Pole dancing has always been synonymous with female performers and artists. This form of dance requires immense practice and resolute discipline. Women have the advantage of a more flexible body and agile reactions that make them well accustomed to this form of “dance-fitness”.
Pole dancing is basically a form of dance that is use to exhibit in bars and dance floors. A vertical pole is the prop using or dancing around which, a person performs the pole dancing act. Apart from aerobic and gymnastic abilities, the person performing also needs to pepper in a lot of gracious movements and concentration.
Pole dancing is not just a dance form that can be enjoy while performing or while watching. It’s a very good fitness activity that keeps you flexible and helps you in maintaining a good posture. It is the very usage of a pole and the techniques use in dance that make pole dancing an effective fitness activity, just like aerobics.
Pole dancing involves a lot of stretching, jumping, limb activity, coordination, usage of almost all muscles in the body and most importantly, strength with stability.
Pole dance can be a fitness mantra not just for women, but for men too. Though pole dancing is not synonymous with masculinity, it can prove to be a very effective activity in maintaining or developing fitness of the highest level.
Fitness benefits of pole dance for men
If you like to dance, performing pole dance fitness won’t be an issue but, in case you don’t like to dance- you should get a good idea of the benefits of pole dancing. No matter how feminine it feels, it is full of advantages and it is better to perform pole dancing rather than doing nothing for fitness. Some of the major benefits of pole dance fitness are listed below –
Increases flexibility:
Pole dance moves are full of stretches. A person has to throw his body all around in wild stretches using the pole as the leverage point. The result is that you end up stretching each and every part of your body while you dance! Constant and vigorous stretching results in more elasticity of muscles and eventually better flexibility of the body.
Strengthens joints:
As mentioned earlier, a person has to throw his body all around using the pole as leverage. All this applies limited pressure on the joints. While dancing, the body is warmed up so the chances of injury are minimal. When the joints are subject to pressure, their resistance comes into play. The more your joints resist, the more their capacity to take in pressure increases next time. In this way, joints are strengthen by the application of constant but limited pressure.
Reduces weight:
The first thing that a person observes about a pole dancer after grace and body movement is the slim structure of the performer. No performer is fit from birth; practising pole dance fitness makes them slim, trim and fit. People who have a fat belly must not shy away from pole dancing; in fact, they must assertively insist on doing it regularly. With such intense movements, the body tends to sweat and loses extra fat.
It’s fun:
A person doesn’t need to be a good dancer at all. It’s all about enjoying the music and responding to it, using the body. Pole dance fitness can be a bit difficult initially, but the key is to enjoy it or else it won’t work. The more you enjoy, the more will be its effect on the body. In fact, enjoying pole dancing takes your mind away from thinking of its benefits and multiplies its effects, as your actions are pure and dedicated.
Pole dance fitness moves
The simplicity and easiness of pole dancing is that, all you need is a pole to perform this form of dance. The major problem arises when you actually step up to make some moves. Most people are blank; they have absolutely no idea on how to dance using a pole. A few moves must be learned in order to perform the basic pole dance fitness moves. Listed below are some of the easiest pole dance fitness moves for men (beginners):
Arms only climb pike:
- Climb up the vertical pole dancing pole using both your hands.
- Make sure that one of your hands is higher on the pole and the other is considerably below the upper. Now, using the strength of your arms, pick your body up and hold. Your legs must be suspended in the air.
- Now raise both your legs together forming an L shape; legs are parallel to the floor.
- Both legs must be placed on either side of the pole; the pole must never come between your legs. Loosen up your lower body after a few seconds and throw your legs down. They must be suspended in the air all the time.
- Now pick your legs up again and raise them on the other side of the pole.
- Arm strength is the key to perform this pole dancing move.
Attitude change:
- Hold the pole on a high point with your right arm.
- You can jump a bit to reach a higher point on the pole.
- The left hand must hold the pole at a considerable distance from the right hand. If the right is above your crown, then the left hand must be below your hip-line.
- Once the grip is firm and strong, jump a bit.
- After every 3 little jumps, take a long vertical jump. The vertical jump must be perform with both your legs splitting as far as they can.
- Hold this position for a while before coming back to the original position.
- Opening your chest and using your right leg as a support against the pole will help you balance your body in a better way.
The roulette spin:
- Stand four or five steps away from the pole.
- Sprint with maximum torque towards the pole and leap towards the top-most point on the pole, wherever you can reach.
- Use both hands to hold the pole. Use the entire momentum you generated while sprinting to rotate around the pole.
- Make sure that if your right hand is on top, your left leg must pop out as an extension to your body while spinning.
- Same implies for the left hand if it’s at the topmost point on the pole.
- The variation to this is to use only one hand to spin. Once you are accustomed to spinning with both your hands, you may feel comfortable in doing the same with one hand. Sprint towards the pole and hold it with one hand. Rotate around the pole, leaving your body free and relaxed. Open up your chest for better rotation.
Crucifix climb:
- You have to perform this move as if you are climbing up a rope. The only difference is that you have to raise alternate legs with alternate hands, unlike in rope climbing where both your legs are glued together for better balance.
- Hold a high point on the pole with your right hand.
- Now raise your left leg and grip the pole firmly. Raise your left hand and go to a higher pint on the pole than the right hand. Simultaneously release your left leg and while the left hand goes up. Raise your right leg and grip it firmly on the pole. Do these till you reach the top of the pole.
- The final position on the pole is important. One hand must be on top, while the alternate leg must be bent from the knee.
- The other leg must be held straight down; it can be relax as well. The other hand must be outstretch sideways so the chest opens up and better balance is obtain.
- Outstretching your hand also gives you a gracious and good looking final position on the pole.
Tips for pole dance fitness for beginners
Warm ups:
Always warm-up before performing pole dancing moves. This form of dance requires great muscle stretches, resistance and strength. A good warm-up loosens the muscles and allows them to expand and endure more. A few stretches or a short run will do the trick for you.
Music:
Always play good music and beats while pole dancing. The rhythm sets your body in harmonic motion and helps you in enjoying all the moves no matter how difficult or painful they are. Also, music allows you to focus on the dance and nothing else, increasing your focus and inclination to enjoy the moves.
Pole dancing is a dance form that requires a high level of fitness and flexibility. The other way of looking at it is that pole dancing is a form that can bring flexibility and fitness to anyone performing it. Pole dancing for men can be a very effective activity as men’s bodies have less flexibility than women’s bodies. So, pole dancing can go a long way in fixing this! Without masculine complexes, men should take up pole dance fitness as a way of staying fit and enjoying hard-to-execute exercises and activities.
Men may not grow more muscle pole dancing but they sure will pole-dance their way to maximum flexibility, stability and strength.
