Try something new: pole exercise

The University of York has almost 60 sports clubs but some of these are decidedly more popular than others. During the last week of term I went to a few club training sessions to take a look at some of the less well-known sports that the University has to offer.

The pole exercise club holds its training sessions in the James Dining Hall and I joined them for one of their evening sessions. I was told to wear shorts as bare legs help to create resistance against the pole. There were twelve girls and two guys at the session, showing this sport is for everyone!

The session started with a warm up to stretch out limbs and muscles. Everyone followed the instructions of the trainer to make sure the body was completely warmed up.

Then the members split into two groups: one group took exercise mats and did floor work involving stretching and strength building activities, such as press-ups and sit-ups, to improve physical fitness and flexibility. Floor moves to connect pole moves are also incorporated. The other group does pole work, practising old moves as well as learning new ones each week.

As I was new to the sport, one of the trainers took me to one side to teach me some basic moves. This included The Fireman, where you grip your knees around the pole and spin down, The Genie, for which one ankle is pressed against the pole and the other tucked in behind, and lastly The Spinner, where the inner leg is wrapped around the pole and the other leg is bent outwards behind. I found the moves extremely hard and realised how important physical fitness was I was aching all over at the end of the session! I was told that the key things to remember on all moves are to point the toes and hips as this give a nice posture.

Georgina, one of the members, talked to me about the club’s participation in events and shows. She explained that most competitions are for pole dancing, not exercise, and so the club doesn’t compete in these as it doesn’t want to be seen in that light. Instead they perform in shows and events, performing routines including floor gymnastics and pole moves. They recently performed at the University’s Woodstock event.

The session concluded with a warm down to relax and stretch out the body. I really enjoying taking part in the session and, although it was tricky and sometimes painful, it was a really fun and rewarding sport to learn. For more information and to get involved, see the pole exercise club website: here.

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