How did it look, feel/function before?
I began studying pole around 2016-17. I was fortunate that I had been lifting weights for a number of years, and also had some Pilates and yoga experience. So I had some pre-existing core and upper body strength. I had also trained in Capoeira for about 10 years, so I was comfortable going upside down, and being kind of acrobatic. So, I actually “inverted” pretty quickly and easily early on in my pole training.
But… NOW I understand that I tended to invert in the most difficult way possible - straight up from standing. And I usually challenged myself to invert with “straight legs” because I thought that was “good form”. Using this method I would tire quickly and was prone to a number of injuries (more on that below).
Let’s talk about “energy leaks”. I relied heavily on my biceps, pectoralis major, and core abdominal muscles to invert - and occasionally would jump or kick to get up. Hence the fatigue. I also experienced overuse injuries and strain in my pectoralis muscles, and some areas on the top and front of the shoulder joint, likely the rotator cuff areas.
Further I did not really utilize a “waist hold” to support my body weight properly during the invert. My hip flexors were likely not helping with the invert either. But I cannot be certain because I had no awareness of their importance before Invert Ready! LOL! I was also not rolling my belly into the pole for a chopper or OLH.
I was not focused or aware of what my body was doing when I inverted to a large extent. Even though I had a lot of strength, I didn’t understand what was happening. In fact my mind would sometimes go blank when inverting I think.
Hence, I really did not understand “positioning”. Before taking Marlo’s online classes during the pandemic, I literally had no awareness of my scapula positioning or movement. My back muscles were minimal involved in the inverting process, as far as I can tell. I would look at the pole, and definitely had more of a “c” shape, not extreme, and mostly in the cervical and upper thoracic region; my shoulders were elevated and slightly protracted - I wish I had earlier videos to show this! In fact shoulder protraction was my basic postural habit.
My leg hooks were not solid, and I did not find them smoothly, but had to jiggle the leg around a bit, and often readjust by pulling up into them with my biceps and chest muscles, and looking up at the pole. I also engaged my leg muscles in the leg hook very minimally, but over-relied on upper body strength. Given all this, my leg hooks were not strong and secure, and in fact in 2017 I fell from the pole and broke my clavicle.
My ILH was even worse, and the only way I could get into it well was from a jade split
Oh, also I inverted on the same side 98% of the time.
I could only do band-assisted pull-ups/chin-ups
Despite all of these deficits, I loved pole, and was able to accomplish a lot! But I definitely made things harder than they had to be, and so many things were outside of my reach… and honestly not as beautiful and strong as they could be! I also had a lot of fear (which makes sense, and was really appropriate since I didn’t have the skills, positioning or strength for certain advanced moves and techniques). And I did, as mentioned above, have to heal from injuries a lot. But in my mind, I thought injuries were just a normal part of pole, since everyone else in my studio experienced them….
How does it look/feel/function now? And What’s changed?
Where to begin? Better Amazing Strong Confident Easy Focused Center Connected
During the pandemic (around June of 2020) I began training in many of Marlo’s live virtual classes. It was both amazing and frustrating. I love learning, and having a cognitive understanding of what’s happening. Marlo is a wonderfully informative and helpful teacher who imparts so much information and knowledge, which I loved. But it was also frustrating because many of the things that she taught, which seemed so basic, were also completely inaccessible for me physically! I realized that I had developed tons of compensatory “bad habits” in my pole work and training. In November of 2020 I took her “Pole Reset” class, and she kindly pointed out my shoulder positioning to me (protracted with a tendency towards elevation). That was life changing, and something I’ve been working on consistently since then. I gained greater awareness, connection, and mobility in my spine from taking her Spinal Flow series. There were parts of my thoracic spine where I had no proprioceptive awareness prior to that class.
Following those courses, I took her Invert Ready class twice, as a student. It is not an understatement to say that Invert Ready has changed everything I do on the pole. I’ve grown so much in efficiency, strength, knowledge, proprioceptive self-awareness, confidence, safety, and my ability to teach others.
More specifically, my current inverts are stronger, more confident, more efficient, more beautiful and have much more variety and creativity. I can invert so many different ways!
My positioning has changed, and I didn’t even know it was “a thing” before
My leg hooks could crack open a coconut
I understand the difference between an OLH and ILH
In my first 1:1 with Marlo in the IRC training, she helped me achieve my first chin-up by suggesting I “bend the bar into a rainbow” - Voila! I did a chin-up, plus 2 more
I now have strong hip flexors, and use them regularly in pole
I use the word “pelves”
I aerially invert efficiently, beautifully and without fear
I have learned so much about body mechanics and pole - when I watch other’s move, I see things in a new light, with new knowledge and awareness of the body mechanics
Other pole students and pole teachers want to learn from me and want to move like me, and I am eager to share this training with others. I want to support others in a safe, strong, and joyful pole journey. I have seen my students change the way they move – the joy, beauty and wonder is spreading!
The foundation of body awareness, spinal differentiation, and strength are foundational to all elements of pole - I look forward to continuing the growth, and revisiting the training materials.
Thank you!!!!!