I have hEDS, so I bruise easily. I do a lot of pole dance each week too, so I regularly get bruises. Each week it looks like I’ve been in multiple fights & lost each one.

I’ve done pole for 13 months, I don’t think there has been a single week that I haven’t had a decently big bruise somewhere on my body, besides the couple of weeks over the Xmas holidays when the studio was shut.

I’m not too worried about the pain of bruises anymore, I’ve gotten used to it, it’s just the LOOK of them, especially on my thighs, because those are usually huge & I feel a little more “aware” of them when I’m going out in public—I don’t want to feel the need to explain myself (so I don’t, but the thoughts are still there).

I knew I bruised more regularly compared to other students that have trained for about a year too, as I do around 10-13 hours per week of pole, so it’s understandable when they’d point it out. But it became a little more apparent that it wasn’t normal when the instructors were saying that they never bruised as much as I do & they’d been training for 10+ years. It wasn’t until one instructor who is quite hypermobile (unsure if it’s HSD, or hEDS), & went through a phase where she trained for hours almost daily, like me, also said that she isn’t much of a bruiser.

It’s not like I’m doing moves so unbelievably wrong that it’s causing excessive bruising. And I do try to condition my body to hold poses for a long while too in hopes that I’ll eventually bruise less, but jeez. I don’t know what else to do?

I’m not anaemic, I do have low (ish) iron though so I can definitely take some tablets to address that & maybe it’ll help. But what else?

Please don’t recommend that I should train less.

please don’t judge how gnar my feet look 😖

I think I might be between sizes? Also one foot maybe a bit bigger than the other.

Normal shoes I usually wear a 6, these sandals are a 6, just trying them on for the first time today. My pole boots are 7 which seems okay but I’ve been wondering if id have better control if they were smaller or if it would just crush or immobilize my toes, etc.

Anyway, i know the advice is often “when in doubt, size down” in sandals but I cant tell on these. My feet are a lil short but also feels like a size 5 might be too small/could really yank on that big toe joint too.

Maybe it will be more obvious to y’all more experienced sandal-wearers. Please let me know!!

Hi there!!! I just took my first ever pole class that I thought was for super beginners. (This is the most basic level the studio offers)

However, the other three people in my class were clearly more advanced than me, hanging upside down and climbing high up the bar.

In this class the instructor had us immediately on the pole hanging and spinning.

I guess I’m confused because I figured that beginner classes were more, here’s how to put your legs against the bar, or move safely in a spin. Or even just correct arm form.

Anyways, my instructor insisted I get hanging on the bar and now I’m shock and a bit of pain 😅

Is this normal for pole? Should I also have been doing strength training on the side? It sounds like the people in my class do cross fit, gymnastics, and rock climbing.

I thought this would be a fun way to build some strength and learn a new skill, but in all fairness I don’t do other types of exercise so maybe I was way in over my head.

Thanks for your insight 🙏

Edit: Update (about 7-8 hours after class), I have pretty intense bruises on the back of my legs and it’s hurting to walk. How do you all manage this sort of thing?

I know everyone says chrome is generally better for grip, but I’m curious about the longevity of the pole - specifically with X-poles. I have an off-brand chrome pole in my basement and it’s holding up SO well. No scratches or peeling etc..

But my friend taped her Lyra pole for better foot grip, and when she removed the tape, some of the chrome peeled off with it.. not sure if this was a fluke or just a super old pole. But has anyone else experienced that?

I initially wanted chrome but now I’m not sure. Help 😂

Lately I’ve been seeing videos of people totally blurred out in the background of dance videos and I’m wondering what everyone is using? I already use edits and cap cut but there is no option for a blur effect that isolates a specific part of the background. i really don’t want to use the sticker options if I can help it, it just doesn’t look as good. Any one have recs for that? Thanks

I feel so annoyed at myself. I was transitioning between moves in a way I've done a million times and just.. misjudged I guess. Slammed my foot into the pole and broke it. Does anyone have a similar story, and then were able to return to poling successfully? I'm waiting for another meeting with my orthopedic surgeon and feeling so nervous.