Pole dancing?

Unless you get a pole that can be permanently attached to a sturdy beam I do not recommend one for home fitness. Have you seen the YouTube videos?!!? A good place to start is with reverse leg lifts, push ups, pull ups, and triceps dips(your local playground is a great place to train!) until you can have a SAFE pole installed in your home.

Pole is a long game. It is one of those disciplines that takes tonnes of practice to get to a decent level. It's a constant learning curve. You should practice under supervision until you have a Good grasp of what you are doing in order to train solo. When I first started it took weeks to learn to climb. It's a further 3-4 months for inverts to come, then it's deadlift inverts, then aerial inverts. I seriously recommend getting a teacher, one who can show you correct form from the start. Pole, if done wrong, can set you up for all sorts of injuries. It really is hard on the body and I've had 2 significant injuries, including my rotary cuff and my pec. Be careful with the choice of pole, no cheap brands. I use an xpole xpert 45mm in chrome. That is competition size. I love how it has reshaped my body and makes my muscles pop. Flexibility is not my strong suit and all polers have to work damn hard on flexiness unless they are naturally bendy. I cross train with weights, Pilates, body conditioning. Couple of other things, don't train alone unless you are solid in your inverts, hangs, springs and climbs, make sure you have a spotter and a mat. I hope you enjoy your journey. Pole is wonderful!

I have an x pole xpert and as long as it's installed correctly I completely trust it with my weight (though I'm a small person) and inversions/advanced moves. However, you definitely need a teacher for proper form so you don't injure yourself at least at first. I'm naturally flexible so that's not an issue for me. Yoga could help with that of you need it, I would say after a couple months I noticed pretty big improvements in upper body strength. I advanced pretty quickly and there are a lot of bigger girls in my class that don't seem to make any progress so I think that's pretty individual and depends on your initial strength and natural talent for it at least for starting.

Edit: I would definitely not get a 40 mm pole. Mine is 45 mm and I wish I had gotten 50 mm. Your grip will improve, it's much harder for me to grip with my thighs and thigh gap on the smaller pole than accommodate my hand size.

What @hekla90 said. I have an x-pole installed and I trust it. As long as you install it properly, i.e. up against a joist, you'll be fine. Also, make sure you get a level to make sure it's straight and not slanted. Also, a lot of the fails you see online are b/c A) it's a super cheap pole that's only meant to pose with or B ) it's not installed properly.

As far as size, it's personal preference. I have a 45mm (static) chrome and a 45mm (static+spin) stainless steel at home, but in class I always use the 40mm chrome or the 45mm brass. I have 2 b/c my friend sold me her x-pert for half price.

If you cannot find someone close, try Studio Veena. She's a really good online instructor. It's $99 a year, but she takes you from beginner to advanced.

Good luck @ghouli!

ghouli wrote: »

Some general questions: Would you recommend it?

Yes.

ghouli wrote: »

How quickly did you notice changes in your body (appearance or otherwise, like strength, flexibility, etc)?

Like any other type of fitness this depends on how often you practice and your own body's response to fitness. It's a great full-body workout.

ghouli wrote: »

Other than physical changes, did it improve your self-confidence?

Typically anything I do that increases my strength has a direct effect on my confidence, so in that regard yes.

ghouli wrote: »

What else do you do besides pole dancing/anything specific that you've found really helped your progress?

I do a lot of stretching, every day, and it not only works out problem areas but overall increases my fitness ability and reduces pain.

ghouli wrote: »

Some more in-depth questions: What diameter would you recommend for a pole? I'm looking into X-Pole and they have a 40mm pole for smaller hands (which I have) but would it be better to go with a 45mm or 50mm?

Smaller diameters are easier for your hands to grip, larger diameters are easier for your legs to grip. If you have small or weak hands I'd recommend going smaller or you'll really struggle to maintain a grip. I have weak and small hands and have the smallest diameter X-pole makes which is perfect.

ghouli wrote: »

Also what finish do you think would be best for a beginner (I was thinking of going with chrome because it's the standard/most popular)?

Brass, definitely. Of course you can always buy tack to put on your hands to improve the grip, but when you're first learning how to pole having a bit better grip to start with is always a plus.


X-pole is a great brand, I've owned three different poles from them and all are great quality. As far as safety, just follow the directions and be smart about how you mount your pole and check the adjustment regularly to be sure it's correct. You can get a magnetic level to make sure your pole is straight from the hardware store for ~$10.

Most youtube videos showing pole fails are of people with those cheap poles they buy from Spencer's that are little more than a glorified shower curtain rod.

I have been poling for 2 years and hv been doing gym sessions for 6 years now. Started out with body combat and running for stamina then switched to pump classes. Pump really does a lot to improve overall muscle tone and stamina and I think that helped me during my first few months poling. A combination of pole and light weight lifting / hiit or plyometrics (such as bbg) helps alot. I've not been flexible prior to pole but after 2 years it's safe to say pole and good warm ups help tremendously to get me where I am now in my overall flexibility. Same goes for strength, I found myself much much more stronger than when I used to just hit the gym. Only thing is, it doesn't work your legs n butt much so good to weave in some leg work for your workouts! I hope you'll try pole but I'd recommend taking up at least a term or two of professional class to give you some basics, form (so you don't injure yourself) and confidence. It's a different world upside down!

Xpole diameter is really subjective. To me it's easier to do much more spins n tricks with the 40mm as compared to the 45mm. I use a 38mm at the studio and it's really a lot of difference. Some moves I can't perform on the 38, I can on the 40 n vice versa. And coating well, chrome is less painful while brass is super grippy. Personal preference too and just a matter of getting user to. Either way both is good happy to help you along your fitness journey! xx

Hi, I have a platinum stages brass 45 mm. I had the 50 and my wrists were feeling sore off and on. They do not do that with the skinnier pole. Also the 45 is what they are using in competitions. From my experience, 9 yrs, the chrome is more slippery than the brass. I have brass at home but teach on chrome. If you can hang on to chrome you can hang on to any of them. Lol

You should try some classes before you make the big purchase. Make sure you like it. Some people think it is going to be a breeze until they try it. I can pretty much tell in my classes which student is going to become the addict. Classes are great because everyone is very supportive, it's safer and there is always a trick or tip to help you accomplish a move.

Hope you find some classes and give it a shot!