll them down when trying it.
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Definitely jinxed myself in this thread!! I was practicing the jade drop today and after attempting it a few times, I looked down at my leg and saw this:
I stopped right away because it freaked me out… it's been a few hours and it's still somewhat visible (not as much). It's kind of hard to tell in the photo, but they look EXACTLY like faded stretch marks. They seem to be raised rather than indented though? I don't know, but I'm scared to try that jade drop again now… lol.
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I have no idea dude. I just watch split grip lifts in awe. I can hold a full Iron X no problem and I'm pretty close to a true or twisted grip lift.
I'm just talking out of my butt here, but I imagine there would be a "push out" action required like in a cradle to butterfly/SG handspring/Marion Amber, where you have to really slide that bottom arm down as you're pushing out to get your torso vertical.
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Athena, I am a lot shorter but I also have long skinny hands and I find I can get away with more on a 50mm than some of the girls with really small hands or stubby fingers, but I still prefer the 45mm. My hands almost wrap around a 50 (my longest finger and thumb touch, barely), and I'm comfortable using one, but when it gets to tricky spin work or anything where I have to contort around the pole, the 45mm is a lot more comfortable/secure. I think it's a great in-between size that most people work well with. The only thing I find that gets compromised on a 45 (for me) is elbow and armpit grips.
I tried the 40 briefly at the Midwest con and I bet spinning on that would be a dream, though!
