Many people are put off pole dancing as a physical activity, because they believe that one has to be very strong and/or at a high level of fitness before starting. In fact, a student who has never participated in a sport or a fitness class will gain substantial health benefits using pole dancing as part of their regular activities. Very basic moves are demonstrated to beginners and every move is broken down taking a step by step progressive plan, each move having 3 levels easy, hard and harder. Priority is given to the safety of the student and the achievement of feasible goals. Obviously, the regularity of attendance will ensure progress levels increase and improve physical and mental benefits. Pole dancing is now recognised as a Muscular Strength and Endurance (MSE) activity, incorporating Muscle Power and Core Strength and Stability. Let’s not forget proprioception, coordination, and flexibility. So how do we associate MSE with pole dancing? Muscular Strength: The muscles exerting maximum force against a high resistance. We gain strength in pole dancing by learning how to lift and hold body weight, using progressive spins, basic tricks and linking moves. This is achieved from momentum, skin to pole creating friction and dance related movement. Muscular Endurance: The muscles have to overcome the resistance of body weight whilst repeating over and over again the spins, basic tricks and linking moves. Muscle Power: The muscles ability to generate force quickly. Dancing is a form of uninterrupted movement; therefore an effective and fluid transition is required from all movement whilst using the pole. Core Strength and Stability: Pole dancing requires movement from the body in every direction. Therefore, core and abdominal muscles control the influences of beginning, maintenance and completion phases of all spins, tricks and linking moves. Proprioception & Coordination: These two areas are specific to messages from nerves, called stretch and motor receptors. The awareness of posture, movement and changes of one’s position from left to right, whilst drawing on more than one pattern of movement. For example the transition of spins, tricks and linking moves are fluid and flow from one to another. The aim is to create muscle memory. Flexibility: Using the freedom of movement pole dancing engages parts of the body in maximal range of purposeful moves, so that the soft tissues around the joints become pliable. The benefits of physical activity are detailed in Benefits of Regular Exercise but the benefits we can attribute to Pole Dancing are:
BENEFITS OF REGULAR EXERCISEIf most people are honest, the benefits of exercise are not top of their thoughts during an average day. Also, whilst they know that exercise is good for them, thinking about the benefits of exercise on their general wellbeing has probably not been a consideration. The good news is that there really are numerous benefits of exercise. So in order to encourage you to stick with those work outs, let's look at some of the main benefits of exercise in a general sense. Some of them are health related - your work outs can help protect you from various illnesses:
Other pay-offs more to do with life-style:
The Benefits of Aerobic Exercise:
|