Pole dancing has got to be one of the most fun ways to lose weight! Want to know some other facts about pole dancing as a method of fitness? Here's Casey!
No longer relegated to strip clubs, gentlemen’s bars and cheeky hen’s nights, pole dancing for fitness has come into its own and is a great way to shape up, have fun, develop some strength and boost your confidence. I’ve just completed my 6 week beginner’s course and start on the advanced beginner next week and I can’t stop talking about it! Here are some things you may not realise…
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1. It’s Actually Very Popular
So I know from doing Pole myself that it’s popular – all classes are booked out and if you don’t get in quick enough for the next round you miss out – but what I didn’t know is that there are 6, count them, 6 Pole studios within a couple of kilometres of each other in my city. Talk about in demand! And it isn’t just young adult girls (most places don’t accept under 18s) doing it, oh no, my studio runs men’s classes and we have ages ranging from 18 to over 50!
2. It’s Not Actually Dancing…
I put dancing in the title so that you’d know what I was talking about but those who actually know and do the classes never use the words ‘Pole Dancing’ it’s always, ‘Pole’ or ‘Pole for fitness’ because you don’t dance. Each item in the routine utilises the pole in some way and whilst you might shimmy down the pole once in a while it’s only to get you in place for your next move.
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3. It Hurts
Okay, so not always a good thing to lead with when you’re trying to convince someone to give something new ago but nobody told me when I began that I was going to come away with a heap of bruises and some skin off my thighs and so it was a tiny bit of a surprise when I came away a bit sore and sorry the first time. I thought I’d do the nice thing and give you a warning. No pain, no gain! It’s a good kind of pain however, where you feel like you’ve accomplished something.
4. It Strengthens and Tones Your Whole Body
You use pretty much every part of your body when doing Pole – from holding up your body weight with just your arms or legs to keeping yourself upright with your core you will find a marked improvement in muscle tone, arm, leg and abs strength and even in the ability of your nerves to stop registering pole burn.
5. It’s Also a Good Cardio Workout
When you think about pulling yourself up a pole and holding on you don’t really think cardio but with all the spinning moves, walking, swinging and repetitive actions you work up a sweat and get your heart rate going. It’s nowhere near like going for a jog or a bike ride but it helps to increase stamina and overall fitness.
6. It’s an Internationally Recognised Competition Sport
Here in Australia we have state and national championships in pole dancing where the aim is to provide a beautifully choreographed and strongly performed routine to music. Our champions then perform internationally against many other countries in front of hundreds of people. If you think it sounds interesting have a look at YouTube because there are some brilliant performers out there.
7. It Really Isn’t Very Sexy at All!
Have you ever tried to hold yourself up on a pole with only the insides of your thighs whilst you smile and throw your hands into the air in happiness? It’s a very unsexy thing to do and also rather painful so instead of sultry and strong your smile usually turns into a grimace and after about 5 seconds you’re ready to jump down. Unless you’ve been doing it for years and have the strength and precision that brings, none of the moves are going to appear sexy at all – and even then they look impressively fluid and strong rather than flirty and sexual.
8. It Boosts Your Confidence
I know, I’ve just finished saying that it isn’t sexy but that doesn’t mean you can’t FEEL sexy. You build coordination and strength and gain confidence from being able to do something new and challenging. You feel accomplished and even though most of the time you’re spinning around the pole waiting to touch ground, there are occasions where a shimmy, body wave or hip grinds make their way into the routine and help you feel just a tiny bit sexy.
It may not be everyone’s cup of tea but it’s time to take the stigma and stereotypes out of Pole for Fitness and prove that anyone can do it to help improve their strength, confidence and fitness. Women and poles are not just designed to make men drool. Although their reactions to this new fitness craze are often worth declaring your interest in it to see.
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Comments
Mary:I wanna try it!
kfernandez5920:Where can I go for pole classes?
Dinah:I started doing pole fitness 2 years ago at the tender age of 43...and absolutely love it. I'd recommend it to women of all ages :-)
Cathie:Already did it. Hehe
Jessica:Can anyone recommend videos for beginners?
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