MelanieDA
Forum Replies Created
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I started pole, trained and taught on Lil Mynx static steel poles. Loved everything about them, from the solid one-piece look, to the gripping surface, to the ease of installation. Yes, they’re safe for all manner of pole work, inverts, drops, power spins, etc. My personal experience is that X-Pole could never. I think the fact that Lil Mynx hasn’t changed their design at all in the almost 13 years I’ve done pole, while X-Pole changes their products every couple of years, speaks to the quality of Lil Mynx and their confidence in their products.
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Thank you Veena! Appreciate your input. 🙂
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Thanks Veena. I will definitely save that video and keep it in mind. It’s sounding like locking your knees is mostly a problem if your legs are holding weight? So not really an issue for leg lines in the air. Possibly not a big a deal as I thought it was.
I could definitely use some more back mobility because I can’t do any foot-to-head movements either and I have quite a hard time arching my back (I have limited mobility in my neck and spine, too). I can do a nice extended dragontail and I’d love to be able to do a rainbow marchenko (I know that’s asking a lot :-D) and I wish I could do an eagle as lovely as yours! As of now I do cat/cow stretches, the upper back stretch on the pole, the chest stretch lying on yoga blocks, and superman lifts. I struggle a lot with the camel stretch, the cobra and especially backbends. I can DO them, but they feel awful and I can’t hold them for more than a few seconds. It’s like my body rejects moving that way. A lot of back stretch routines heavily utilize those, so I feel like I get left behind.
As for my glutes/hips/core, I do LOTS of squats, standing hip raises (for the glute medes), single leg step-downs, bridge lifts/holds, standing and lying leg lifts/pulses, needlescale kicks, holds and pulses (from a down-dog), planks, stomach vacuums. I try to do all my conditioning and stretching 1-3 days a week. The exercises can be VERY hard with the nerve damage and numbness.
Anything you suggest I add, to either the back mobility or the core/glute routine? I’m planning to go see a new rheumatologist when I can afford it, but that’s gonna be a while. I haven’t had great experiences with PT (they seem to be more interested in billing my insurance and collecting money than helping me, and even if they want to help, their training is for normal functioning, not crushing pole goals). I’m definitely open to hypnosis, especially since I haven’t gotten a lot of help from conventional medicine, but I admit I’m worried about swindlers. So for the most part I’ve had to figure out a lot on my own.
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I bought mine from AerialEssentials. Extremely easy to use and compatible with any pole.
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I have fibro too and I often get what I call "stupid fingers" – my hands will get so stiff and sore, sometimes I can't turn off a lamp or unbutton my own pants. I wish I had better advice or better solutions, but I think extended warmups and cooldowns are a good idea, and I definitely suggest more stretching for the upper body, focusing on the neck, trapezius, between the shoulderblades, triceps, biceps, and forearms, because that's where fibromyalgiacs often have limited mobility. It'll help her most if she does it on her own on a regular basis (4-5 days a week), even on days that she doesn't pole. Also, she should do the same stretches periodically during pole class, and if something starts to hurt, stretch it out, ease off or try something different.
As far as her hands, some grip aid would probably help her to take off the extra strain. Personally, I'd recommend Mighty Grip or iTac on bare hands instead of gloves – from my own experience, sometimes gloves get in the way and hurt more than they help; however, you should ask her thoughts on the idea because everyone is different and she may prefer gloves over grip aid alone. Stretching the fingers also helps, but they're easy to hyperextend, so be careful about overstretching which can make them hurt worse. She may also benefit from Aspercreme or Capzaicin rubbed into the back of her hands and fingers (avoid the palms and inside of the fingers while poling, obviously). The hands are a tough thing to deal with, though – a lot of the time when I get Stupid Fingers, there isn't much I can do except wait it out, even with stretching, medication, etc.
Poling is actually really good for fibro because it promotes flexibility and lean muscle tone. Maybe it'll help to let her know that she's doing a really good thing for her condition, even though some days will be harder than others, and even if there's some days when she can hardly do anything at all, even an attempt is beneficial and she's not doing herself any harm if she listens to her body and goes at her own pace.
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Where is it at? You say 'local' – I assume you mean local to you, as in Maryland?
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VIVID! They're hard to find and don't have too many style options, but they are the comfiest exotic shoe I have ever owned. They have memory foam on the inside, a bump under the toes to keep your feet from sliding forward, and a phenomenal arch support. I can wear these all the time, after my toes are numb from the other shoes. They are made by The Highest Heel, which has the same sort of insole but I have never owned a pair myself.
Second favorites would have to be Tony. I have unusually skinny feet, and since Tony's run skinny, my feet don't slide forward.
Least favorite would have to be Ellie and Pleaser. They're just not built for my feet. Actually, the most recent pairs of both these brands that I have bought I've been quite disappointed with. My most recent Ellies have clear plastic straps. I don't know why they're making them this way now, but the new plastic is way too flexible and feels really flimsy. I've never broken any straps but I feel like I could easily break these. They also don't support at all, my feet slide right through them so my toes hang over the front.
My most recent Pleasers really upset me; they had that gorgeous shiny chrome platform, and it just disintegrated pretty badly the first night I wore them. I had to paint them with clear varnish to keep them from getting damaged further. They also have no cushion inside them whatsoever; my toes and balls of my feet are screaming at the end of the night. Just seems like these companies would know better than to make a shoe that's so flimsy and uncomfortable, being the supposed leaders in the exotic shoe industry.
All of the above brands I have found to be true to size – I wear a size 6 in street shoes, and wear a size 6 in all the exotic shoe brands I've tried.
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I could not for the life of me figure out how to do the split grip aysha until I started hanging from the top arm. Even though I already know this from doing the TG aysha/TG handspring. Unfortunately, I still can't do the split grip aysha without grip aid, because I'm fairly certain my hands are too small to do it without, even on a 45mm pole (never tried a 38mm pole). My top hand still starts to slip after a few seconds of holding the pose. Bending my top elbow slightly to engage my forearm muscles also helps quite a bit.
What also helped me in learning the split grip aysha was figuring out, through watching a million videos of it trying to figure out what I was doing wrong, that my body isn't quite "square" with the pole, or as straight-up-and-down as it looks. To give an analogy, my head isn't at "6 o'clock" and my butt is not at "12 o'clock." My body is tilted slightly; I keep my torso close to my upper top arm, and my lower arm is more sideways than over my head. This also keeps me from hyperextending my lower shoulder. So, this means my butt is at about "1 o'clock" and my head is at "7 o'clock."
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WOW! I've had dreams where I've used a swinging pole! (Also had dreams where I've used a really wide pole, a wet pole and a pole that was flexible like rope. I bet I'm not the only one?) Always wondered if a swinging pole was actually possible or in use. It would definitely have to be a rubber-coated pole though like this one though, wouldn't it. A regular metal pole would swing you right off. 😛
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Hey, I could do an inverted crucifix, Gemini, Scorpio (including multiple switches), caterpillar climb, elbow grip aysha, CAR and CKR, before I could even do an inverted V! I don't get it either! But keep at it, and if you get frustrated, try some other intermediate tricks to build your strength and confidence.
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@https://www.studioveena.com/users/view/bcc886b0-d89d-11df-ab19-12313b090e12: I know what you mean about the small hands. I have a 45mm pole and even that is still too big (but the poles at the gym and the club are 50mm, so I've had to adapt anyway). There are certain tricks that I've come to the conclusion I literally cannot do because my hands are too small. Such as the split grip aysha. I have the strength, I have the technique, but I can't do it without a ton of grip aid because my hand will not wrap far enough around the pole to get a stable grip. https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_confused.gif
And thank you for breaking down that move! I only just became able to turn myself from a twisted grip aysha into a rubber pencil, and it's still pretty shaky. I'm still working on getting into a stable twisted grip from a CAR. 😛
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@https://www.studioveena.com/users/view/4d7eb80c-9d88-4bb4-b41e-79d40ac37250: Thank you for posting that picture! It looks a lot prettier and more practical than my idea of using a pipe flange, I'll definitely do this instead.
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@https://www.studioveena.com/users/view/4d7eb80c-9d88-4bb4-b41e-79d40ac37250: How did you screw through the top dome of your X-Pole? Did you use a regular drill, or something special? Mine keeps slipping out of place too and I want to screw the dome to the ceiling. I'm currently in the process of building a permanent ceiling mount out of a pipe flange, but I think screwing through the dome would look much prettier if I can do it with a regular drill/bit. I've been afraid to try because I thought the steel would be too hard and would damage the drill.
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Wow, that pole that Felix is on is so skinny, it's almost like she's cheating. https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_wink.gif Me and my tiny hands could do so much more on a pole that skinny.
I came across this video a while ago and it blew my mind. Around 1:20 she goes from a CAR into a twisted grip lunchbox, then turns herself around into a twisted grip aysha. Someone please break this down for me and tell me how it's done!!
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So, my bad. I just went and tried the Jade to make sure I explained myself right, and the pole is not actually below my hip bone, it's just below my 'love handle.' So I'm gripping mostly with my love handle, less so the protrusion of hip bone, and with the upper/inner thigh.
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Is there a particular reason why you're trying to avoid using an underarm grip? Because I find the underarm grip, and using that hand to smush my hip on the pole, to be very important in avoiding the pole ending up in my ribs. With this move I grip the pole somewhere below the hip bone and the upper/inner thigh. Getting the pole below the protrusion of the hip bone is crucial to me; it gives me a very secure grip and keeps the pole out of my ribs so I can really relax into the move.
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Almost forgot about Foot Undeez! Not only do they keep your foot from sliding forward, but they relieve that 3am-on-my-fourth-night-in-a-row ball of foot pain. If you have a Walgreens near you, they sell a brand called ToeKinis. These little babies have saved me and my coworkers' feet many a time.
http://www.walgreens.com/store/c/profoot-toe-kini-ball-of-foot-protectors/ID=prod6056558-product
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Dancer shoes are too darn expensive to be throwing them away every few months (that said, for as expensive as they are, they need to be made much better than they are, but that's a different rant entirely). I've become a master at fixing shoes that are too loose, sewing on broken straps, etc. because I generally refuse to buy new ones when the old ones are still fairly new. I consider it my triumph over the poorly-made dancer shoe, haha.
I'm a big fan of Foot Petals: http://www.footpetals.com/ or similar devices made of foam that have enough thickness to take up a good amount of space in the shoe (I'm not a fan of the plastic cushions that don't adhere to the shoe, because they get sweaty and move around). Sometimes I'll layer them on top of each other, either to compensate for my unusually skinny foot or when the shoe is badly stretched. Generally I'll put in a ball-of-foot cushion and a full insole on top of that. If you want to be real fancy, you can make custom insoles out of crafty foam and glue it inside, and cover that with crafty suede to mimic the original feel of the shoe. I've had excellent luck doing that, myself.
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GORGEOUSSS. I'm a big fan of embellishing my pole heels. I've glittered them, painted them blacklight-pink, and covered them with scrapbook paper like Veena did (unfortunately those didn't turn out quite as pretty as Veena's). I see a pair of custom rhinestone heels in my future!!
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The move in the video I've always called a Scorpio. The thing that helped me learn both the Gemini and Scorpio is to remember that you're also gripping with your side. Basically, from my hip bone down to my armpit is always making contact with the pole, regardless of which leg I'm using. It took me forever to get the Gemini especially – I just couldn't get my leg to stick, no matter how deep I got into the "knee-pit", until I started holding on with my side also. Both the moves, including the Gemini/Scorpio switch, will be easier if you have an understanding of the Hip Hold also.
As far as having your leg bent as much as the girl in the video, I think it has to do with how long your legs are and how comfortable you are with the trick. I've noticed that longer-legged people have an easier time bending their leg. I am below five feet myself, and I wasn't able to bend my leg with the Scorpio until I became very comfortable with Gemini/Scorpio switch. Even still, if I try to bend my leg too far, it'll make my foot numb. However with some longer-legged people, bending their leg is the only way they can get into the trick, particularly if the pole itself is very short.
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Anyone know if this trick is possible with heels on? Or can it only be done barefoot?
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@HellsBells – I rigged the Maxiflex to my X-Pole using a shoelace (I should mention that I have the older version of the X-Pole, the one with holes in it for use with the old release tools, NOT the one with X-Joints). Remove the metal adjuster cover, revealing the long adjuster screw. Thread a strong shoelace through the hole in the adjuster screw. Loop-knot the top of the Maxiflex around the pole, then tie both ends of the shoelace to the Maxiflex (for clarification, the Maxiflex itself is attached to the pole, but the shoelace just keeps the Maxiflex from sliding down while you're using it). Hope this helps.
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I really like my Maxiflex too. I got it for pretty cheap off Amazon and it shipped quickly. I have it rigged to my X-Pole. It definitely beats stretching on the floor. It doesn't hurt as bad and I think it's easier to stretch farther. I stretch a lot more often with the Maxiflex than I would if I was doing it on the floor, and that means faster progress. I can do it while watching TV. Good investment, I think.
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I learned the TG handspring on my dominant side first. Any attempts on my non-dominant side failed and felt like I wasn’t getting anywhere. After I was fairly comfortable and confident with my technique on my dominant side , I learned to do it on my non-dominant side. It’s still not as reliable as my dominant side, and it feels a little weird, like trying to write with the wrong hand. https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_razz.gif But the more I practice it, the better it feels, the same way I can do a basic invert on both sides comfortably and reliably.
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I just received the Poletopia lotion. Personally, I find it slightly less slippery than using normal lotion. I used it the night before I pole danced, didn’t wash it off my body beforehand but I did wash my hands. I did slip a little bit more than I would have if my skin was bare, which I didn’t like. I was also disappointed to find that it left a greasy residue on the pole, and though it wasn’t as slippery as normal lotion, it did affect my grip with my hands and I had to wipe the pole more than I would have liked. I definitely wouldn’t put it on immediately before dancing (the bottle says to apply it several hours before dancing). I’ll need to experiment with it a little bit more before I decide if it was worth the $30 I spent on it. I may try using less, or watering it down, or rinsing it off before I dance.
ETA I don’t think this lotion is intended to be a grip aid – it doesn’t provide any gripping capability. Just a lotion that’s pole-safe.
