Everything to Expect When Starting Pole

Founder of Inversions Pole Fitness, LLC Lisa Havens, saw the need for an alternative form of fitness in Charleston, SC where women could go and feel accepted regardless of their age, size and ability. So in 2011, Inversions Pole Fitness was born. Lisa is a Master Trainer with the Pole Fitness Alliance and trains and certifies women locally and all over the world. Check out her profile here! The Pole Fitness Alliance is active in the Pole Dance Community, the American Council on Exercise, and the Aerobics and Fitness Association of America. Since opening, Inversions has coached thousands of women in fitness, dance, and embracing their sensuality. Inversions has helped women recovering from breast cancer, divorce, physical and emotional abuse, eating disorders and many other conditions. We at Inversions are looking to give you the same experience! All of our instructors are certified through the Pole Fitness Alliance (PFA). They offer online and live certifications all throughout the U.S., Mexico, and New Zealand! The mission of PFA is to empower and inspire the world pole community, propelling pole fitness to take its rightful place in the mainstream fitness arena. They do this using a standardized curriculum online and in person, as well as structured progression and technique training! 

Benefits of Pole Fitness

Pole dancing is ever-growing as a form of fitness. It’s ability to quickly shed pounds, build muscle mass, and generally improve your mental and physical well-being makes for an intoxicatingly fun activity that is popular with people all over the world! Many polers note an astounding increase of self-confidence, sensuality, body awareness, and more! At Inversions, we pride ourselves in creating a strong, sexy sisterhood for all of our members. All ages, body types, skill levels, and skin tones are welcome at Inversions. We look forward to seeing you grow both in your pole journey, and in your self-improvement! Our classes burn an average of 300-500 calories per hour. At Inversions, we are extremely proud to empower and encourage women to be their best in all aspects of life, not just pole. Our studio has powerful business women, nutrition coaches, fitness trainers, moms and more, so there’s tons of support both in and out of pole dancing. 

Anyone can do pole fitness, it is just a matter of taking the first steps. It is normal to feel like you may not be sexy enough, you aren’t strong enough, you feel selfish for taking time out of your day to dance. These are just excuses. Everyone is sexy enough and you do not have to be strong to start! These are all things that you find within yourself once you begin. It is natural to dedicate time for yourself each day, it is important. It is a vulnerable feeling when you start something new, but after just a few classes you will feel lighter, sexier and more confident. Your body will transform, but so will your mind. Not only does pole fitness take determination but as you grow you stop hesitating, you stop comparing, you stop second guessing.

Inversions 101!

• Despite what many women believe, you do not have to be able to lift yourself up on a pole to start our intro series! The majority of our students have no core or upper body strength upon starting with us. Pole dancing is progressive and always evolving. At Inversions, we start from the very beginning and train you all the way through the advanced level. The strength comes naturally with practice. Pole is for women of all sizes and fitness levels! Every move has modifications to teach toward your individual ability, and all of our members are equally beautiful! 
• No dance experience required! Everything you need to know about floorwork, pole dance, low flow, freestyles, and more will be taught to you at Inversions! Don’t expect to master moves the first time around. Be positive and enjoy your journey as you practice! Everything you learn, you will see again. We build our classes off of what was learned the previous week. Intro especially is full of foundation moves and variations of that will be used in the majority of your pole career. 
• Pole dance is NOT just for young people! As stated earlier, pole is progressive and always evolving. Women of all ages come to Inversions every day and our small class sizes provide for a personalized instruction for all skill levels. This is YOUR journey, so focus less on comparing and competing with other members. Enjoy the INEVITABLE transformation in your body and skill level. This studio is all about uplifting other women! Lisa, our master trainer is 45 and has been doing pole since the age of 30!
• Leave the pro moves for the pros! All the fancy tricks you see your favorite dancers doing take time and immense strength. You may not see your favorite moves at first, but the stronger you get, the “cooler” the moves become! 
• Get plenty of rest! Pole is hard! Your body needs rest and recovery! Until you develop strength and toughness in your skin and muscles used in pole, you may bruise as well. 

Your first classes!

• Arrive early!
  • About 10 minutes early will allow you to complete all the legal paperwork and info for our studio. It will also ensure that you’re here on time for the warm up. After that first class, be sure to arrive on time, never late. If you miss the warm up, you may be turned away from class that day out of respect for your safety.
• Respect:
  • As a studio built on the values of a strong, sexy sisterhood, we don’t tolerate any laughing or negatively talking about other members. We’re here to build each other up! In another vein, in each class cell phones are prohibited unless the instructor prompts that it is time to record yourselves. When that happens, you are only allowed to film yourself due to confidentiality procedures in the studio. 
• What do I wear??? 
  • Simply, whatever makes you feel your sexiest! A tank top, sports bra, and most importantly, above the knee shorts! But more in depth, you want tight fitting clothing. You will also need skin contact to grip the pole, so the shorter the bottoms–the better! No lotions or perfumes on the skin to aid in gripping the pole, as well as taking off all jewelry. As you progress with Inversions, you may also want to invest in kneepads because the floorwork and dance transitions will destroy your knees. The shorts our members often wear! The kneepads are included in the link below, but can also be purchased separately. 
• Barefoot Bellas!
  • We do not allow any street shoes on the studio floor, so take them off at the door. You can wear socks to help your feet glide in floorwork. The new client starter kit is optional but does include everything you would need in your pole journey: Thigh high socks or shoe protectors, Dry Hands grip aid, knee pads, and your choice of Pleaser heels (prices ranging from $80-over $100, so this is a great deal). Heels discussed deeper below. 
  • In the 3rd week of Intro, our students are introduced to heels in pole dance. Heels are a notable part of pole dance. The loud clack of that toe box commands your audience to attention and sends shivers down your OWN spine, the confidence in your dancing after that is unreal. Heels in pole dance elongate the look of your legs, improve posture, add flair to the routine, increase velocity and the design of the toe box actually provide exponential support to your body and helping you distribute your weight evenly in your dancing. 
• Miscellaneous
  • Remember to bring a hand towel, a yoga mat for warmups, a bottle of water for during class, and a badass/positive attitude! Never compare yourself to others. Everyone is at their own pace, and no matter what, you’re beautiful!
  • Be present! Pole dancing is one hour a day of “me time”. Forget your stresses and worries in your life and just enjoy dancing with some wonderful ladies. Regardless of your reasoning for joining our studio, we’re ultimately here for self-love, fun, and relaxation! 
  • We’ve touched on it a few times already, but don’t take yourself so seriously! We all fall, we all have those moves that we either cannot land, or it takes us forever to do so. We all have off days, a weak side of the body, and we all bail on a move from time to time! It’s normal, sometimes it’s funny. Just pick up, dust yourself off, and keep having fun! 
  • While we don’t want you to be too hard on yourself, definitely take your instructor seriously. Know your body’s limitations. Listen to the instructor when they explain how to do moves, and don’t be offended by suggestions on improvement! Our instructors have been training for a long time to keep you safe and prevent injuries in the studio. Don’t be afraid to ask for help if you need it. If something isn’t working, ask for advice or deeper explanations. Sometimes it just takes a slight adjustment of your arm or leg, or engaging a different group of muscles to nail the move. 

• Aftercare
  • You just burned a ton of calories in a short amount of time. If you aren’t feeling tired yet, you will as you progress! After pole class, eat a hearty meal. Protein will help build those muscles and prevent the loss of lean mass, in addition to recovering stressed muscles as well. 
  • Take a bath! Epsom salts will help relax your body after the workout and ease any pain from more difficult moves as you further your pole journey. 
  • For bruises, first ensure that your diet is consisting of enough iron and vitamins! Nutrition is the most important thing to your body with your workout, and you’ll need it! Secondly, arnica gel can be purchased from any pharmacy or superstore. Apply to the bruised area right after class to help diminish the appearance of bruises. 

Pole dancing is FUN. It’s fitness, it’s dance, it’s confidence building, friendship-making, and so much more. Enjoy a class with Inversions today! Check out one of our upcoming Intro to Pole Series for more information on how you can get started on your pole journey.