How Much Do You Really Know About Pole Dance Fitness?

What is Pole Dance Fitness?

Pole dance fitness is a type of performance art that involves dance and acrobatics centered around a pole. This exercise gives your body a full workout, including strength-based internal training and isometric muscle contractions. In other words, it requires a lot of strength. Even men are amazed at how difficult it is their first time trying pole dance fitness.

Although many people today associate this dance form with female strippers, it is an exercise that dates back 800 years to the traditional Indian sport mallakhamb, which was performed on a wooden pole... usually by men. If you watch a few videos of mallakhamb, you'll see that it's not that different from modern-day pole dance.

Pole dance fitness provides a myriad of benefits ranging from physical to mental. Many women feel more confident through challenging themselves with pole dance and love the great body that comes with it.

Benefits Of Pole Dancing Include:

• Weight loss
• Increased confidence
• Better mental health
• Greater flexibility
• Stronger muscles
• Proper posture
• Gives you a challenge
• Stress relief
• Strengthened bones and joints
• Better heart health and blood flow
• Greater balance and mobility
• Regular pole dance practice makes childbirth easier

How Many Calories Does Pole Dance Fitness Burn?

In a one-hour pole dance class, you can burn approximately 250-350 calories. According to Angela Edwards, owner of PoleLaTeaz, women who are 40-50 pounds overweight usually lose the weight in 6-8 weeks with pole dance fitness.

Women are encouraged to wear stilettos during their pole dance sessions because it challenges the body. You'll get more out of the workout in heels. However, if you are unable to wear stilettos, ballet shoes or bare feet are perfectly acceptable.

Pros Of Pole Dance Fitness

• A sense of accomplishment when you master a difficult move.
• Become more comfortable in your own skin.
• Embrace your sexy side.
• Stay in shape while having fun.
• Become physically stronger.
• Overcoming challenges and learning difficult moves gives you more confidence in other areas of your life.
• Relieves stress.

Cons Of Pole Dance Fitness

• You will probably get a few bruises, scrapes, and burns while learning.
• A risk of injury like falling on your head.
• It will feel uncomfortable at first to push yourself out of your comfort zone.
• You will likely feel dizzy in the beginning until your balance and coordination improve.

Inspirational Pole Fitness Instagram Accounts

Following pole fitness Instagram accounts can inspire you and encourage you to keep going as you learn pole dancing. It will also help you develop a deeper appreciation of this performance art. Some of these Instagram users provide helpful pole dance tips with their posts too.

@maggie_falling: Maggie Ann is a pole dancer who won Most Athletic in the USA's National Aerial Pole Art in 2014 and was the level 4 champion in the 2014 Atlantic Pole Championships. Her Instagram account consists mostly of videos, which you can use to get ideas for your own routines.

@anastasiaskukhtorova: Anastasia Skukhtorova is a professional pole dancer from Russia, who won the Pole World News Picture Perfect Award (2014). You will find helpful pole dance tips and inspirational images on her Instagram. An example of a tip she included with a picture is to train with stretch bands because it opens your hips more.

@greshilovevgeny: Men who are looking for pole dance inspiration should follow Greshilov Evgeny. He won the World Pole Sport Championship in 2012 and Best Male of the Pole Art 2013 Championships.

Pole dance fitness is a reputable form of exercise just like lifting weights, running, and dancing. Many people who try pole dancing say that it's much more difficult than they expected and thus develop respect for professional pole dancers.

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