Pole-dancing: The new bums and tums

Pole-dancing

Never one to turn down a challenge, when a friend told me there were free pole dancing sessions taking place at a nearby gym, I immediately said yes.

It sounded exciting - something a bit different, and something a bit more fun than pounding the treadmill.
Then questions started to rear their heads. Images of smoke machines and film star-shaped girls in hotpants and crop tops swam through my head.
What should I wear? I'm about as comfortable in hotpants and heels as I would be in chainmail -but were gym shorts and trainers acceptable?
And would it all be super-skinny, petite blondes wiggling around the pole? At 6ft 2ins and a size 12 at the time, I was a little shy and worried I would stand out like a sore thumb.
Luckily, the reality was nothing of the sort.
Everyone was very laid back, and comfortingly normal. This was pole fitness, not pole training.
Not only was sporty gear and trainers - sometimes barefoot - the standard uniform for the class, there were women aged from 18 to 45 all taking part.
As beginners, the instructors were kind to us. The 'grade one' moves included a few basic spins - the self-explanatory "firelady" among them - which had me clinging desperately to the pole, barely making it a single 360 degrees around in what must have been more of a graceless stumble than anything approaching an elegant spin.

                                       
Another move, the so-called "basic climb", involved hopping on to the pole and wrapping your legs around it, effectively sitting down while holding onto the pole with both thighs and arms. The next step - leaning back and extending one arm over the head - was something I couldn't quite bring myself to brave during that first hour.
The next day at work, I could barely move. My arms, my legs, and my bum were so stiff I felt like I had been pummelled.
And I was hooked.
Since then, I have been a weekly regular. And even though I only occasionally go to the gym or do zumba between lessons, the benefits have been tangible.
My upper-body strength had been negligible until I started, but within weeks I started to notice a difference.
My arms started to tone up, my bum became slightly firmer, and my flexibility improved dramatically. I also dropped a dress size.
And now, far from that timid, clingy beginner I described above, I'm now more often found upside-down.
There are, of course, some moves I have yet to conquer. The bane of my life is the spinning splits - which involves spinning around the pole face-on, legs straight out in front and 90 degrees apart. My excuse is that being so tall, it's harder for me to lift my legs that far.
Luckily, despite the fun grading, it's more about fitness and the instructors acknowledge this weakspot, only making me practice a couple of times a lesson before moving on to new or more fun moves.
The main advantage of the class above other aerobics and fitness groups is, in my humble opinion, the sociability of it.
In groups of two or three, you are stood chatting with others while you wait your turn, or helping one another stretch out.
Once you leave university, it can be difficult to make friends outside the workplace. Pole dancing has been a great way to meet new people and have some genuine fun, as well as getting fit.
And that has helped boost my confidence no end. Along with being able to support myself upside-down, of course, which has proven to be another successful confidence-booster.
In short, don't be put off by fear of looking silly, or being too weak or old or fat to "do it properly".
As long as you throw yourself into it, it's worth a shot.
And it's always a good conversation starter at a party.

Reference - Chalotte Cross