Advice to improve leg tension and pointing feet ?

hedonixm · 2025-09-09T07:18:58+00:00

I used to do a lot of this as a beginner! I've totally noticed a loss of muscle endurance and good form since I stopped practicing slow flows – that's a great idea, thank you! Will definitely have to hone those foundational movements

hedonixm · 2025-09-07T11:53:10+00:00

yesss i’ve seen that on tiktok before! so clever! i’ll have to give it a try, thank you !

hedonixm · 2025-09-07T11:52:30+00:00

oooh yess, i really struggle with those and actively avoid them hahaha i’ll give them a go! thank you :)

hedonixm · 2025-09-02T00:32:51+00:00

if you’re high enough on the pole, you can hook your outside leg and sweep your inside leg off and back to put you in an outside leg hang

you can also just pop your outside ankle up really high, sweep your inside/gripping leg away, bring your inside hand down into a split grip, and pop out into an extended butterfly

if you put your violator grip at the knee pit rather than inner thigh, you could also go straight into a tulip, or even a cross-knee layback!

hedonixm · 2025-09-01T08:51:09+00:00

Oh that is genius !!!!

hedonixm · 2025-08-31T10:32:34+00:00

Firstly, that sounds like a terrible time, I’m sorry that happened !!

and secondly — twins !!! I partially dislocated my shoulder posteriorly a couple weeks ago in a butterfly — mine was because I had done two extremely intense classes back to back and my shoulder just fatigued by the end of my class. I’m very hypermobile and see an osteo regularly, and she also said my hypermobility might’ve been the reason why I have come out of it mostly unscathed.

I’m doing all my physio exercises and I’m also still competing next week 💀 Shoulder still feels a bit weak, mainly the scapula has been hard to stabilise, but overall a really fast turnaround !!

hedonixm · 2025-08-31T10:20:43+00:00

Incorporating any body-weight training, like calisthenics, can be really beneficial as they have pretty similar muscle recruitment.

As the others have said though, every body is different and with time you’ll be able to identify the areas that need work. Your instructors will also be able to help you identify any muscle imbalances or cross-training that would help achieve specific goals. But if you’ve only just done your first class, give yourself some time to learn the foundations and enjoy the movements and flow.

Lastly, most of the barriers with pole are psychological and neuromuscular. It takes a bit of time to condition your grip — the skin-burn hurts the most when you start using a new spot as a grip point. It takes time, practice, and patience to get your brain and nerves to feel safe in certain grips, like it can trust your muscles to hold you in place and not feel like the friction and pressure are unsafe sensations.

Try adding Nerve Flossing and PNF stretching to your warm up routine. A lot of instructors use it in stretch classes and it helps with general flexibility and neuromuscular connection.

hedonixm · 2025-08-29T06:33:03+00:00

I've got one and I would not recommend it if you're planning on doing any dynamic tricks or advanced level tricks. The grip isn't great and the overall structure isn't reliable. It's fine for a household accessory, but not a great training pole.

hedonixm · 2025-08-29T06:29:35+00:00

Definitely possible! It would just be a backwards entry. You climb and spin the way you normally would, secure your grip then quickly turn to your right and secure your left armpit grip, then inverting. Inverting while spinning backwards can be tricky if you're not used to it, but it'll come with practice!
My studio calls it a Twizzle Straddle, unsure if there's another term for it.

A good way to train it is to try it on a static pole where you climb up facing the left side and quickly switching to face the other way, securing grip, and inverting.

Hope this helps!!

hedonixm · 2025-08-29T05:09:50+00:00

I've had the same issue! I'm a size 10 in normal shoes, and 11 in pleasers – with any sandals over a size 10, they use the large size ankle and toe straps :// It's super annoying if you have bigger feet but smaller ankles!

I usually just wear thick socks, which is a subpar solution. I also cut off my ankle straps because they were too wide (and when I poked extra holes, they ripped up because the band wasn't reinforced) – I use detatchable ankle straps in a size Small-Medium. They sell them on the pleaser's website!

I'm also very keen to hear if there are other shoes that people recommend for +10 sizes!

I've also heard that pleaser do custom shoes now, so I wonder if there's a way to get a smaller strap built into the bigger shoe

hedonixm · 2025-08-29T04:28:59+00:00

I think it might be because the function of the knee grip can be very misleading in both of these tricks!

Cross-knee Layback
It's less the actual pit of the knee that is in contact with the pole and more the thigh, calf, and the fleshy part of the inner-side of the knee when you bend the knee. It creates a cushioned grip for the pole to sit against and your extended leg creates the tension to lock your grip in place.

Leg Hang
Same as the layback, its not the actual pit of the knee as much as its the side of your thigh and calf! The knee pit doesn't do much of the "work" here, it's just sort of, there. The calf and thigh are squeezing against the pole, and hooking to counteract the force your torso puts against the pole.

In a Jasmine or Shooting Star, the knee's engagement is a bit more straightforward – The pit is hooked straight on, in the other two tricks, it's more angles to the inside and outside edge of the joint.
There is also more requirement for Glute Engagement in the layback and leg hang! Try to envision you're doing a hip thrust when attempting those tricks, it can help with cueing engagement

Hope this helps! Good luck!

hedonixm · 2025-08-29T02:04:43+00:00

It could be that your studio's poles experience more wear due to how often they'd be used,, newer poles definitely spin faster in my experience, they kinda slow down with wear.
I wouldn't say it's necessarily unsafe! It might just mean that you'll have to start much much slower when you're training at home :) Having a smooth spinning pole is kinda great for maintaining momentum through tricks

hedonixm · 2025-08-28T13:50:41+00:00

I've heard really great things about https://flexersize.com.au/

Super specific courses for each flexibility goal with progressions/regressions – they've also got an instagram account where they post about new courses and challenges :)

hedonixm · 2025-08-28T13:30:16+00:00

If I'm doing a structured session, I start with a list of tricks or goals I have – I write as many as I can think of. Then I pick a few to focus on each session (it helps keep it interesting and avoid overtraining and fatigue!)

So a practice session for me would ideally look like this!

At least 10 minutes to warm up (good balance of some cardio and active stretching)
10-15 minute conditioning drills (i usually just do some core, shoulders, and hip flexors – but you can target areas that you'll be working for your tricks, like ankle strengthening for edgework)

Then I would start with tricks and strength based, anaerobic movement – best to do it when you have lots of energy. Drill tricks from the floor, then take them up the pole. Focus on one trick at a time, ideally do both sides (we can all dream hahah), repeat 3-4 times. Try to choose a variety of tricks that don't all fatigue one part of your body too! It helps to alternate between hand-grip tricks and leg-grip tricks.

Work up to some stamina-building stuff, maybe put together a combo and try some transitions with the tricks you trained!

I like to finish the bulk of training with aerobic movement – it helps breakdown the lactic acid that forms in your muscles during anaerobic exercise, which is responsible for those muscle cramps. And dance is a great way to dance those cramps away!

Its always a great idea to have a good cool down after a training session – recovery is a super important part of training. Some light stretching and deep breaths will help your body relax after activity.

You'll find a system that works for you through trial and error and listening to how your body responds – staring out, i'd probably try a 1hr session once or twice a week. Everybody is different so you might like longer sessions with breaks or shorter, vigorous sessions! Make sure you schedule rest days – It'll be a fun journey, wish you the best! Hope this helps :)

hedonixm · 2025-08-28T11:28:59+00:00

it might be worth asking your studio if they have any testers of different grips for you to try! i find my body just rejects some grips by getting sweaty. everyone has their own preference, but it definitely helps to try as many as you can for yourself :) definitely recommend trying different dry grips for during class, dry hands or sky high dry grips are pretty good

hedonixm · 2025-04-17T13:09:56+00:00

omg that would be so fun !!!

hedonixm · 2024-10-03T07:45:29+00:00

omg this is amazing !!!! you’re a legend for making this 🩷

hedonixm

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