PED 171 Alternative Fitness

Submission Sheet
Topic: Pole Dance
Fitness_____________________________
Description of Activity
Pole Dance Fitness, also called Pole Fitness, is both a form of
performance art and ftness. It involves various feats being performed on or
around a central pole, either free-form or to a rhthm, such as music. !"#
Pole dancing includes man standard ftness principles as $ell.
%eginners start o& $ith strength training, to safel $or' into the routine.
From there, basic e(ercises include modifed forms of push-ups, s)uats, sit-
ups, and other dance-based moves. From here, one $ould $or' their $a up
to performing some of the more comple( moves. These include spins, climbs,
inversions, and other more *e(treme* feats. !"#
Pole dancing is no longer regarded as a ftness form for $omen onl.
+an, if not most, studios and classes are co-ed, and there are even studious
throughout the ,-, ,., and /ustralia specifcall for men. In professional
competitions, frst place 0hina*s 1ational Pole Dancing 2334 competition $as
$on b 5hang Peng, a 26-ear-old dance instructor. !4, "#
History of Activity:
Pole dancing in its* modern form, derives its* earliest trac'ed roots from
India, $ith a traditional sport called 7malla'hamb8 9pole gmnastics:. This
sport demonstrated principles of endurance and strength, and used a
$ooden pole. This sport is still practiced to this da in over 23 Indian states,
$ith various levels of national competitions. !"#
In malla'hamb, man pillars are planted in the ground or hung. ;arious
feats are performed on these, such as hanging from the pillars, performing
acrobatics and poses on the pole, and mounting and dismounting in
di&erent, often embellished and elaborate $as. !",<#
/nother earl use of pole ftness $ould be the 0hinese Pole. This, li'e
malla'hamb, originated in the =2
th
centur. Performances $ere less >uid, but
man of the feats performed are still used toda. ?ne such e(ample is 7The
Flag8, performed b e(tending from the pole at a <3 degree angle using onl
the arms. !<#
The most direct histor of pole dancing dates bac' to the =<23*s,
$here circuses $ould utili@e poles for dancing. Aater this $ould become more
burles)ue dancing. In =<B", the frst record of modern burles)ue pole
dancing $as performed in an ?regon strip club. !<#
In the earl <3*s pole dancing started to be taught as an art form,
similar to other dancing and acrobatics, and used as a ftness method. In
=<<C, Fa$nia Dietrich started a school to teach the art and ftness method to
non-professional students. !<# It has since gro$n into a popular sport, both
recreational and competitive. There are currentl man competitions,
including a Dorld Pole -port 0hampionship and ,.-. Pole Federation
0hampionship. The IP-F 9International Pole -ports Federation: is currentl
campaigning to bring pole sports to the 23=B ?lmpics. !<#
Expected ene!ts:
/s pole dancing is an intense and rigorous e(ercise, there are also
man benefts. Due to the intensit, it burns calories ver )uic'l. This is
because one is constantl moving during the routine, and it uses nearl
ever sstem in the bod. This also ma'es it a great cardiovascular e(ercise.
The estimated calorie usage is about e)uivalent to doing aerobics. !B,"#
Pole dancing $ill also increase overall ftness and >e(ibilit. /gain, as
the e(ercise $or's out the entire bod, and is ver phsicall demanding, it
is a great $a to tone the bod and muscles $ithout focusing on building
muscle mass. Fle(ibilit naturall increases from the $armup e(ercises, in
addition to the feats performed during the routine.
The benefts to pole dancing are not onl phsical, it also helps mental
health and ftness. It is a great $a to reduce stress, as man $ho
practice this method note, as adrenaline can be released during the intense
$or'out. !B# Those $ho practice tpicall have a passion for this form of
e(ercise, and fnd it ver enEoable. The toneness and overall more ft bod,
in conEunction $ith the ne$ s'ills learned, can also improve self-confdence.
!B#
Elements of Fitness "e#uired$%rained:
/s pole dancing is an art form, it re)uires and trains man, if not all,
elements of ftness. ?ne of the biggest elements pole dancing trains is
strength. /s it re)uires a great deal of strength to lift oneself and hold
oneself in the acrobatic poses demanded, it is focused heavil on.
/nother ver important part of pole dancing is >e(ibilit. This plas a
big role in safel performing the feats that are commonplace in this form of
e(ercise. It is an essential part of ever routine*s $armup.
/nother direct trained target and indirect result of this ftness form is
improved bod composition. /s this is also a performance art, it encourages
students to pursue slee', lean, toned bodies. !"#
/gilit, speed, and balance are also all trained and improved through
this ftness method. /gilit is re)uired to accuratel and s$iftl change
direction of movement $hen s$itching from ground to pole to aerial
maneuvers. -peed is increased through the routine, as one improves other
elements. %alance is re)uired and honed due to the constant changing of
directions and even orientation to gravit.
0oordination and reaction time are also increased, especiall $hen the
routine is set to rhthm or music. / smooth, professional performance
re)uires proper timing and >uidl and deliberatel moving all bod parts
together.
0ardiovascular Fitness and +uscular Fndurance are also, depending on
the duration and intensit of the routine, toned. /s man of the performance-
level routines are e(tremel intense, and re)uire constant precise
movement, and $or's almost ever part of the bod, tpicall for e(tended
periods of time, this is e(tremel ta(ing on the cardiovascular sstem. !B# It
also re)uires and relies on muscles functioning steadil and properl, both
for proper form and safet of the performer.