Work It Out Wednesday: Pole Fitness

Before you gasp ladies, I assure you, it's not as crazy as it sounds. Although I haven't tried it myself, I have consistently begged my boyfriend for a pole, not just for risque reasons, but for fitness reasons. It takes serious strength to dance on pole and works the major muscle groups in your body! (If you don't believe me, just watch this extremely talented young lady, here). A contributor to Shape Magazine agrees. "After one hour-long class, every muscle in my body was quivering." I don't know about you, but sometimes a 3 mile run on the treadmill, can be rather boring. Why not try something new? Here are 8 reasons why you should consider pole fitness by Shape contributor, Jene Luciani.

1. It's Risque

"The stereotype of what pole dancing means to the majority of people, although chaning and getting better, every day, is part of the allure to some women," says instructor Tracy Traskos, of NY Pole. It's also a great conversation topic at parties or even at work.

2. It's like Role Playing

Besides the fact that you get to wear 6-inch stilettos when you work out, you also get to be a sex siren for an hour. Coupled with building the leg and arm strength needed to climb the pole and hold yourself up and the coordination to the follow the choreography, you get to do like head and hip rolls, mimicking the sexy dancers you often see at strip clubs (while toning at the same time).

3. Female Bonding

"Women who take the classes together create great friendships while bonding over the fun of pole dancing," Traskos says. "Also, no one is catty or judgmental so its a place you can be free to look foolish if you want to!"

4. It's an Accomplishment

"Participants feel like they have accomplished something great they never really thought possible," Traskos says. Plus, it's a safe, fun, and effective way to learn the art of pole dancing. At an advanced level, pole dancing is both a cardio and strength workout which can burn 800 calories and hour or more. 

5. You Get Individual Attention

Rather than group fitness classes, where one instructor is often teaching a dozen participants or more, pole dancing classes are smaller and more intimate. You get a lot of individual attention from the instructor, similar to personal training sessions. 

6. It's Much Harder than it Looks

"This aspect of it builds confidence and improves body image and the ability to tackle other seemingly out of reach goals in life,"Traskos says. "This confidence inevitably blends into other areas of your life, including relationships."

7. It's Four Exercises in One

"Pole dancing effectively combines strength training, endurance, and flexibility training into one fun activity," Traskos says. "It's yoga, Pilates, TRX, and Physique 57 all wrapped into one. And in high heels!"

8. It Teaches the Power of Body Weight Workouts

"Most women work way harder in pole class than in the gym", says Traskos, who was a personal trainer for 15 years before joining the team at NY Pole. "There is a time and place for the gym, but pole appeals to women who hate the gym or never even go. And most of the exercises we do, like climbing the pole, are a lot tougher than doing bicep curls."