Pole Anatomy - pole invert: the muscles, anatomy and biomechanics of pole!

THIS. IS. AWESOMMMME! The team at Muscle and Motion have helped me create this brand new anatomical breakdown of the pole invert and I LOVE it!
You may have noticed I went a little invert-crazy on the blog recently - and what better way to end my invert blog marathon than with this visual cherry on top of the invert cake?!
We covered invert anatomy, off the pole exercises for the invert, straight-leg invert problem solving, the reasons you can’t get a clean leg hang from your chopper- and more!
Go check out the blog if you missed any of it! I promise I’m done ranting about pole inverts (for now at least). I’m already planning my next blog-a-thon! If you have topics you’d like me to cover, please feel free to message me back and let me know!
BLOG: www.thepolept.com/blog/
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THE BOOK: www.thepolept.com/the-book/

[@trinitywave]

WOW, I love whoever made the muscle skeletal animation for this video!

[@ThePolePT]

Thank you Trinity! This one was created by a company called Muscle and Motion. 🙌

[@rushplusperfection3161]

This is EXACTLY what I'm looking for! I'm trying to make a gym workout routine and trying to find out EXACTLY what muscles I need to work on has been so hard! Thank you!

[@ThePolePT]

Yay! So glad it helped! :)

[@syzygy4365]

I'm breaking my old bad habit of kicking off into my invert. I'm way too rusty to not fix those. Lol So far I can invert properly on my dominant on the dominant side and fixing something weird happening on the otherside. My left knee and left hip flexer aren't synchronized at all. 😂

[@DelaG29]

Thank you for this! I just realized I need to engage my back more when upside down!

[@ThePolePT]

Yaaay! Glad it helped! :)

[@krystler7703]

This video is all the things pole nerds dream of! 🤓 I love it! Also, I don't know if you remember my comment from a prior video, but my boyfriend ended up buying me your book for my birthday!!! I'm waiting on it to arrive, but I'm so excited!

[@ThePolePT]

Aw yay! I remember! Whoop! Thanks boyfriend! 😘 Happy birthday and hope it arrives soon! 😍🎉

[@Lovekarunai]

I'm super loving it

[@vega1349]

Never realized I needed to engage those lats! Thank you.

[@ThePolePT]

Glad it was useful! :) x

[@s-eyesel]

Awesome ❤

[@musicheals5705]

I've studied human anatomy & physiology. This helps me a lot to figure out where I'm doing wrong and which muscles I'm not engaging. I found that my form is a little off when I video record my choppers. I can understand moves better when explained to me like this, or at least verbally tell me which muscles to engage to get proper form.

[@christinewegner8720]

Oh wow I love this!

[@nataschahamm9075]

Thank you ❤

[@zeinakhalem4588]

This is an awesome video!! Your invert breakdowns have always helped and this is next level. 💯💯💯

[@ThePolePT]

Thank you so much. I wanted to do this for sooooo long! I'm so glad it's helpful! 😚

[@themodernerotic1816]

This is Fab!

[@luizasaraiva1916]

you are amazing!! thank you so much for this, its so hard to find stuff about biomechanics and anatomy of pole

[@Lelalovelee]

I love your books and videos. I re-publish to my students all the time.

[@ThePolePT]

Hi Holly, awww thank you SO MUCH for following, sharing and reaching out to comment and let me know! I really appreciate it. 🙏

[@ingridpostai5829]

I seriously adore this video ♥

[@ThePolePT]

Thank you so much!

[@Selynn88]

Excellent explanation! I bough your book a few months ago and I must say is every polers' dream. Love your content, very precise and well structured. Thank you ❤️

[@ThePolePT]

Aw yay! Thank you so much for buying my book - and for taking the time to comment. I really appreciate your kind words 🥰 - and I'm so glad the content is useful, thank you! 🙏🤓💪

[@HelloTruDee]

I love science! Thank you for this because I needed to understand the muscles being used.

[@ThePolePT]

Glad it was helpful! :)

[@MsBibiMuneca]

Omg!!!! I love this channel! I showed my husband he said this is so cool to see the anatomy at work! I'm subscriber now!

[@ThePolePT]

Thank you SO MUCH! ❤

[@tonntonns16]

I LOVE videos like this!

[@ThePolePT]

Thank you!

[@cynthiamorgan5222]

Wow you broke it down, and gave us a visual details of the muscles, thank you that was awesome.👍

[@ThePolePT]

Thank you for watching! 🤗

[@cynthiamorgan5222]

You're welcome

[@jujuju111111]

Shoked with the quality of your videos. Thank you very much. I feel inspired to study about pole by your work. 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼From a Brazilian training pole in France.

[@ThePolePT]

Ah so kind, thank you so much! 🥰

[@gabbymarielcsw]

This is literally the coolest channel.

[@ThePolePT]

Aww thank you! :)

[@ananascarpenter]

Woooow this is sooo cool to see and very interesting! Thank you for sharing!

[@ThePolePT]

Thank you so much! :)

[@simplychi9418]

I freaking love this!

[@ThePolePT]

Thank you so much! ❤

[@CarolinaBarreiroCancela]

Amazing breakdown!

[@ThePolePT]

Thank you! :) x

[@alee9461]

great！！！

[@missrave9440]

Wow ,that's amazing

[@ThePolePT]

Thank you! ❤

[@MrKitagurl]

Wow this is such a great video.

[@ThePolePT]

Thank you so much! 💗

[@officialDaiMona]

Thank you !!! I could not understand for the life of me what I was doing wrong . Subscribeddd !!!!

[@ThePolePT]

Thank you! ❤

[@kaylanicole3612]

i appreciate this

[@ThePolePT]

Thank you so much! :)

[@itsurdestineetowatch]

YES!!!! I can't believe I'm just finding this

[@ThePolePT]

Welcome! Thank you! x

[@racheljauquier6233]

Merci enfin une vidéo explicite et bien détaillée pour expliquer une figure de pôle dance, le fait d'avoir mis un corps de squelette nous montrant les muscles et l'ossature de l'être humain m'a permise de comprendre exactement quelles muscles utiliser pour y arriver pourtant je ne parle pas anglais mais vous avez gérer avec cette vidéo. Non seulement j'ai appris ma première figure mais en plus je l'ai comprise merci pour ça 👍😊😊Si chaque pôleuse penserai comme ça elles seraient 💵(humour) 🙏🫶💪👍

[@ThePolePT]

Haha! Yes! 😅Ahhh merci beaucoup ! 😘😘

[@tijanameduric]

How we actually engage the upper back? Do we need to push cheats forward or to squeeze trapezius muscles? I have a hard time pushing my hips closer to the pole to make a clean chopper.

[@ThePolePT]

Hi Tijana, I'm so sorry I missed your comment earlier. I have a blog series on the invert that covers a little about getting the hips up, which you might find useful! www.thepolept.com/pole-anatomy/pole-invert-secrets-holding-the-straddle/ For the back engagement in chopper, 'chest lifted' is a cue that I like but it doesn't work for everyone. Thinking about squeezing the shoulder blades together may also help - it's that engagement of the mid/upper back that will help to keep your shoulder blades in a neutral position (will feel like squeezing the shoulder blades together when you're in your chopper position). 👍

[@Izzybella89]

This was really helpful! I've been having an issue with pain slightly down and behind my armpit when coming down from a chopper, and I'm not sure what exercises I should be doing to strengthen these muscles to help protect. I had a small tear in the middle of my subscapularis and I did PT for it, but i'm not sure if there's more to it as I still have a nagging dull pain (like I constantly want to stretch it).

[@ThePolePT]

Hi Izzy, apologies for the delayed response! I'm glad the video was useful but I'm sorry to hear that you're experiencing pain like that. I wouldn't want to speculate on what might be causing that - it could be referred pain from elsewhere and may or may not be related to your previous injury. It's always best to have these things checked with a physio. If you'd like to book in with our in-physio, Georgina, for an online appointment, I'm sure she'd be happy to investigate this a bit further and help you get to the bottom of it. ❤ Here is her booking link if you'd like more info: www.thepoleco.com/book-physiotherapy

[@geewhiz8302]

Ive been searching if pole training can improve your tibialis anterior because I just noticed that mine is looking quite scrumptious. 🤣🤣 Not exactly sure how I got here but I’m happy to be here. Lol! I love this!! I sometimes get frustrated when the instructor can’t tell me what muscle I should be focusing on. This is everything! Subscribing & buying your book ASAP! Thanks! 💜💜💜

[@ThePolePT]

Yay! Thank you so much! 💜My tibialis anterior is pretty scrumptious too, haha. I guess it depends what moves you're training. Keep an eye how much you're dorsi-flexing the foot - that might give you some clues. Maybe you're doing a lot of that, though we tend to do more of the opposite (pointing the feet) in pole. 💪

[@geewhiz8302]

@@ThePolePT ahhhh..makes sense. My instructor is always shouting “Point your toes hot girls!” She’s usually talking to me😂😂😂😂 I’ll keep an eye out now. Thanks so much!

[@lucillemorgan7870]

What happens if you have weak muscles everywhere - back, hips, hamstrings etc.?

[@renaysha0506]

This is really cool! Such a great breakdown and so informative! I realize that I'm not retracting my scapular for inverts. Curious to know: does the scapular retracts when you tuck your legs or should you only retract it when you tilt to an invert and straddle? Should the scapular start to retract from the beginning (a tuck)?

[@ThePolePT]

Hi Ren, so sorry for the delayed response! I only just saw this comment! The upper/mid back should be engaged right from the start of the movement - though at that point you aren't actually moving the scapular towards each other (retraction), just engaging the upper back and shoulders - the shoulder blades stay in a more neutral position than retracted, if that makes sense! It's a subtle difference and it does 'sort of' feel like retraction because, especially when you are upside down, you are fighting against gravity to resist protracting the shoulder blades away from each other. Does that answer your question? 🤔 x

[@renaysha0506]

@@ThePolePT yes it does! Thank you for responding!

[@turquoiseflourish4498]

Love it :-)

[@ThePolePT]

Thank you! 😘

[@scaniadiaz5769]

Agregaría,, la ubicación de la,mirada siempre hacia el ombligo, para,generar mayor estabilidad.

[@sinamen516]

Choppers, straddles, and v annoys me. My hamstrings are sooooo dog on tight, this move is hard for me. I can only do a regular invert right now smh. At 40 plus I'm not sure how much I can losen them. Thank you for helping me to understand the mechanics, new subbie!

[@ThePolePT]

Thank you so much! Yeah, tight hammies make the chopper more challenging, for sure! But you definitely can still improve your hamstring mobility with the right approach to your training, though. I'm 40 next year so I know it most certainly feels tougher than it did when we were younger (definitely not as bounce-back-able as I once was haha!), but I have clients in their 60's who, with the right training and the right mindset, prove that age really shouldn't hold us back. They inspire the crap out of me! 😊

[@sinamen516]

@@ThePolePT thanks for the inspiration!😊 You are correct, the bounce back is slow I try to easier these days minus my workouts. I'll continue to add in flexibility into my routine!

[@gabbym6192]

I am working towards engaging the back more but I still fall into the habit of rounding it out and it drives me crazy. What are some cues to gain better control of those lats? Any conditioning I can do to get used to that engagement ??

[@ThePolePT]

Hi Gabby, well done to you for working on this. It ain't easy, that's for sure! A cue that can work well for this while practicing the skill itself is to think about keeping your chest lifted - or 'collar bones broad'. 🙌 For conditioning/strength training for this... on the pole, you can deload the position by using a stability ball like this www.thepolept.com/strength-for-pole/how-to-do-the-stability-ball-chopper/ to practice and train that engagement in the actual movement. That's one of my faves! :) Off the pole, horizontal pulling movements like bent over rows or TRX pulls are gonna be your friend for this one. If you want some more structure and accountability to work through the strength and conditioning for it, I have an online No Kick Invert programme that you might like! You can check that out here: www.thepolept.com/product/8-week-programme-no-kick-invert/ Keep at it! Neo x

[@lesheawhite1870]

Im trying a pole class soon. I do lyra already. Do you think lyra will help

[@ThePolePT]

Hey, so sorry for the slow response! Hope the class went well! I think your experience with Lyra will put you in a good place for learning pole - lots of the skills are transferable/similar, but the apparatus is sooo different. It can take a little while to apply that strength and skill you've got from Lyra to pole, but I'm sure you'll love the new challenge it brings! 💪

[@lyubimaslivkova5362]

I was recently diagnosed with hip dysplasia after experiencing hip pain for the first time, probably aggravated by my pole training. The doctor was a sports orthopedic, but I don't think he had much of an idea about pole in particular. I know that I should avoid running, jumping and ball sports, he said that splits etc are off limits. When it comes to other moves/poses essential to pole I'm having a hard time figuring out what I should better NOT be doing. I have a feeling that straight leg aerial inverts might not be a good idea, but what about inverting with bent knees? Does anyone have any knowledge about / experience with this? Are there any resources online? I'm at a point in my journey where pole has become such an important part of my life that giving it up terrifies me, so I hope I can find a way to modify my training to be able to do as much as I can without causing damage to my hips (although I will be mourning my splits and movements requiring hip flexibility for a while 😢). All help & advice is highly appreciated!

[@ThePolePT]

Apologies for the really slow response! I hope you've been able to figure out a way forwards to manage your pole training around your diagnosis. Pole is definitely a little misunderstood by those outside the pole community! If you can, I'd recommend finding a clinician who understands what we do in pole so they can help give you that more personalised guidance you need. I'm not sure where in the world you are but The Circus Doc has this list of clinicians (US and globally) who work with circus artists - some of them are pole specific and some work more generally with aerialists. That might be a good place to start! ❤www.thecircusdoc.com/resources/circus-pts/

[@facesxy]

I have the problem with the rounded back and it's horrible. Looks bad and can cause injuries :/ It's probably because I've always struggled with my posture.

[@mollywilkes4565]

I'm really struggling with my.legs straightening out and maintaining it, any advice on what it could be and how to work on it?

[@ThePolePT]

Hey Molly, thank you so much for watching! It's hard to say without seeing what's going on as it could be any one of the areas covered in the video - everything has to work and co-ordinate together to make it happen. Often people tend to try straighten the legs too soon, which could be the problem you're having. I have a couple of more recent videos on this which might help you figure this out too! Short (90 second summary): kzbin.info/www/bejne/iYiZmWWCo8yDaac Longer (18 minute deeper dive): kzbin.info/www/bejne/j6XUl36tjLygrpI Good luck with it! I know it's soooo frustrating being stuck at that point, but you'll get through it! 💪

[@mollywilkes4565]

@@ThePolePT legend! Thank you for replying! Think it's hamstring related 😂 will totally check out these videos!

[@ThePolePT]

@@mollywilkes4565 Yeah, it could be tight hamstrings if you're getting the movement (the tip back) nailed and it's literally just the leg extention that you're struggling with! If that's the case, working on hamstring flexibility and hip flexor strength might be the key! :)

[@CarlosSanchez-hl8dv]

Calificar

[@fernanda7410]

I have a back pain in my trapezius that is killing me.... I don't know what can I do

[@ThePolePT]

Hi Fernanda, apologies for the delayed response. I'm really sorry to hear that. If it's a pain you are getting during/after inverting, it's something that we hear often. Quite a lot of the time it is due to overuse, lack of strength or incorrect engagement through the movement. However, I wouldn't want to speculate on what's causing it. If you'd like to book in with our physio, Georgina, for an online appointment, I'm sure she'd be able to investigate this a bit further and help you get to the bottom of it. ❤ Here is her booking link if you'd like more info: www.thepoleco.com/book-physiotherapy

[@girlmeetsboynfallsn]

#theswingsetWithknowseatFlipsstaircase justatweet) @bmx @mercedes #kbxx #mercysaideaze🎉

[@mirelahelinger3827]

Amazing!! ..and I love your book , it is such a great companion during workouts, wonderful ❤️

[@ThePolePT]

Thank you so much Mirela! I'm so happy it's useful! 💪💪