Flexibility

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I would love to boy a pole and be able to accomplish different poses, but what stops me is I have little upper body strength and not too flexible

My question to you guys is, how long did it take for you to accomplish the basic splits?

And how did you know you were ready physically to buy a pole

Replies

  • lori_en
    lori_en Posts: 133 Member
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    Erm, I've never been able to do the splits... I've decided to start work on that though as I'm fed up of being the only one in my class who can't! :/

    How long have you been doing pole? I don't think it's a matter of strength, it's a matter of knowing whether you want to keep going with it as a hobby
  • Songtothesiren
    Songtothesiren Posts: 388 Member
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    Erm, I've never been able to do the splits... I've decided to start work on that though as I'm fed up of being the only one in my class who can't! :/

    How long have you been doing pole? I don't think it's a matter of strength, it's a matter of knowing whether you want to keep going with it as a hobby

    I'm totally with Lori on this one!
  • Hethmares
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    Hi I've been poling about 2 1/2 years :) Here's my 2 cents

    Splits take some time. I am currently working towards getting mine and I know it will probably take several months for me to get there. I have really tight muscles and some past muscle injuries to push through.

    Flexibility in general comes with weekly streching and muscle conditioning. You have to be dedicated, commited and patient because results dont come overnight.

    As far as strength that takes a little time too...but you can gain that quickly by doing ab exerices, push ups, crunches, pull up bar lifts and holds etc. I did a strict strength regimen for 2 weeks(2-3x a week) and saw improvement in my stamina and strength on the pole in that short period of time.

    I am a member of a site called studioveena.com, she has some excellent strength and conditioning exercises on her site and there are also online lessons there too. I've been a member for awhile and love it. You can join for free but if you want to view lessons or exercises you have to get a paid membership. It's a great deal for only $20 a month! HTH
  • Netterz0087
    Netterz0087 Posts: 91 Member
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    I am terrible at splits! My old instructor said if you do them every day (holding for 5-10 seconds) it would take a year. I've been doing pole 3 times a week for a year and half and I'm definitely getting there and saw a huge improvement. Flexibility doesn't come easy for me :(

    As for buying a pole, I don't think there's any kind of physical readiness required. Just be careful doing tricks. I never try anything new without being spotted by someone (in my case - my fiance gets roped into it lol) but I use poledictionary.com and at my level I teeter from Intermediate to Advanced. But honestly, poles aren't cheap. I bought one of those crappy Carmen Elektra ones (no one warned me) but it didn't last passed my spins. So if you're thinking about sticking with it -- it's great, but if it's something you'll lose interest in in a few months/year, then I wouldn't get one. It does take up some space...mine's in my dining room (wood floors FTW) and it's a bit awkward when people come over lol

    I bought my X-Pole through Studio Veena (FREE SHIPPING LOL) and I got the 45 mm (It has a great grip for my hand size) Chrome. You can also get Titanium Gold and Brass, for additional costs. I tried each type and I didn't notice that much of a difference, some girls swear by Brass being better but I couldn't tell so I got the Chrome and invested in TIteGrip and iTac (level 2...level 4 about ripped my skin off but I definitely had a great grip!).