It’s not sleazy, you don’t have to dress to titillate, and it’s one of the best workouts your body can get.

In the last number of years the popularity of pole dancing as a fitness activity has soared, so why not make 2013 the year you give it a go?

Eva Longoria, Kate Moss and Cindy Crawford are just a handful of the many celebs across the globe that know their way around a pole, and just look at those bodies!

The trend started in the mid-noughties in America, and now no one will bat an eyelid if you tell them you’re off pole dancing for an hour instead of your evening stroll.

There are a variety of classes taking place across Ireland, whether you want to try it out once with a group of friends for fun, or you want to make this your regular fitness fix. 

Polestars run classes in Dublin, Galway, Limerick, Kilkenny, Westmeath, Waterford and Sligo, where you can start off with a taster class, take on a Beginners course and if all goes well progress on to Intermediate.

So what can you expect to gain from your pole dancing lessons? Well according to Polestars; “The pole section develops endurance, strength, power, stamina and mobility especially in the upper body areas. The calories burn and the girls rapidly see improved muscle tone. Pole dancing consists of many elements such as tricks, spins, poses linking moves, floor working in particular the muscles of the arms, shoulder and torso muscles to maintain good control, stability, balance and posture. After a pole session the girls have a further cool down stretch section. Throughout the class, exercise adaptations are offered according to level of fitness within the class, catering to varying abilities. The teacher will make reference to correct body positions, posture, exercise action, speed and range of movement.” 

If you’re still not convinced just take a look at this. Jenyne Butterfly is considered the best pole dancer in the world, and this video has been viewed over 3.7 million times since it was uploaded to YouTube.

That BODY! It could be you (ok, so this might take some years of commitment!), so why not give pole dancing a try?

 

All this month we're running the Her.ie Fitness Revolution in association with PomeGreat Pure Plus - check back to our Health section for daily updates on how to improve your body this New Year!