Is it supposed to hurt this much?

[Dreamer]

Did my first dips/drops class on Saturday which took the form of a sequence of 7/8 dips and drops of increasing difficulty spun into a short routine. I was very keen to learn the proper technique as I get dipped a fair amount in freestyle, and fear for my partner's spine! During the class I tried to support as much of my own weight as possible.

By the end of the class I couldn't do the routine as I could barely stand on my right leg, and in the freestyle several hours later my leg had an unnerving tendency to buckle slightly on a/c turns.

Still very stiff today.

Is this normal, or have I done something wrong?

[Blueshoes]

Is this normal, or have I done something wrong?

Sounds normal to me, though in this context I don't speak from personal experience.

Any exercise where you're using unfamiliar muscles a lot in a short space of time is going to give you problems. I've only been joggin once in the last 20 years and it nearly killed me! After one Blues workshop where there were a lot of crouching type moves for the ladies, my partner couldn't walk straight for a week afterwards.

You were taking your own weight a lot on the right leg so it's bound to be sore or stiff for a while. I have no doubt you'll be fit as a fiddle in no time! And good on you for looking to take your own weight, it's definitely the safest way to approach drops.

[Genie]

Yes, it's perfectly normal if you've been using the muscle as described. It was a long workshop with a lot of dips/drops, so if you're not used to using those muscles, as Blueshoes has said, they're going to strain.

But if you conciously use them from now on whenever someone dips you, you'll build up the muscles and it won't hurt so much.

I get dipped a lot, but I have no qualms about letting my partner take some of my weight. Saves us both having sore muscles.

[David Bailey]

Did you do a warmup / cooldown? Stretches etc.?

Sore muscles are fine, but it's very important to stretch, especially muscles you've not used much before.

Blimey, I'm Injury Uncle tonight...

[Gadget]

What weight ??

but yea - using muscles repetativly you havn't used and are not used to being abused like that... it will hurt. But if you keep using them, it will hurt less and then not at all. And you will be able to use the muscles whenever you feel the need.

[TheTramp]

What weight ??

Not every guy is built like Arnie, Gadget!

[Gadget]

Not every guy is built like Arnie, Gadget!

Like I am!

I get dipped a lot, but I have no qualms about letting my partner take some of my weight.

^ that's what I was referring too
(missed DJ's post... erm... not that I'm suggesting that his weight is an issue.. or ... erm... I'll just shut up...)

[MartinHarper]

Did you do a warmup / cooldown? Stretches etc.? Sore muscles are fine, but it's very important to stretch, especially muscles you've not used much before.

Scientific research, such as it is, seems to be that it's good to stretch after exercise, but that stretching before exercise may not provide any benefit. See, eg:
http://www.sportsinjurybulletin.com/...lexibility.htm

Warming up with a little light dancing seems to work well enough, though that's more easily achievable for leaders.

[Genie]

What weight ??

What do you mean, what weight? I have weight!

[jivecat]

If it's muscle soreness from unaccustomed exercise it would start to be noticeable about 24 hours later. So if it's noticeable sooner than that it suggests something else is going on - I'd rest it for a day or so just to check it's not an injury.
In drops you also need to engage your core/stomach muscles to get the right sort of stability whilst supporting your weight on one leg. Even so, deep drops are pretty challenging physically.

I used to struggle to climb up the stairs after a long Ceroc evening when I first started. So I must be quite a lot fitter now.

[NZ Monkey]

Did my first dips/drops class on Saturday which took the form of a sequence of 7/8 dips and drops of increasing difficulty spun into a short routine. I was very keen to learn the proper technique as I get dipped a fair amount in freestyle, and fear for my partner's spine! During the class I tried to support as much of my own weight as possible.

By the end of the class I couldn't do the routine as I could barely stand on my right leg, and in the freestyle several hours later my leg had an unnerving tendency to buckle slightly on a/c turns.

Still very stiff today.

Is this normal, or have I done something wrong?

Sounds perfectly normal for a dips and drops workshop to me. In Auckland we used to make jokes about the ceroc girls getting massive right thighs from the drops practice.

Remember, pain is the sensation of weakness leaving the body....

[Alice]

Sounds perfectly normal for a dips and drops workshop to me. In Auckland we used to make jokes about the ceroc girls getting massive right thighs from the drops practice.

Remember, pain is the sensation of weakness leaving the body....

Just wait till your right leg gets stronger... and then someone decides to put a dip/drop using your left leg into a class (or far worse) team routine

[drathzel]

Sounds very normal. I ache for days after doing a d/d workshop. Although you dont know pain until you do an aerials workshops!!!!

[TheTramp]

Sounds very normal. I ache for days after doing a d/d workshop. Although you dont know pain until you do an aerials workshops!!!!

The first aerials workshops I did (2 in one weekend!), by the Monday, I couldn't walk. Crawled out of bed to the phone, and phoned in sick that day. They lay on the floor for 2 hours, before crawling to the bath, and laying in that for 2 hours!

[Blueshoes]

The first aerials workshops I did (2 in one weekend!), by the Monday, I couldn't walk.

I did an aerials workshop once, everything went well until one particular move where the lady kneels on your arm and you lift her onto your right shoulder.

Now my partner was very light but we just couldn't get this move which was odd because we'd done all the others without any problems and other guys were lifting much heavier women without apparent effort.

The problem was that as her shin connected with the bone on my forearm it hurt like hell (I mean like reflex let go hurt) and as I was lifting it felt like the arm was going to break so I had to put her down again.

Anyway, because everyone else was doing it OK we kept going time after time - by this stage my eyes were watering and I had to wait a minute or two between each try to let the pain subside. Also at this point my partner's shin bone was hurting badly too.

But (being dedicated dancers) we kept going with me keeping my mouth firmly clamped shut to avoid screaming out loud, and with my partner in obvious discomfort as well.

It was only by watching someone else very closely for the dozenth time I realised my arm should have been the other way round, with the hand palm up and my partner kneeling on the fleshy bit on the inside not the bone as she had been doing........ .

Next try - perfect!

Needless to say I had trouble using my right arm for a few days afterwards, and my partner walked with a limp for a while.....

Nice move though

[Princess Fi]

This brings back fond memories.

I remember practicing for the champs with my new dance partner who had never done dips on me. Since he was a wee bit smaller than the men who usually dipped me, I made a conscious effort to learn the proper technique for dips (as opposed to throwing myself towards the ground and hoping for the best, which looking back I was probably doing quite a lot.)

Right leg ached for a full week after doing nothing but dips for a practice session. But over time, the muscle got used to it and was/is fine.

Then someone tried to dip me the other way and I nearly ended up on the floor (forgot to build up the right leg muscle - oops! )

[firefly]

Sounds very normal. I ache for days after doing a d/d workshop...

This is making me a bit apprehensive. I'm booked in for a dips+drops workshop next month!

[Piglet]

Go for it Firefly - you will really enjoy it!

Yep you'll probably end up with a sore thigh / leg - but after my first go at an intensive workshop like that I learned to alternate the leg I was bending - it saves one leg getting all the work and ending up sore (I don't know if anyone else would recommend doing this though as you're supposed to bend the leg nearest to your lead, but it works for me )

[Caro]

This is making me a bit apprehensive. I'm booked in for a dips+drops workshop next month!

To prepare for this, you could try and develop your thigh muscles (quadricepts if I am not mistaken). If you don't go to a gym (where it's easy to get an instructor to point out a machine that will make you do the correct exercises), there are several ways to do that:
- both legs together (useful if you don't want to end up with one thigh bigger than the other in the long run!): stand up your back on a wall. Then gently bend your legs until you reach a position as if you were sitting on an invisible chair: your back is in contact with the wall, and your calves are totally parallel to the wall, meaning that your thighs are parallel to the floor (see?)... then hold this for a minute. Raise your arms until they are parallel to the floor too, if you can. hurts, yet ??
- one leg at a time: hold onto something at waist level (like a ballet bar) and lift one of your feet off the floor. Then bend slowly the leg that supports your weight, as far as you can go... and then back up (don't help yourself with your hand, this is for balance only, your thigh is meant to do the work). This is very difficult if you don't have a lot of muscles yet. You can also try in a swimming pool with water to butt or waist level, it's much easier

Yep you'll probably end up with a sore thigh / leg - but after my first go at an intensive workshop like that I learned to alternate the leg I was bending - it saves one leg getting all the work and ending up sore (I don't know if anyone else would recommend doing this though as you're supposed to bend the leg nearest to your lead, but it works for me )

I have done that a few times in workshops as well when my right thigh wouldn't take any other drop, but this is sometimes a bit awkward for balance and could be unsafe depending on the drop / speed. Also it might make a difference to your partner since it will move your center of gravity further away from his body (the closer it is to his body, the easier for him).


To answer the original question of this thread, yes this is perfectly normal so no worries. It becomes a bit awkward when you arrive in the office on the monday morning and you can barely walk... and stairs are just a big no no! People start to wonder what you've been doing!!!

[jivebunny]

ooooh i have a drips and drops workshop next month!!!

thanks for the advice Caro, i am definatley going to spend the next few weeks working on my thighs!! Luckily the day after i am off work!

Firefly - which workshop are you going to?

Ax