polegramma
Forum Replies Created
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Hey everyone, I had ART for a leg injury and it helped quite a bit. That said, I also had received physical therapy and I think the combination of doing all the exercises I was prescribed plus the ART was a good idea. For shoulder problems (and I’ve had 3 frozen shoulders) a visit to the sports physician or orthopedist AND physical therapy was a must for me each time. A sports medicine physician could probably give you some good advice.
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Hi I started pole the year that I turned 60! It’s more fun than anything else, and definitely helps maintain muscle tone and flexibility. It’s also a great outlet for your sensual side!
A few tips: warm up really well before each workout, be sure to do your strength building exercises (Veena has great routines for this), remember gentle stretches and foam roller for flexibility.
Stay positive! Sometimes life just causes us to have a set back. Just keep going and you’ll have a wonderful pole journey. You are in the right place here for learning and community.
PS I’m 67 now and still poling. -
I like Artista Apparel. Their halter top is the best pole top I’ve tried, it’s great for the “larger” chest. They are in Austin, TX, I believe.
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Well I would love to try aerial hoop and silks some day too!
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Hooping is my favorite warmup! And if you practice some of the off-body hoop moves it will also warm up your shoulders. Veena has some great lessons for this. And, like pole, you have to remember to train both sides. You should also practice spinning in both directions. Hooping helps so much with coordination and balancing dominant and non-dominant side as well as just being fun! You could use it as your motivation prior to your pole workouts. It really helps me get in the groove for poling.
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With those high ceilings you can really style your pole climbs! It sounds like an amazing space; hoping for your success with mounting the pole.
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If you haven’t poled before, or it’s been a long time, the 30 day takeoff is the best place to start. If you follow Veena’s program, everything is planned out for you day by day.
My tricks -first, be sure you take the rest days. If you miss some workout days, be kind to yourself. Sometimes you need an extra day off, just keep looking ahead and keep going. If you feel you need to start over, then just start over and remember you’re working not just on pole strength and technique but on your health and having fun!
My own personal motivator is to warm up with 10 minutes (or more) of hula hooping including trying a couple of hoop tricks. That makes me laugh and I’m ready to start my pole session. You can find your own motivator in stuff that gets you happy and moving.
Ask questions! Veena is always here to help, and so is the rest of the community. You’re gonna have lots of fun! -
If you look at Veena’s lessons, you’ll see there are many programs that offer a progression toward particular moves, like the caterpillar program. If the program requires a certain amount of strength or skill, Veena usually tells you what you should be able to do before starting, and suggests which routines or programs to use to work up to that level. And you can always ask here if you need to figure out what’s the best approach.
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Hi PoleWithSoul, remember that 2 hours is my total exercise session, it’s not all poling. And as Greyeyes mentions, a really structured schedule doesn’t work for everyone. Something always comes up. Again, that’s why I found years ago that the early morning workout was the only way I was going to get those workouts done! I’ve left time in my schedule to “make up” days if I’ve had to miss a workout – ie only 4 days running, which leaves me 3 other days to catch a missed run, etc. I’ve learned over the decades to “let it go” if I have to miss a workout for some reason, and just concentrate on the future.
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Well, to start with I am 66 and have had frozen shoulder issues for the last couple of years. So I’m concentrating on building strength and correct form so I can invert again. Inverts were always my very favorite thing! Strength gains in the shoulder area are very slow, so I am progressing carefully to avoid more problems.
I run 4 days a week, right now only 2-4 miles each time. I warm up hula hooping and do the pole strength routine M-W-F( Veena’s lessons are really good for using your shoulder properly), maybe a few spins and some floor work, with foam roll and stretching afterwards. I try to swim for my shoulder a couple of days a week, on non-poling days. I ride my bike for fun, but not as a workout.
And I’ve found that it’s better to work out early in the morning, before other things start interfering with your practice. So for me a run and my pole workout or swim take about 2 hours total per day. Good thing I’m an early riser.
That’s what works for me – hope this helps. -
Wow, I’m gonna get a purple chair tomorrow! I’ve been looking for just the right chair, the one I use now isn’t heavy duty enough. Thanks, Veena
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Something else I noticed with my healing cracked or broken ribs – when they heal sometimes they form a bump on the surface of the rib that you can feel. The doctor told me this is the fracture callus. I guess all bones form a callus as they are mending. You don’t always notice them on a rib, but this one was large. Just to keep in mind, if you do find a bump on the broken rib after a few weeks, it’s OK. But you should check with your doctor anyway.
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I’ve had several cracked ribs (not from pole) and the only thing I could do was wait it out. It took 3 weeks after each injury before it didn’t hurt anymore. That’s just me, though. Each time the doctor said there was nothing to do but wait. Maybe your doctor will handle it differently.
I did wait a couple of months before trying inverting again,I didn’t want to hit the injured rib on the pole. -
Artista Apparel has some good tops for larger busts, I like the halter top, it’s my favorite pole top. It’s been difficult for me to find a pole top for large chest, that “contains” during inverts and still has a nice shape and ….. well I’m sure you understand! artistaapparel.com
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I love the Brazils, they are my favorite pole shorts. I always wait for a sale, like Emmasculator said, and I do wonder if maybe they are just low on stock after this past one.
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They are visible now. Thanks Webmaster!
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Well I believe you are in the right place! Start with the 30 day takeoff, and you’ll see. Veena’s program takes you through the strength, flexibility and (yes!) attitude to succeed. Then you’ll have a foundation to try one of the other programs here and you’ll be on your way. And everybody here will help you with encouragement and advice, so you are never alone on your pole journey.
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In Veena’s Tips, Veena has a lesson about how to find the energy to work out. And those tips are great. And as Runemist said, ask first, receive later; Veena says give it 10 – try for 10 minutes and if you still feel exhausted, stop. Chances are you’ll feel like continuing. For me, making sure I get enough sleep and drink enough water are also very important.
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Try Artista apparel, they have something similar in “skin tones” artistaapparel.com look under the “classics” tab.
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I really prefer being able to have my everything in one place! I can check out lessons and see what everyone is talking about without moving over to another site. To me it seems more convenient.
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Somewhere in the lessons, I think in Veena’s Tips, Veena has a lesson about how to create your own routine. I’ve used it a few times and it really helps keep you on track and successful with your choreo.
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yrngrl, thanks for mentioning the balance between diet and exercise! That bit about it being easier to eat 300 calories than to burn it off is so true. Believe me, I’ve really been there. Just look at a serving of regular potato chips. 15 chips is about 160 calories. So if you use around 70-80 calories per mile walking at a brisk pace (that’s my calorie expenditure based on my weight), it would take something like 2 miles or more to burn off what’s basically a couple of handfuls of chips. Wow!
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When I’m feeling really strong I can start from a “bridge” position next to the pole and invert, that way the ceiling doesn’t intimidate me. I think that’s because I am lower down to start with and don’t see the ceiling right in my face. You can see what I mean in one of Veena’s Nailed It invert lessons, and also a couple of days ago I think Veena posted a “no invert” Gemini technique? Kind of the same things. It takes a lot more strength though than inverting from an upright position using controlled momentum. Hope I explained it so you can figure out what I mean!
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Could it be that the diameter of your home pole is not the same as the diameter of the studio poles? And about the 8′ ceiling, for me seeing that ceiling so close really inhibits my inverts at home, it’s like my brain just doesn’t want my feet/legs to hit the ceiling.
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You might try Veena’s 30 day take off. That would help you build strength back up. It also includes transitions and floor work, so you’d have some fun too. More strength means more confidence on your pole! And fun makes you want to do more!
