can heavy girls invert on the pole with enough work?

by Sandy
(Salem, VA)

I'm quite bottom heavy. Is there any hope in a smooth inversion and working upside down?


Susan from PDFF says...

Don't give up Sandy, there's definitely hope for you!

It's true that if you're "bottom heavy" you've got more bottom to move over your top if you're going to invert.

But look at the bright side...once you've got the bottom half of you up there, it'll be that much easier to get right side up again!

Seriously though, you are dealing with a bit of a disadvantage. But so are most women, actually. Let's take a different approach than you may be considering.

Most women who are significantly heavier on the bottom than on the top tend to think that it's going to be harder to invert because they have more weight to move.

That's not necessarily true though. If you think about the engine that's going to drive that movement, it's not a question of top half vs bottom half. Rather, it's a question of how strong your core is.

That's because your lower body doesn't have to overpower your top half to get itself up in the air. Instead, it's your core that's going to do the heavy lifting.

I always used to tell my students to use muscle - not momentum - when lifting into inversions. Sure, having a little momentum behind the lift doesn't hurt, but if that's all you've got going for you, you're going to bounce right back out of the inversion because you won't have the core strength to hold yourself there.

I suggest that you not worry about the size of your upper half compared to that of your bottom half. Instead, start focusing on developing some good, solid core strength and control.

If you've seen some of the competitive pole dancers, they're often very muscular in both the upper and lower body. Muscle is quite dense though, and a pound of muscle takes up much less space than a pound of fat.

That often leads us to believe that these pros have less weight to move, when in fact the proportion of weight in their lower body compared to their upper body may be similar to yours.

If you don't believe me, check it out next time you're at the grocery store. Get yourself a pound of butter, then take it over to the meat counter and compare it to a pound of lean meat. You might be surprised at the size difference!

Anyway, my point is that even though they may not look as big as you in the lower body, these super fit dancers still have to move more weight above their head than they have in their upper bodies.

Their secret? Killer core strength.

Of course, you need upper body strength to invert on a pole too, but that's mainly to hold yourself on the pole. Your core is what's going to get your bottom half up in the air.

So while I wouldn't suggest you focus only on your core to the exclusion of the rest of your fitness routine, do give it plenty of attention. Perhaps ask your instructor or a personal trainer to give you some core exercises to work on at home.

It will take time, like everything in life that's worth having. But if you trust the process (the more you ask your core to do, the stronger it's going to get), be patient, stay positive, and don't give up, you WILL get there.

Be sure to check back in and let us know how you're doing...ok? :)