These days, people can’t strike a conversation about pole dancing in the UK without naming ‘Jess Leanne Norris‘ straight from the off, whether you are in the industry, a newbie learner, or even just Joe public.

Why???

Well, she is this year’s Miss Pole Dance UK, a phenominal pole artist, has had an extensive amount of media coverage in the last year, set up two pole studios after just 3 years of pole dance experience under her belt …. yeah yeah yeah …. this is all very impressive but did I mention that Jess is JUST 18 years old?!

Truly Jess is an exceptional pole dancer but she’s not only that, she achieved an extrordinary accomplishments in such a short space of time for someone of her young years.

To meet, Jess is a typical but sweet hometown girl from Bolton in Lancashire, but DON’T BE FOOLED, Jess is as strong and determined as any I have ever met, she is NOT just a sweet little hometown girl – she is an ambitious athlete, an inspiration to young women all over Britain, and she’s here to take over the World!

I met her recently after attending a masterclass with her at the Lovespin studio.  She found some time at the end of the class to talk to me…

Candy & Chrome’s Interview with JLN

Tiny:  Hi Jess. So … You know what my first question always is right? But for once I don’t need to even ask because your age is very well documented already.   So, at just 18 years old, you won the Miss Pole Dance UK competition,  what sort of impact do you think this has had on the UK pole industry?

JLN: I think, just because I am so young to be in pole, it has had an impact on a new generation of younger pole dancers, and being an influence to getting kids into pole – from a fitness perspective. So because I started at such a young age myself, I was only 14 when I started pole fitness I think this will encourage others of similar age to try pole fitness too.

Tiny: How have people in pole treated you? Do you think you are treated differently because of your young years?

JLN: There’s been a bit of a mix of reactions, there have been some jealous folk and some people have not really been too encouraging by not saying much, but I have also had a lot of support as well but I think overall more people have tried to help me coz ‘she’s only young’, which has been really nice.

Tiny: So, back to the beginning, you are ballet, tap, street and modern dance trained since childhood yes? Do you think this has given you an advantage when learning pole dance?

JLN: It’s helped me a lot with posture, pointing my toes, getting the extensions and the clean lines in my moves.

Tiny: So doing this throughout childhood, did you gain any qualifications to teach dance?

JLN: No, I did ballet up to 9 years old, so I got through little gradings, but no formal qualifications.

Tiny: Oh right well I don’t really know anything about ballet – did you get to some sort of graded standard as a student? Something like that?

JLN: No, just basics.

Tiny: I can read that you bought your first X-Pole in 2008 – what prompted that?

JLN: Well, me and my Mum were looking together for a new hobby, yunno just something fun and active so that we could spend time together and we saw a Felix Cane video from her Miss Pole Dance Australia 2006 winning routine and I was just wowed!
So my Mum said right then, we had better just get a pole and give it a go then! So we got one and started messing about for the first few months but then we started to learn over the internet.

Tiny: Your claims are that you are completely self taught – How on earth have you managed to reach the standard you are at without professional tuition?

JLN: I am self taught yes and erm…. I kept it fun really, I enjoy it so much and that keeps me going, as much as I could to get my strength up. And determination! Within 8 months I started teaching. Teaching students meant that I had to keep myself a level above them, so that kept my progression going.
And then my aim was to be Miss UK, so I had to work hard for that.

Tiny: Would you recommend this to others new to pole? Or is your opinion different now that you teach?

JLN:  Well … I think it is perfectly fine, I can’t say that it isn’t because that’s how I learned myself so I now can’t say ‘You must go to classes’ because I didn’t, so you CAN do it on your on but you have got to be so careful, plus I never did it by myself I always had either my Mum or Dad there to spot me, so I definitely wouldn’t suggest doing it on your own – with the harder stuff you should have someone with you.

Tiny: Do you EVER suffer from plateau? If so, how do you beat it?

JLN: No. Once you learn a new move it does hurt that area of skin but you kinda get used to it.

Tiny: How have you been able to progress so quickly – what’s the secret?

JLN: Yeah I have been doing it 3 and a half years now, it has been quick …. Erm, just doing it all the time, a lot of people who start classes just doing the once a week, but I was on it all the time.
I also do Thai boxing, so that helped me keep my energy levels and strength up as well as my definition.

Tiny: Who inspires you in pole?

JLN: Felix Cane from day 1, but now a lot of the time I look up to Dominic Lacasse, strength wise I want to be able to do what he is doing now, I watch him a lot.

Tiny: Plus, he’s hot!
So what was your original training regime like back in the day? And now?

JLN: Every night. I did it to spend time with my Mum, and my brothers too – every now and then they will have a play on it (Jess has two younger brothers), so as soon as I came home from school I’d whip the pole gear on and get straight to it until I had to go to bed every night.

And as for now, I teach every day and I’d say I train myself three or four times a week, could be for a couple of hours each time I train.

Tiny: How many classes a week do you personally teach?

JLN: Erm …. (Jess thinks hard!) Could be about 14 classes a week I think, with private 121’s and groups etc between the two studios. So that’s evenings, weekends, whatever I love teaching and training – it’s all fun!

Tiny: I see you are very pro-actively promoting pole FITNESS, what is your background in fitness?

JLN: Just pole and Thai boxing, that’s what my life revolves around now. I have been doing the Thai boxing a year and a half now so I have been doing that a long time too.

Tiny: Ok, so are you thinking about studying for your ETM sometime soon maybe? Or something else like that?

JLN: No. But I do have an instructor training qualification launching in the new year for instructors. No official date set yet.

Tiny: Where do you think your strengths lie? Teaching, performing, running your business, or other?

JLN: I do a lot of both teaching and performing every week. Hmmm… I love teaching I do, seeing people achieve new moves reminds me of how I feel when I get a new move, which puts a smile on my face every day.

Tiny: What are your weaknesses?

JLN: My nerves. Confidence needs to go on the up I think but I guess everyone gets nervous and it keeps the adrenalin going so it’s probably good anyway but the sweaty hands I could do without.

Tiny: I can also see maturity in your business acumen too – you seem to be making smart business choices for someone of your years which is so good to see …are you managed or do you have a business mentor? Or is it all you?

JLN: Well, we kinda work as a team back at home. My Dad does the store and my Mum does a lot of stuff behind the scenes, it is like a family business.

Tiny: What have been the effects of your recent media coverage regarding teaching youngsters? The good, the bad, AND the ugly!

JLN: Hmmm yeah we had a lot of negative feedback about that when it went into the papers but we recently had an article in a magazine that was really good and positive, we got picture of the kids in the magazine too, so that’s been good and it’s getting more positive and I have had plenty of emails and texts from people who have read it.
So it’s going in the right direction now but yeah at first the papers liked to say ‘kids pole dancing’ a lot, it’s not dancing, it’s fitness so they weren’t telling the truth.

Tiny: Tell us about UK Pole Artistes championships – will it be back again? Was it a success? What will be different next time?

JLN: It is going to be back, bigger and better. This year was such a success for it’s first year running, I didn’t expect the amount of people who wanted to join in, it just all went fantastic, and every single routine performed they put their all into it.

Next year we will do video entries as well.

Tiny: What are you big plans for the future?

JLN: My next aim is to get the Miss World title, do some international competitions, getting plenty more JLN’s across the country hopefully, we have already got the instructor training course coming up.

Tiny: Well, I have no doubt that you will have the Miss World title before you’re through but the question is …. when!? When do you think you will win it at a guess? In a few years? Or do you think you could be ready sooner?

JLN: I don’t know, I’ve got plenty of years to try but I do WANT it for next year! I am really focussed, that IS my aim really – this year I wanted Miss UK which was amazing to achieve but than I also did an American competition in between that and the Worlds which is why I think I didn’t do so well – I think I put too much pressure on myself.
Miss UK was my main focus this year so now it’s the Worlds and I will put my all into it.

 Zoraya Judd – what can I say about her?  She just takes my breath away!  I think Sally Ann said it best when she welcomed us all to the Zoraya masterclass …

Sally Ann:

Well …. says it all really doesn’t it?

Zoraya Judd is an extraordinary and rare woman, she is uniquely talented in pole, with her main attributes being absolutely breathtakingly smooth and graceful gravity defiant deadlifts!  She is head of her tribe of men (Zoraya has two beautiful sons), a spiritual goddess and maker of fine feathered thingiebobs too.

Zoraya was merely a pole student going through instructor training when she was entered by her teacher into a major pole competition WHICH SHE WON after only minimal pole experience under her belt, and shortly after the birth of her second son, with THIS gobstopping performance:

I wanted to find out more about Zoraya, her background, her mindset, her training regimen and what drives her.  Ladies (and gents), here is everything you ever wanted to know about Zoraya …

Candy & Chrome’s interview with Zoraya Judd

Tiny: Hi Zoraya.
First things first, we NEED to know your age. We just do.

Z: 30

Tiny: Thank you. To start off with, can you tell us a bit about your background? You are from Latin origins? Tell us about that and if you think it may have contributed to pole?

Z: My mother is from Argentina. She was raise in a small village in Tanti in the mountains. She had a very humble upbringing and lost many of her siblings due to being in the guerrilla groups. She had 13 siblings and her mother was the witch doctor of the tribe. She is of Mayan decent and is a very hard working and determined woman.

My Father was born and raised in Sweden. He was the polar opposite. He had step siblings, but not many, and was raised in a high class society with everything that brought. He later immigrated to the US nag met my mother in college. They both have multiple degrees.

I have 4 crazy sisters and 1 brother. I have always loved the social scene in life. My Latin family is all very open and loving. I think this has molded me into who I am. I love people. I always take the side of the under dog, no matter who it is. I love latin dancing, but am not formally trained. Everything we did growing up was natural and fun, not forced. I love my background. I love hugging people. I will never forget where I have come from.

Tiny: I heard also that you are of the mormon religion? Famously centred in Utah – please educate us. What sort of impact does pole have on your religious beliefs?

Z: Yes. My parents are both converts the the LDS church and I was brought up in it. I loved it. I didn’t know a lot about it, and like any teenager I rebelled against my parents. When I started dating Nic I was always impressed at how he could answer people questions about our beliefs and never be confrontational. The early settlers of Utah were all LDS aka Mormon. They left their homes back east in Missouri and Illinois to escape mass persecution. It was horrific for them. Now Utah is known for all the Mormons that live there. 40% of the population in Utah is actually Mormon. Pole has NO impact on my beliefs. They are my beliefs, my morals. I love my religion and believe it with all my heart. It grounds me and brings me a lot of peace in the crazy times life brings.

Tiny: Do you think your mormon upbringing has made you somewhat rebellious? Or helped you become disciplined and able to apply that to training diet etc?

Z: I think my religious background simply makes me view the world a little differently than most. I believe my family will be together forever. And I believe that we will all be held accountable for our actions, good and bad. These things simply ground me. They help me maintain balance in my life. I think it has helped me morally and physically. I have been taught these things from an early age and I am in turn doing my best to give my children that foundation of hope and faith.

Tiny: What happened in 2004 – I read that there was an incident which had a serious effect on you and was a turning point in your life. Can you tell us about that, and how it changed you.

Z: Well…. A LOT happened to me in 2004. Nic proposed to me… We got our first puppy together, and our second, third and first snake.

But I think you are referring to my accident. I was at a work meeting one evening in San Francisco. At the time I lived about 45 minutes South in San Jose. The meeting ran late and on my way home I fell asleep at the wheel. I was going about 80 MPH and went off the freeway, rolled my brand new 2004 350 Z 2 times before a tree stopped me upside down. I don’t remember any of that.  I woke up from the smell of the air bag. Its a real heavy, gun powdery smell. I thought the car was on fire. I was upside down and couldn’t open the doors. So I kicked through the wind shield and pulled the glass open large enough to get out.

I ran up the hillside that I rolled down and tried to flag someone down. No one stopped. So I ran back down to find my cell phone. I couldn’t find anything ANYWHERE. When I looked back up to the freeway I saw a California Highway Patrolman pulling up and I don’t remember much else. Nic got a call from the dispatch for CHP and she told him (2 hours after he had expected me) that I had been in a horrible accident, but not to worry because I WAS BREATHING!!! She then told him to not speed on the way to the hospital to see me. Im sure he was obedient to that…lol. He waited in the waiting room without any information for 3 more hours. The Dr.s and policemen were trying to figure out what happened and how I survived the accident without any injury. They put a neck brace on me as a precaution and I had blood all over my shirt from pulling the glass open with my hands. Other than that I only had a gnarly bruise from the Seat belt.

This experience showed me how fragile life really is and to treasure the relationships we have. To live life with intention and without regret. To work hard and be kind to everyone. I have had many friends pass away unexpectedly, and this is always hard. But I am happy to know that I have always been kind and I believe I will see them again.

Tiny: How did you become to be involved in pole? Where did you learn?

Z: In 2007 we moved to Utah and a few weeks later I gave birth to our second son. I had lost a lot of muscle cause I had been pregnant for 2 years. I went to Nic and we spoke about goals for my body. He put together a plan for me to put the muscle back on. This was difficult because it didn’t happen as fast as I would have liked. The scale weight hardly moved, but my body was changing.

When my baby was almost a year old, in the beginning of 2008, a gym regular that I often spoke with invited me to a “functional fitness class” that he thought I would enjoy. Without knowing what it was I accepted and went. When I walked into the studio I saw all the poles. I giggled, but was very excited. It was a “Core Pole” class FULL of men. The instructor was the only other woman. She was yoked. I instantly fell in love with her, her style of pole, and this new class I had found.

I went to this class once a week for 4 months until they added another class to the schedule. Nic came with me a few times and changed my gym program so that I would be stronger for the pole. 2 Months after the class was twice a week my mentor and instructor moved on from the studio. She asked me to take her place as the instructor of the most difficult class Studio Soiree offered. I accepted, sad to see her go.

I taught for a few months and was surprised by my studios owner. She had entered me into Utah’s first ever pole competition. I had only taught the class for fun, for fitness. I had 2 weeks to prepare myself for this competition. I had never done combos, never performed in front of anyone in anything, and never been in a competition. I trained so hard that I lost all the skin on the back of my knee. I had to wear these huge black boots to cover my open wounds. It still hurt like hell. When I won the competition I was HOOKED! The adrenaline of the performance and the thrill off the win was amazing. I had a new passion for pole and sought out the stars of the industry to train me and help me grow.

Pole renewed my passion for fitness.

Tiny: You won Pole Fetish in 2009 (see above video) – how did your pole training change after that?

Z: I pushed to better myself as a performer. I hired a contortionist for flexibility and a professional dancer to help me with lines. I began to take pole seriously and trained personally on the pole from that point on.

Tiny: What is your diet like? Do you have different diets for training and comps? Please tell us.

Z: There are no secrets. We all know what is good for us and what isn’t. Most of us just simply choose the moment and indulge. I eat the best of my options as often as possible. Once a week I give myself a cheat meal. Not a cheat day. Ill have a small piece of cake, not the entire thing. Nic cooks for me and does most of my diet. The nice thing is that he really knows what he is doing and most of the time will diet with me so that I am not tempted to eat things that would negate my intentions.

Tiny: What motivates you to train the way you do? With everything you have in your life, children, household to run, gigs, touring etc…. How do you get off your arse and train?! Surely you don’t always feel like it?

Z: Your answer lies in your question. I am driven by those I love. My husband and children push me to be my best. I want to give them everything in life. If im going to be away from my children and husband then I better work my butt off OR just go spend that time with them. The gigs, comps and touring all fuel my fire to better myself and constantly evolve. I love to train. Sometimes I don’t feel like doing it, BUT I do it anyway.

Tiny: What is the re-set detox and how does it benefit you?

Z: The Reset is a high fiber detox that helps me kick start my hard dieting. It is the easiest thing I have found to help me detox safely and easily.

Tiny: You are a striking looking lady with an exotic style, where do you get your artistic body image ideas from? Hair, costume, body paints, your wild woman look!

Z: I’m inspired by everything around me. I’ve always loved the exotic, wild look and I try to portray that. Zen Arts is a massive inspiration to me and many of the artists involved. Brion Topolski, Adam Tenenbaum, Susie Culini, Heather Morales just to name a few. I love them dearly and am honored to share a stage with them. I love their work and it inspires me to constantly push.

Tiny: Let’s talk hair…. what is it’s natural length? And is it naturally wavy and wild?

Z: This is my natural length. I have a natural wave and I do have extensions to add thickness. I have a big head of hair, but I think bigger IS better.

Tiny: Some of the gilt bodypaint we see on you is soooo shiny – is it gold leaf?!

Z: No gold leaf…not yet. A lot of it comes from Adam Tenenbaum (Overlay) and his box of magic. He is AMAZING and truly the worlds best at what he does.

Tiny: Tell us about your role at Zen Arts

Z: I am their first pole dancer. I am also training with them to do more aerial stuff. You may see this very soon.

Tiny: Your style is certainly very graceful and exotic without being oversexed, what tips can you share with our girls to help them think about they way they move and achieve a feminine, delicate look to what they do?

Z: When I started pole dancing I was told that I needed to put shoes on and do more floor work. But this isn’t what I loved about pole. I think the girls that do their thing on the floor are amazing. It is their style. They should stay true to that. but, for me, I was drawn to the strength and grace I saw men like Dominic Lacasse possess. This is what I emulated. My tip for women in pole is to BE YOU! Don’t try to be someone else. It’s fine to look up to people, but stay true to you. Felix Cane was one of my early mentors and idols. I took many privates from her, having driven hundreds of miles to take from her. Many people find this hard to believe because she and I are night and day. But this is why I LOVE training with her. Its so fun bouncing ideas off of each other and pushing each other in our own styles.

Tiny: You’re also known for your supreme ability to control your bodyweight against gravity – are there any secrets you can share with us about how to lift slowly as you do and hold statuesque poses?

Z: Its all a balance game. Find your balance. I also teach 1 on 1′s.

Tiny: What is the next step for Zoraya Judd? The Worlds? More children?

Z: Stay tuned. Im just getting started.

I was super excited about doing this interview as it’s a rare kind (absolutely nothing to do with Nic being an outrageously hunky hottie!). Usually I just interview the superstar but the Judds are unique because they are very much a team.

Zoraya is the talent for sure, and my pole idol, but there’s a saying that ‘behind every great man is a strong woman’ right? well, this interview is also unique because this time I get to hear from the other side of the coin, in this case ‘behind the great woman is her strong man’.

I wanted to interview Nic because he too has made his mark in pole as being something of a super hero himself. So I wanted to find out how he has managed to dodge becoming a ‘pole widow husband’ and helped his talented wife succeed, how he maintains support and where we can get ten more like him!

All about Nic …

Tiny: Hey Nic. First of all, tell us a bit about your background, where did you grow up, what sort of lifestyle did you have as a kid?

Nic: I grew up in San Jose California. I had chronic Bronchitis, pneumonia and was asthmatic. Because of this my mother took me to swimming lessons at 18 months. I began competing when I was 4 and still have records in my home town. I swam at fundraiser events and alsongside Olympian heros.

I moved to Utah when I was about 13. Utah sits at 4500 feet above sea level making it difficult for me to swim. So I took up hockey. I skated all the way through a Junior National level and had a blast at it.

Tiny: So you were always interested in sports and fitness then huh?

Nic: Absolutely. These things were VERY important to me growing up. I love to do anything active.

Tiny: What are your top tips for guys who want to get into shape!

Nic: Eat well. Sleep well. STAY CONSISTENT.

Tiny: It’s relatively clear that strength training is an area you seem to know something about, we would be very interested to know what advice you could share for strength and core training for WOMEN…who pole.

Nic: Going to the gym is great. However, I see people wondering aimlessly around, or copying others.  The most important thing is to do something that’s functional for YOU.  Sure, something is better than nothing. But, womens bodies are designed very different from a man. For example, women will still build muscle at 15 rep sets, where a man would NOT.  Women must keep in mind what their goals are and to perform exercises that will help them in REALITY, not theory.

Tiny: I see that you studied medicine – brains and brawn!  What did you want to be when you grew up?

Nic: My ultimate goal is to go into Naturopathic Medicine. Or to become a D.O. It is a MAJOR passion of mine, and something I have always been not only drawn too, but have had a gift for. But, this wasn’t a childhood goal. This came from a lot of reflection, pondering and focus on specific things and times in my life.

  Tiny: So you now own a gym (Atlas) AND work as a nutritional supplement consultant too? Tell us a bit about both.

 Nic: ALTAS FITNESS is a company I started when we moved to Utah. Going to the gym I saw how  people had no idea what they were doing, even a majority of the trainers. I started this company as a means to educate and empower people. I wanted them to understand their bodies and how to use the gym as a tool to better their everyday lives – without needing to depend on the  trainer too busy texting or checking out the gyms meat market!

As far as supplements go, I have found some that work for me and have also done amazing things for others.  I became involved with a company because I saw their integrity in quality products. Because of my background I know that we can NOT get all our essential vitamins and minerals from our food alone.

But my philosophy on diet and exercise spawns from the bible. I guess *chuckle. I would rather teach a man to fish and benefit him for the rest of his existence, than to merely feed him for the moment, thus giving in to his natural desire to have something now.

Tiny: Does Zoraya help you run Atlas? How does pole fit in?

Nic: Zoraya teaches under the same philosophy of training that we have a ATLAS. We give education and understanding. If a student or client is not learning, then it is our responsibility to change our teaching methods so they do. Zoraya and I have a traditional marriage. We do everything together. We fight, and work it out. Bottom line, we are friends first and this is the foundation of our marriage.

Tiny: You and Zoraya have been sweethearts since high school yes? Did you always know this was the girl you would marry?

Nic: Actually… Zoraya and I had a ceramics class together in high school. She and I were both very shy. We always sat at the back of the class, there were no seating assignments, so you  could literally sit anywhere you wanted. But, even then, we always chose to sit right by each other. There was something so fascinating about her. I was so intrigued by her, though, we never spoke. We were content with merely be close and working by each other.

When a friend of mine came to the school he and Zoraya started dateing. He was the kinda guy that would always go for the girl I was interested in. They dated for about 2 years. So meanwhile I went to New Zealand and worked as a missionary for my church. Seriously. I WAS A MINISTER. Lol. When I came home (my family had moved to California at this point) I made a trip to Utah and ran into Z. She wanted me to come with her to a family function and called me about 17 times to get me to go. To this day her family doesn’t believe me. She is the girl that called boys.

Six months later, at Christmas, I ran into Zoraya again and this time sparks flew. We spent 10 days together. Every waking moment. Two weekends after this Zoraya surprised me by driving out for the weekend. Every other weekend she would either drive or I would fly her out to me. A few months later she moved out to California. And its all pretty much history from then.

Z and Nic gittin' hitched ... awwwwwww....

Tiny: So as pole’s ‘Brad and Angelina’ what is it like being a husband and wife team?

Nic: Other than our children, it is the biggest blessing we have. Pole is something that Zoraya was instantly passionate about. Because Zoraya is one my major passions in life, this works well. I get to be bodyguard, manager and husband. Now with Zen Arts we are also performing together. Nothing like travelling the world doing something you love at the side of your best friend.

Tiny: Do you train together?

Nic: Depending on where Zoraya is in her competions, yes and no. Remember? Its all about using the gym as a tool to make you better for your life outside the gym. But, 98% of the time we are at the gym together. This is nice fuel. Knowing she is watching.

Tiny: Do you practise pole and perform yourself?

Nic: Not like you ladies do. I like the hard things. Flags, handsprings and flexibility. As far as performing, I like to be a prop in Zoraya’s routines. I don’t need the spotlight, but I would do anything to add to hers.

Tiny: Being quietly in the forefront of a female dominated sport as special as pole, what do you make of it all? What are your thoughts? A man’s point of view…

Nic: I think it is an incredible sport for women. It is amazing what it does for an individual woman, and what it has done for so many. In exercise women need a distraction (something a friend helped me see). Doing tough work outs can be unenjoyable. But, the thrill of conquering a new move, hold or transition is a gorgeous distraction for a woman to keep pushing their bodies to new limits, not even realizing the massive workout they are getting.

The only problem I see in the industry in the jealousy. I don’t like to see public drama or hear about girls talking poorly on one another. The only thing this does is shows something ugly in that individual. I wish there were more women who would help lift those around them without a fear of someone being better. Every woman on a pole brings something different. You are all gorgeous! I wish everyone could focus more on the positives and unite in the amazingness of the sport.

Tiny: What do you have to say to the pole curious, macho non-gay men who are on the edge of trying it?

Nic: Stop being a pussy! I don’t know if men will think you’re are automatically gay for trying pole or what. But, this is one of the hardest things I have ever done. Besides, you think hetero men in our industry are having a hard time finding women? LOL.

Tiny: You and Zoraya have two boys as well? And snakes? How do you juggle family life? Do the boys get involved in health and fitness with you?

Nic: The boys are very much involved with our life. It is hard to leave them when we go on trips for work or competitions. But, when we are home life is ALL about them. They are THE most important thing in our lives. Having a family is a huge blessing. It keeps us extremely grounded. We love our pets and babies. We wouldn’t have it any other way.

Tiny: Will we see more from you in the future in pole? Leading a men’s only pole championships, or a he-pole dvd?

Nic: I have no intention on competing. But keep an eye out. We have some fun stuff in the works.

Tiny: Your online presence in pole shows you as a supportive rock to your talented wife and … her biggest fan! It’s a pleasure to see. What tips can you give the boyfriends of the UK (and worldwide) on how to become the ultimate HE-MAN husband Hero type?!

Nic: Love your partner. Simple as that. I got an email from a friend who was having a hard time with his partner becoming a star in pole. He asked me how I coped with my wife being a sex symbol and out there for every man to see. I first responded by saying, “My wife is a sex symbol?” LOL. I went on to tell him that no matter what the gig was my wife always came home to ME. Other men out there are nothing but the audience, and I don’t mean to be rude or condescending by saying that. I trust my wife completely and know she loves me as much as I love her. Show her you love her by supporting her. Go to gigs. Help her train (if you can). Train with her! If she is dieting, then SO ARE YOU!  Be as dedicated as she is. Let every action you take and every choice you make reflect your feeling about her.

Tiny: One last thing ….. How old are you?

Nic: What year is it? LOL. I’m 31.

Okay… it’s not really a Pole Dance Magazine per say, more like a collection of pole dance relative, magazine quality articles I have written – just because I’m such a big pole dweeb!  (and I’m not afraid to admit it I tells ya!).

I don’t claim to be a great writer – I probably can’t write for toffee actually.  But I really enjoy combining the experience in special interest media, with the one thing I am most passionate about, MY specialist subject, MY area of expertise and niche interest – POLE DANCING!

I thrive on information as inspiration – I like to see what’s out there and what’s possible, interview people, share stories, write about my findings.  It’s what keeps me motivated and drives me to want to always better myself.

Also, as a newbie poller – I found information about certain topics VERY limited on the net, so I have a lot of pole dance articles on here that maybe new poller’s might find helpful also, a kind of ‘basic guide to pole’ even.

So, this section – might not be a pole dance mag, it might even be badly written, I’ll let you decide…it’s just a little something I have put together to share with all the other pole dweebs, or newbies out there that might find it useful or interesting.   Check out the ‘Catalogue of Articles’ section below for a full list of content.

Click on the title to view the article…..

• Why Learn to Pole Dance?
• Pole Lessons – How much should you pay?
• Choosing a Pole School
• Warming-Up for Pole Dancing
• Basic Warm-Up Stretches for Pole Dance Exercise
• Cooling-Down after Pole Dancing
• Basic Strength Training & Maintenance Exercises for Pole Dance
• Basic Strength Training & Maintenance Exercises for Pole Dance…cont…
• Flexibility Training for Pole Dance Exercise
• Flexibility Training for Pole Dance Exercise…cont…
• Splits Training Exercises – Felix Cane style!
• Pole Dance Grading – Your Pole Passport!
• ‘HOW TO’ Assemble and take car of your new X-Pole Sport & X-Pert
• ‘HOW TO’ take care of your X-Pole
• Grip Aids – tried & tested
• Sweaty Hands – Non-slip tricks
• Pole Dance Competitions 2010
• Polesque – An article by ‘Mr Burlesque’
• Weights Training for Pole Dance
• Pregnancy & Pole Dance Diary
• Review of ‘The All Wales Pole Championships’

Every year, new students come to Candy & Chrome to learn how to pole dance.  But why?  Why do it?  What’s in it for YOU?

There are MANY reasons why people come to our classes, but one of the biggest is because of it’s fitness benefits…..



The Fitness Benefits of Pole Dance Exercise…

Pole dancing has time and again been proved to improve:

*Cardiovascular fitness
*Assisting weight loss
*Strength & muscle development
*Flexibility
*Posture/Poise/Grace
*Balance
*Co-ordination


Pole dancing is NOT just a sport, it is outrageously good fun! It gives you something to be focused on, and get passionate about.

It’s also a fabulous accompaniment to any other fitness regime you currently have.  Most of our students who have completed even just a basic pole dance course come back feeling motivated, supported and encouraged to revive their gym or fitness regimes, which would otherwise still be festering ont the ‘to do’ list!  YOU WILL WANT to spend more time in the gym, making use of that wasted membership in order to loose that little bit of niggling weight, or improve your stamina - so that you can nail new tricks in class and build a whole repetoire of pole dance skills!

You might be very surprised at what YOU can achieve through pole dance – it’s not just about shimmying around a pole anymore!



Calories burnt whilst pole dancing…

Well this is a debatable topic in such early years of research, but it is DEFINATELY safe to say that pole dancing as a form of exercise kicks ass! Here is what we have found so far…..



Average calories burned per hour of dance:

POLE 290 calories per hour THE WINNER! (sourced from Boots.com)
Disco 261 calories per hour
Salsa 261 calories per hour
General 261 calories per hour
Ballroom 203 calories per hour
Irish step 255 calories per hour

We found this information to be a bit old though, also… it doesn’t really shed any light on what intensity level of pole dancing it is based on, for example – one hour of shimmying around a pole at a basic level of ability might burn 100-250 calories per hour, but if you were spending the hour training at a more advanced level, with higher intensity content and much more difficult moves – placing more demand on the muscles, surely that would burn even MORE calories?!

So we had a poke arount the net again and found some more results…..

Calories burned per hour of pole dance 2:

400 According to Wiki Answers.
350 According to Polesations Yahoo group
250 According to Millymin.com
250 According to weightlossresources.com




Amazed by these figures, we decided to dig a bit deeper to try and find someone who has been able to measure it more accurately. Sadly, we only found this one post on the forum of about.com.  It is a pretty interesting find though…

“Well I scoured the web and there are a few sites that have calculated the burn of pole dancing they seem to consistently agree on anything from 400 – 600 per hour depending on how many lifts you are doing – (200 if you are just dancing around the pole no lifts/spins).

Having borrowed my friends HRM, I also found a website that lets you input for age, weight, average HRM and time and calculates the number of calories burned – (I’m not sure how accurate if it but it’s better than nothing and it seems to give me roughly the same results as the gym machines that allow details to be entered).

In a hours practice last night I burned 533 calories … anyway it lets me know I have seriosuly been under calculating my burn which is what I really wanted to know…”





Other Benefits of pole dancing lessons…

Like we said earlier, there are MANY reasons why people come to Candy & Chrome for pole dancing lessons, and the fitness benefits was just one of them.  Other good reasons include:

*Having a laugh!
*Confidence – For your body & you!
*Better self esteem
*A new hobby
*Making new friends
*Enjoying the progression, week by week
*Having a regular, weekly social activity
*Having something different to talk about!
*The support network you ONLY get with pole
*Feeling inspired
*Learning a new skill
*Embracing new sides of your personality
*Enjoying the ability to surprise oneself each lesson
*Being motivated – it rubs off in other areas of life too
*Enjoying a challenge
*Having a stronger body & stronger mind
*Feeling sexier – little by little
*Having something fun to look forward to every week

When weighing up what exercise to do, plenty of ladies choose pole dancing, yes it’s great, we all know the fitness benefits of pole dancing and have heard about how fun the classes are, some will have even tried it before on an open day or taster session.  But one thing that may stop people from booking lessons is the expense.  I know, I was a student once myself!  And I would be lying if I said that the price of lessons didn’t bother me a bit.

At the time, I saw the cost of my lessons, and the number of girls in the room and thought ‘Jeez….she must be RAKING it in!’ but this just isn’t the case!  Take a look at your instructor…does she drive a flash car?  Lives in a mansion?  Has a wardrobe full of designers?  No? Seems pretty normal?  Does she live a rockstar lifestyle?  I wish.  Wouldn’t we all love that?  But the reality is, pole doesn’t generate that kind of cash!

It’s only natural to want to swing to the company who charge the least for lessons, this is true with most purchases, but before you decide that lessons are too expensive for what they are, consider the costs that you cannot calculate, and what you get for your money…

Compared to other fitness classes…

First of all, POLE CLASS IS NOTHING LIKE AN AEROBICS CLASS.

Pole dancing is nothing like any other fitness class, it is an AERIAL ART – like what circus people spend years dedicating their life to learn!  and you are paying for instruction to learn a skill, not a game of follow the leader like in other classes, pole is a lot more demanding than that.

When I was just a learner, I thought ‘why would I pay big money for pole lessons when aerobics and other fitness classes are usually between £3 and £5?’.  Easy…. in an aerobics class (and other fitness classes, I am just picking on aerobics), you are only working with your own body, no special apperatus, and you can fit over 30 bodies in a room.

Now….If you are teaching pole…can you imagine how utterly unsafe it would be to have over 30 students in a room?  all learning to go upside down?  to one instructor?!  It would be absolute madness!  SO… most pole classes have to be kept small, this is for YOUR SAFETY!

Consider what you get as a student for this though, more personal time with your instructor – you will be treated as individuals, within a small group, we will know each of your names, how much you drank at the weekend and whether you prefer coffee or tea by the end of your classes – you will never be called ‘YOU AT THE BACK THERE…YES YOU’.

Also, as mentioned before – think of it as a new skill that you are learning too, pole dancing is an art form in it’s own right and is considered an aerial art, it’s not shimmying and twirling around a stick, it’s much much more, and you will pick it up ever quicker then your teachers before you did (well, you should!) as you have their experience and skills to gain from…but I will talk more on that in a bit.

Pole dancing is amazing for exercise….when you go to a pilates you can build up your flexibility and control, when you weight lift in a gym you are obviously building your strength, when you swim or do zumba or aerobics, you will improve your cardiovascular fitness which assists weightloss and stamina.  BUT WHEN YOU POLE….. You tackle all of these in one.   Meaning really, you could save your money and ditch most of them to just do pole and achieve similar effects.  Although combining pole with other fitness is also ideal, pole is versitile!

Venue…

Thinking about WHERE you learn now….in the past, when I learned – most lessons were conducted in seedy bars or old men’s pubs.  Girls would have to walk through the pub with bunches of old regular blokes eyeballing them so they could get to the function room for their class.  This is not to say that the class wasn’t brilliant, but that the venue was…undesirable.  Another place I went for lessons was in a basement bar and I managed to wedge a piece of glass in my foot from off the floor!

These days, the fitness industry has become more ‘tolerant’ of pole, and what was considered to be sordid and irrelevant – gyms are now accepting pole classes so that we can finally have professional surroundings to teach professional classes in.

But it COSTS!  Most schools are charged for their room hire by the hour, which is why many schools cannot offer refunds if you do a no-show, or huge discounts as they have costs to lay out here.

This isn’t always true but generally if a school has hired a nice place for you to learn in, they are taking less money for themselves as it’s going on the room hire!  Equally though, those schools that have a studio of their own have expensive rates to pay in order to even stay in business!  Life is TOUGH at the moment!

Location…

Where you are in the country also has an affect on prices, in London for example – EVERYTHING, down to a cup of tea costs more, as the cost of living is more, but then again people on the whole are able to earn more in London then they could in say Wales.  So the average income is much higher, but so is the cost of living….so London schools price their lessons accordingly, and may be a very different price from lessons in YOUR area.

Numbers…

Again, in a large city, lessons are generally cheaper as you would expect to be able to gain big numbers of girls, or at least regular running classes…all day…every day, this would enable a school to keep their prices low (within reason).

But in the less populated towns and villages, you couldn’t scoop huge crowds of folk into class like you could elsewhere, therfore you need to price according to smaller numbers of groups too.  Hence…if you are in a rural area, it is possible that lessons may cost a bit more then a city school due to smaller numbers.

Qualifications & Experience…

Pole is a specialist subject!  And good instructors are not ten a penny!

As pole is young, there are as yet no professional, government backed qualifications available for teachers to gain.  So many girls literally go to a few lessons, set up pole in their bedroom, garage, wherever and start charging for lessons!  Greeeeaaaaat.

If you are choosing a pole school in your area – look into this!  There are some of the above mentioned girls in every town and city, and then there are those of us who went to college and LEARNED about the mechanics of the human body, and the effects of exercise on it, first aid etc… and we paid big money for this learning too!

ALSO – do not under-value EXPERIENCE, ask your instructors how long they have been doing pole.  Just because a teacher waves a piece of paper in your face and says they are ‘qualified’ – it doesn’t mean that they actually have much more experience than you!  If you have an instructor who has been in the industry for years and comes with references, that is a damn site more useful to YOU the student; than a girl with a fresh piece of paper.

If you find an instructor with BOTH qualifications AND a good few years of experience under her belt too…GO WITH HER!  No matter what they charge…you cannot put a price on this.  It’s your safety again after all!

Insurance…

Imagine….You are upside down, you’re struggling to hold your weight, your arms give up and you fall.  You’re not too hurt, but you have busted something….your instructor doesn’t know what to do as she hasn’t done any first aid!  You go home and wake up in a whole world of pain, you can’t work.  Work don’t offer you sick/injury pay so you are on state benefit for as long as the doctor tells you.  It takes weeks, bills get on top of you and you can’t pay them because you are only on state benefit.  Your intructor was not insured.

This is bad!  THANKFULLY it is almost completely unheard of as today’s pole instructors are insured to the hilt and educated enough to prevent such situations, or prepare if it did happen.  But of course, it is possible – so you need to KNOW that your instructor is insured!  If she is, she probably pays an arm and a leg for it (sorry – bad pun!), which again could reflect in how she charges for her lessons.

All I can say about this really is…don’t be a cheapskate.  Schools may/may not factor this into their prices in order to make enough money to cover their insurance policies…I wouldn’t argue with it…it is invaluable to YOU in the end!

Equipment…

If your school is using quality, safe and PDC approved equipment - then it didn’t come cheap!  Also, regular replacement parts/upgrades and maintenance takes time effort and money.  This is for YOUR safety, you deserve the best so why would you want to learn on inferior equipment?  Another thing which may be factored into the price of lessons.

Other work involved…

Lastly, I would like to say that my job does not consist of turning up, taking cash, teaching, then going home.  That would be ace.  Life is much more complicated then that though and the bit of work that I do that YOU the student sees, is only about 10% of my working day!

90% of my hours are spent doing other things for my business, so if you think that my hourly rate is high (considering classes are only an hour long) then you may need to re-calculate!  My average working day is about 12 hours.  Every day….even on a Sunday!

The economic decline in the last 2 years also means that what I earn is pretty much put right back into running a professional and safe environment for YOU.  I am not raking it in, I am not a rockstar, I don’t have wardrobes of designers, I don’t live in a mansion, and I don’t have a flash car!  I am just a normal girl, with a young family to feed, just earnng a living, I am just like you.

Warming-up is something everyone should do to prepare their bodies before pole dance exercise,  no matter whether you are an elite sportsperson or just starting an exercise program, it is essential that you perform a warm-up. 

The traditional approach to warming-up involves a 3-7 minute period of light cardiovascular exercise, which starts at a gentle pace and gradually picks up in intensity.  This is then supplemented with a whole body stretch to loosen up the muscles.



Why do I need to Warm-Up first?

A thorough warm-up before you perform your pole dancing routine is a crucial factor in reducing the risk of injury.  What you are trying to avoid is any sudden strenuous exercise, which could lead to the body being unable to keep up with the heart’s need for oxygen.  This potentially dangerous situation can easily be avoided by carrying out a sensible warm-up.

A good warm-up, followed by stretches can:

*Optimise your physical condition, enabling your body to cope more easily with the activities that follow.
*Increase the flexibility in your muscles, ligaments, tendons and cartilage. This reduces the risk of strains, sprains and tears.
*Improve the mobility and movement of the joints by activating the fluids surrounding your joints, reducing friction and wear and tear.
*Increase the blood flow to the muscles.
*Increase the temperature of the muscles.
*Increase the speed of muscle contraction and relaxation.
*Reduce the risk of injury during exercise.
*Reduce the risk of premature fatigue which can occur if the cardiovascular system is unprepared for strenuous activity.
*Help with mental preparation for sport.



Ok, so what should I do to Warm-Up?

Spend 3-7 minutes doing your favorite light cardiovascular exercise, make it fun!  This could be jogging, cycling, trampolining, swimming, aerobics, dancing with the Wii, chasing the dog around the garden, even vigerous cleaning will do it – two birds one stone!  Start at a gentle pace and gradually pick up in intensity.

Next, you will need to complete full body stretches – we have attached these below, with a brief description of how to get into each position properly, using the correct posture.  If you’re unsure, you can always ask you instructor to show you the strectch again, or correct your posture for you – so you will always get it right!

CLICK HERE FOR OUR SET OF FULL BODY STRETCHES

More tips for an optimum Pole Workout!

*Drink lots of plain water during and after a video or class.
*Aim to drink at least a pint during and a pint soon after the class.
*Try to avoid drinking alcohol, coffee or caffeine- laden drinks soon after any vigorous dancing – they could give you a headache.
*Just stick to plenty of fluids such as plain water, pure fruit juice or fruit or herbal teas.
*If you are hungry, have a light meal or snack. Don’t leap straight into a really heavy meal – it just won’t go down very well!
*Leave yourself rest time before bedtime if dancing in the evening. The body can take a long time to return to it’s resting state after a bout of exercise – even if the dance class is very gentle. And going straight to bed too soon after may give you a restless night.
*Make sure there’s enough time between dancing and bedtime to properly wind down.



1) LUMBAR SIDE BENDS – 8 bends right, 8 bends left.
Description:  Stand upright with your feet hips width apart and hands by your sides.  Keeping your head up & back straight, bend your upper body to the right, then centre, and to the left, then centre.  Imagine you are sandwiched between two giant panes of glass – you must keep your whole body, especially your back very straight.  Only bend so far that your hand reaches your knee each side.  NO FURTHER DOWN.
Posture:  Feet hips width apart, head up, back straight, shoulders back, chest out, loose knees, don’t twist the hips, don’t bend lower than the knee.

2) THORACIC TWISTS – 8 twists right, 8 twists left.
Description:  Stand with your feet hips width apart, bring both arms in front of you, placing one forearm on top of the other.  Keeping your hips forward and ONLY twisting you upper body, twist right, then centre, then left and centre again.  Keep your back straight.
Posture:  Feet hips width apart, head up, back straight, shoulders back, chest out, loose knees, hips forward, don’t twist the hips.


3) GASTROCNEMIUS – Hold for 10 seconds per leg, once.
Description:  Stand with your right leg behind your left, keeping it very straight, both heels on the floor.  Bend your front leg, making sure your knee DOES NOT overhang your toes.  Lean forward on the bent leg, resting your body weight on it.  Push your bum out and hold the position, then swap legs.  You should feel a tightness along the lower of your back leg.
Posture:  Keep the back leg straight, heels down, front knee must NOT overhang your toes, rest body weight on bent front knee, push bum out, head up, back straight, tummy sucked in, back straight.

4) SOLEUS – Hold for 10 seconds per leg, once.
Description:  Stand with your feet hips width apart, and both your legs straight.  Now lift one leg up so you are resting your weight on the ball of your foot (near the toes).  Bending both knees, drop your torso down.  Imagine you are now sat on an invisible chair.  Rest your hands on your hips, keeping your back straight and not arched and hold that position, then swap legs.
Posture:  Feet hips width apart, head up, back straight, shoulders back, tummy sucked in, rest weight on the ball of the foot, bend both knees, torso dropped down, and imagine the invisible chair.

5) HIP FLEXORS – Hold for 10 seconds per leg, once.
Description:  Stand with your right leg as far back behind your left as you can.  Lift your foot up onto the toes (ball of the foot), and bend the back knee towards the floor.  Bend the knee of your front leg and rest your body weight on that knee.  Gently lower your torso, thrusting your hip upwards.  Keep your back straight and hold the position.  Then swap legs.
Posture:  Bend both knees, lower torso to floor, lean body weight on front leg, thrust hips up, keep your back straight, head up, shoulders back, tummy sucked in.

6) ADDUCTORS – Hold for 10 seconds per leg, once.
Description:  Stand with your legs wide split apart – obviously much wider than hips width.  Bend the left knee, leaning your bodyweight over to the left and stretching out your right leg.  Rest your hands on the bent knee.  Make sure that bent knee does not overhang your toes and push your bum out.  Lower your torso to the floor, keeping your right leg straight.  Hold the position then swap legs.
Posture:  Wide leg stance, bend left knee, do not over hand the toes with the bent knee, lean bodyweight over to the left.

7) QUADRICEPS – Hold for 10 seconds per leg, once.
Description:  Standing with your feet hips width apart, lift your right foot behind you, bending at the knee.  Hold on to the bridge of your foot and pull your leg upwards and back.  Keep your knees together and push your hips forward.  Hold the position and then swap legs.
Posture:  Feet hips width apart, pull upper body up, back straight, head up, HIPS FORWARD, keep knees together, shoulders back, tummy tucked in.


8) HAMSTRINGS – Hold for 10 seconds per leg, once.
Description:  With your feet hips width apart, stretch your right leg out in front of you and lift your toes up.  Bend your left knee and bring your torso down.  Pushing your bum out, rest your hands on your bent knee and lean your bodyweight forwards slightly.  Hold the position and then swap legs.
Posture:  Feet hips width apart, stretch right leg forwards, toes up, don’t allow bent knee to overhang toes, torso down, bum out, lean forwards gently, head up, back straight, tummy sucked in, shoulders back, hips forward.


9)  TRAPEZIUS – Hold for 10 seconds, once.
Description:  Stand with your feet hips width apart, tilting your head down slightly.  Now bring both arms out in front of you, placing one hand on top of the other.  Bend your elbows slightly and bring your shoulders forwards.  Imagine you are holding a giant beach ball.  Hold the position.
Posture:  Head forwards slightly, arms in front; bend the elbows, shoulders forward, one hand on top of the other, back straight, loose knees, tummy sucked in.


10)  DELTOIDS – Hold for 10 seconds per arm, once.
Description:  Stand with your feet hips width apart, sweep your right arm across the chest, keeping it as straight as possible.  Hold it back in the crook of your left arm; do not hold it IN the elbow joint, either just in front of the elbows, or just after the elbows is fine.  Hold the position, and then swap arms.
Posture:  Sweep right arm across chest, keep arm straight, pull it back, don’t hold at the elbow joints, back straight, head up, tummy sucked in, hips forward, loose knees.


11) PECTORALS – Hold for 10 seconds, once.
Description:  Standing with your feet hips width apart, scoop your hands behind your back and interlock your fingers.  Pull your arms closer together, bringing your shoulder blades closer together also, imagine trying to get the two shoulder blades to touch.  Hold the position.
Posture:  Hands behind back, interlock fingers, pull arms closer together, pulls shoulder blades together, head up, back straight, chest out, shoulders back, tummy sucked in, hips forward, loose knees.


12) TRICEPS – Hold for 10 seconds per arm, once.
Description:  Standing with your feet hips width apart, reach your right arm over your head, bending it at the elbow.  Now use the back of your left hand to hold your right arm further back by placing it just below the right elbow.  Avoid holding the elbow joint.  Pull your arm further back and hold the position, then swap arms.
Posture:  Reach right arm over head, use back of left hand to push your arm further back, don’t hold the elbow joint, back straight, head up, shoulders back, hips forward, tummy sucked in, hips forward, loose knees.


13) NECK BENDS – Hold for 10 seconds per exercise, per side.
Description:  Stand with your feet hips width apart.  With your right hand, straighten your arm downwards, and flex your hand – this will drop your shoulder.  Tilt your head to the left and using your left hand, reach it around your head and apply a gentle amount of pressure to stretch the neck.  Hold for hold for 10 seconds.
THEN, whilst in the same position, tilt your head down to look at your left foot and hold for 10 seconds.  Repeat on the other side.
Posture:  Feet hips width apart, straighten arm down, flex hand, tilt head to one side, gently add pressure, look down at foot, back straight, hips forward, loose knees, tummy sucked in.


14) WRIST BENDS -  Hold for 5 seconds per hand, per exercise.
Description:  Bring one hand out in front of you, palm facing away front you, fingers down.  Use your other hand to pull the palm down gently, so you can feel a stretch through your wrist and forearm. Hold for 5 seconds, then turn your hand over, twisting your whole arm as you do so, so that your palm will be facing you.  Again use the other hand to push the palm down.  Hold for 5 seconds and then swap hands.  There is no need to be too concerned about your posture as these can be added in to your warm up, or be done whilst stretching legs.


15) WRIST SCRUNCHES – 10 scrunches, once.
Description:  Hold both hands out in front of you, fingers spread and palms facing away from you.  Now close your fingers and thumbs together to make a fist, then open them out again.  Do this relatively fast, ten times.  There is no need to be too concerned about your posture as these can be added in to your warm up, or be done whilst stretching legs.




16) WRIST CIRCLES – 10 circles per direction, once.
Description:  Hold both your hands out in front of you, but bending at the elbows.  Making a fist with your hands, rotate your wrists 10 times around to the left, then 10 times around to your right.  There is no need to be too concerned about your posture as these can be added in to your warm up, or be done whilst stretching legs.






Photos by Andrew Dobell

What is ‘Cooling-Down’?

The purpose of warming-up is to prepare the body for rigorous activity, whereas cooling-down is to assist in recovery and to bring the body back to a pre-workout state. 

When exercise is suddenly stopped, blood and waste products like lactic acid, stay in the muscles which can cause swelling and pain.  Post exercise muscle soreness is one of the areas where cooling-down after exercise is most useful.

Cooling-down with some basic maintenance exercises, after your main bulk of exercise helps in returning the blood to the heart in adequate quantities to relieve the muscles off lactic acid.  The circulating blood also carries with it the oxygen and nutrients required by the muscles, tendons and ligaments for repair and growth.

When combined with further stretches which are held for longer than the basic warm up stretches, cooling-down can help you increase your flexibility all over.





Why do I need to Cool-Down?

There are many dance classes which, although they will warm you up thoroughly before you start dancing, might not be so enthusiastic about your cool-down once the class is over.

There is a debate among dancers, athletes, doctors and physiotherapists as to whether it has any proven physical benefit - It is argued that a cool-down doesn’t work particularly well.  And doesn’t prevent soreness and cramp.

It is argued by others (some teachers and most dancers) that if you don’t cool-down by a series of gentle stretches at the end of your class, next day (and probably the day after that) will be agony.  You’ll have to make up your own mind about this and listen to your own body.

WE believe that…

*Nobody HAS TO do it – class is only an hour long and you’d only get about 20 mins of pole in if you ALWAYS completed a full warm-up, strength training & maintenance exercises, cool-down stretches, flexibility training AND splits training!  BUT if you are training at home, it WILL make you better, stronger, flexible, faster!
*Spending the extra time doing first some basic strength training exercises as the first part of your cool down WILL improve your core strength, or at least maintain it.
*Adding a few more stretches AND holding them for longer in at the end will improve your flexibility levels and posture
*Regular, gentle stretching can help you achieve the splits
*If it’s practiced by Felix Cane, it’s good enough for us!





Ok, so what should I do to Cool-Down?

An effective process for cooling-down needs to include three major parts, they work jointly to repair and replenish the body after pole dance exercise. Dizziness, nausea and a ‘worn out’ feeling are usual symptoms of an inappropriate cool-down process. For an effective cool-down, carry out a low intensity exercise (basic strength training) for a minimum of 5 to 10 minutes and follow this with a stretching routine.

The Three Elements…

Click on the capitalised sentances to see our set of exercises you can easily follow…

1) BASIC STRENGTH TRAINING FOR POLE DANCE EXERCISES, or more specialised pole conditioning exercises.

2) For the cool down stretches, you could just repeat the BASIC WARM-UP STRETCHES as a quick cool-down if you’re in a hurry, or to improve flexibility – opt for the FLEXIBILITY TRAINING FOR POLE DANCING EXERCISE, and if you’re especially keen to get the splits, follow that with some SPLITS TRAINING EXERCISES.

3) Re-Fuel!  The last part is the re-fuel, just as proper nutrition is needed before exercise to provide the fuel needed for activity, the body requires nourishment for the after pole dance exercise process of building muscles so water, minerals and carbohydrates are all needed.