Is Pole Dancing a Good Workout?
If you’ve heard your friends talking about pole class and how they’ve got into great shape physically and mentally, you might be wondering “Is Pole Dancing a Good Workout?”
Yes, pole dancing is a very good workout!
Pole is good for strength, flexibility and it’s a great cardio workout. As well as helping you get in shape it’s a great way to socialise and many find it’s great for mental health.
Pole Is Good for You!
I remember my first pole class, it was on a random mid-week night out with a group of girls from work. It was in a small studio in a room next to a baker’s called beautiful baps. For obvious reasons the name makes me chuckle 15 years later.
I found the next day I couldn’t drive my car properly, very muscles in my upper body were on fire, and pulling on my handbrake was agony (I’m in the UK – we had manual handbrakes, non of these electric things that you have in the US. )
Pole dancing was hard!
It doesn’t hurt like that now, with a little practice and some progressive lessons my muscles got stronger, my lungs and heart got fitter and my mind got happier.
Why Pole is a Good Workout!
Anyone you ask will tell you that pole dancing is a full-body workout.
It’s a form of body-weight training — using only your body weight for resistance. It’s an effective type of strength training.
When lessons are planned correctly you will strengthen the opposing muscles, such as the chest and back muscles. As we strive for muscle balance we need to train both sides – left and right. Most just train the strong arm, but we need to train the dork side, so it’s not as dorkish 🙂
Climbing a pole, holding your body weight in mid-air and inverting takes a lot of strength.
When you link moves together or dance around the pole you get a cardio workout as well. iYou get an increase in your heart rate. Cardio exercises are beneficial because they can help you reach or maintain a moderate weight.
Cardio workouts have been shown to increase your sense of well-being, decrease psychological distress, decrease perceived stress and people become less emotionally exhausted.
It’s no wonder that anyone you ask will tell you that pole is a great workout!
Pole dancers look and feel amazing!
Tempted to Give Pole A Go?
If you fancy giving pole dancing a go and seeing for yourself why it’s a good workout. Look online for pole lessons near you.
If your search isn’t successful or you can’t make the class times you can learn at home.
You will need your own pole and a way to learn at home – there are online lessons, videos and books you can buy to teach yourself at home.
Sophie Green has been pole dancing and aerial arts at home and in studios around the world for over 13 years. She’s taken a number of instructor courses in pole and aerial. Plus attended a course on rigging. She takes part in lots of exercise.