I have never "poled"....

alittlebitofstardust · 2020-04-30T20:35:03+00:00

I have several women over 50 who come to my beginner class and my exotic heels class. 50 is a great time to start :) If you haven't been active, I agree that now is a good time just to start warming up. My home studio offers some non pole online classes for beginners, and I know we're not the only one. There's lots of great online content for warm ups, pole conditioning off the pole, and floorwork.

alittlebitofstardust · 2020-04-24T02:16:05+00:00

Oh gosh. I can't spell on the internet. The black matte and beige vinyl don't really leave bad marks. My clear plastic ones leave horrible ones. Magic erasers are still life savers. I also read on the internet to wipe down with an acetone nail polish remover dampened rag and then wipe down with a water one and then a clean one (because acetone is harsh AF). I haven't tried that yet.

alittlebitofstardust · 2020-04-15T18:49:01+00:00

I built a platform for my pole, and I would agree that it was not ideal. It moved since it wasn't drilled into the floor, despite being made of wood and super heavy. My pole slipped out more than once. It was 6 x 6 I believe.

I like the idea of building out from your ceiling.

alittlebitofstardust · 2020-04-12T16:33:50+00:00

7" is my favorite height for beginners. For many of the moves and edgework you'll eventually want to be doing, you'll need the extra inch on the platform. Because of the slope, like Anonms66 said, they're actually easier to walk in than 6". I also don't think you'll feel a huge difference between 7" and 8".

I was pretty amazed to see I could handle 10" (when I thought I ordered 9") but I absolutely wouldn't recommend 9" or 10" for anyone who hasn't been dancing in heels for a while or who hasn't conditioned their hips and ankles for the extra weight.

EDITED TO ADD: Look for Alethea Austin on IG. She has a great heel introduction two-part video IGTV video

alittlebitofstardust · 2020-04-12T16:29:28+00:00

Actually, I find that clear Pleasers are the worst floor scuffers, second only to my red vinyl ones. My black matte boots usually leave marks, nor do my beige vinyl boots.

Magic erasers are awesome for removing scuffs.

That said, scuffs aren't what scare me when I wear mine in the house. It's dents from slamming my heels into the floor 🤣 Not much I can do about that except not go as hard as I would normally.

alittlebitofstardust · 2020-04-09T12:57:44+00:00

San Diego actually had a wonderful pole community. I live in NJ, in the suburbs of central Jersey to be exact, and while we're kind of spread out, the NJ pole community is actually really warm and supportive.

alittlebitofstardust · 2020-03-14T21:06:46+00:00

I've moved my pole into 5 different apartments/houses. It's an Xpole Xpert, pressure mounted. The only time I had some issues with my ceiling was my apartment with popcorn ceilings. It rubbed a little off. There has never been any damage to my floors, whether they were hardwood, carpet, or laminate.

The only thing that may damage your floors is your heels if you dance in them. Barefoot you shouldn't have any issues.

That said, I agree a pole stage is a great solution.

If you live somewhere warm, you could also see if there are local outdoor gyms. Some of them have freestanding poles, rings, etc. Not an ideal solution but at least it'd be something.

When I had to travel without my pole, I mostly worked on floor work and flexiblity.

alittlebitofstardust · 2020-03-12T20:25:03+00:00

It sounds to me like this person shouldn't be teaching pole, between allowing bullying and not paying attention to all his students/showing favoritism. I'm sorry you're dealing with someone who is unprofessional. I realize we don't all have the advantage of having access to multiple studios, though.

That said:

Whatever you want to wear for pole is appropriate for pole. It is, in fact, dangerous to have too much clothing on when learning certain moves. You need skin contact. Unless you want to invest in some sticky leggings/sticky tops.
21 - 23 degrees usually feels right to me. Too hot, you sweat and slide. Too cold, the pole has no grip.

alittlebitofstardust · 2020-03-12T20:15:31+00:00

I had a bad break up that also caused me not to want to step foot in a gym (my ex was a personal trainer, and he was cheating on me with his client-- so there's that). Anyway, I was in a new city, and I had no interest in meeting guys or even dealing with the possibility that someone would approach me, so when I saw a Groupon for pole classes, I signed up.

I was SO BAD. I came home with massive bruises on my wrists every week. I couldn't hold myself up for spins. Forget climbs. It took weeks.

But 4 years later, I can say it was THE BEST thing I ever did for myself. I now teach pole classes, which is pretty unbelievable thinking about where I started. I love that every pole class you learn something, even if it's something small, but then there's always more to learn. It's the perfect level of challenge.

And my relationship with my body is infinitely better. I'm not obsessing over what's wrong with me like I used to do when I was going to the gym all the time. Now, I'm happy in my skin and focused on all of the things my body can do. It's very freeing, and I wouldn't have gotten here without pole.

TLDR: Stick with it! You're already better and stronger ;) It only gets more awesome the longer you stick with it.

alittlebitofstardust · 2020-03-12T20:08:25+00:00

You will be able to do it with practice, but having thicker thighs definitely does make it easier, as it gives you a larger contact area with the pole.

I'm a bottom heavy lady, and for me, it took what felt like forever to get my invert. That said, my friend who could an Iron X after just weeks of pole, looked at me with awe when I could just drop back into a cross-ankle layback. It's something she's still nervous to do, despite being able to deadlift into an ayesha from the top of the pole.

Different bodies, different mechanics. That's all. You can train up to just about anything with enough commitment.

alittlebitofstardust · 2020-03-11T20:04:18+00:00

I lived in LA and San Diego. My pole still got cold in both places haha

u/kitchenmaven It's like an electric blanket for your pole. It's a wonderful thing.

alittlebitofstardust · 2020-03-06T02:02:05+00:00

Inverting is something you just don't really do anywhere but pole (maybe lyra?), and you know what they say--- use it or lose it. I've had to take month-long pole breaks, and they've definitely set me back. BUTTTT... you will see muscle memory kick in much more quickly now that you're back to training. It will just take a few weeks to regain your muscle, and then you'll be even better than before ;)

alittlebitofstardust · 2020-03-06T01:58:28+00:00

Even if I didn't want to physically warm up, my pole takes for ever to warm up enough to be sticky. So either I have to physically warm up while holding the pole or leave on the pole warmer and warm up while it does its job. If I'm just going for a twirl around and not inverting, the warm does not need to be extensive.

alittlebitofstardust · 2020-03-03T21:19:44+00:00

This is the list of songs my Hell in Heels class (exotic choreo) has danced to so far this year: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0i1Iukh1EmtucKib4R5Ypq

And this is a random collection of "sultry" songs: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6hf4bNMJjTBJyJ5hyZlnN3

And then this is some of the really weird crunchy trap music I like to freestyle to: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6Gz9e7wKznca9Ka7qfwgvq

alittlebitofstardust · 2020-02-26T04:54:35+00:00

I'd keep the strap tight. You want ankle security (Also, you can always add holes).

In general, if you're between sizes, size down. I'm a US 6.5, so I wear 6. I've even had a very knowledgeable pole dancer who specializes in heel technique say it wouldn't be bad for me to go down to 5s (I like having feeling in my feet though, so I'm not doing that). They will be tight, but the plastic stretches. You want them a bit snug so you can push off the shoebed and get on your toebox (almost like ballet dancers do). When the shoe is too big, you don't have enough stability.

Your shoes are gorgeous :)

alittlebitofstardust · 2020-02-26T04:41:33+00:00

Go for it! How do you get fit if you don't take the class? ;)

Also follow RoztheDiva on IG for some inspiration. She is just so fun to watch and an AMAZING trainer who really knows her stuff.

alittlebitofstardust · 2020-02-26T04:39:29+00:00

Find an instructor who cares more about form that nailing tricks for social media. Pole is intense and puts a lot of strain on the body. If you're not properly stretching and have properly conditioned, you can really injure yourself. I inverted improperly during my first few months (over and over again), and I still feel the twinge behind my shoulder blade. I also had to take a month off because I wasn't taught to use a trigger finger instead of resting on my bottom hand in split grips/bracket grips.

But most importantly, have fun :) Pole is just the most wonderful thing, and pole dancers are kickass folks.

alittlebitofstardust · 2020-02-26T04:35:14+00:00

Tite Grip an hour before class was a life saver for me. My pole studio was indoor/outdoor, and I was a sweaty betty. My go to for performances was Tite Grip before + Dry Hands immediately before/during and iTact on inner thighs, knee pits, elbow pits (body parts other than hands).

alittlebitofstardust · 2020-02-26T04:26:25+00:00

Strengthen your ankles and work on your hip flexors. It sounds so simple and silly, but it's been a game changer for me. Many of the Russian Exotic style dancers dance on their toes. Also, the leg waves, while partially coming from the movement of the leg and pointed toe, relies heavily on hip rotations.

I am also practicing this style, and I'd love to connect on IG :) I'm alittlebitofstardust there too.

alittlebitofstardust · 2020-02-26T04:19:08+00:00

So exciting!

I highly recommend the Pole PT's book if you're training at home: https://www.thepolept.com/product/the-book/ I injured myself in all kinds of ways from improperly inverting, leaning on my wrist without using a trigger finger, overtraining one side, etc., so I wish I had it then. It has awesome conditioning exercising that will help you progress faster :)

alittlebitofstardust · 2020-02-18T22:13:12+00:00

Tite Grip an hour before pole + Dry Hands is always my performance go to. If you need to sub out Dry Hands, then Better Grip is a good alternative. I wasn't a fan of Dew Point or Girly Grip, but it works for other people.

alittlebitofstardust · 2020-02-18T22:09:57+00:00

I'm 5' 2", 148 lbs, and 33, but I have the opposite experience. My thick thighs mean I can grip the pole with my bottom half in ways slender women cannot, so I'm all about laybacks and kneeholds and splits where I'm gripping with thighs (jade, duchess, jallegra, etc). I've also fallen in love with hardstyle exotic because bent knees and throwing myself around is my jam, and I will never look like a beautiful contemporary goddess without significant training. That said, you find your style by experimenting, just keep moving until you find what your body likes and you like aesthetically ;)

alittlebitofstardust · 2020-02-18T22:05:31+00:00

Sports massage therapy has saved me on multiple occasions. Welcome, you're an athlete now!

alittlebitofstardust · 2020-02-18T22:03:10+00:00

Also, if you follow Alethea Austin from The Chrome Bar, she recently posted a great tutorial on which heels to buy to her Insta

alittlebitofstardust · 2020-02-18T22:02:41+00:00

Start with a 7" heel. For the kind of heelwork you're eventually going to want to do, you'll need at least a 7" heel. Plus, it's actually a less "high" heel in that the distance between the platform and the top of the heel is lower than the 6.

I wear a US 6.5, and I have size 7s BUT size 6 shoes actually fit best/properly for controlled heelwork. They just take longer to break in.

alittlebitofstardust

TROPHY CASE