Pole Dancing for Fitness: Why It’s the Ultimate Full-Body Workout
Pole Dancing: From Stigma to Strength Training
Pole dancing has come a long way in the last 20 years. Born in strip clubs (we honor and revere our strip club roots), pole dancing made it’s way into private studios and gyms and is now recognized as one of the most dynamic forms of fitness – combining elements of dance, gymnastics, and strength training. Whether you’re climbing, spinning, or holding an elegant pose, pole engages every muscle group in your body while also improving coordination, flexibility and stamina.
At Awakenings, I’ve taught and watched thousands of students discover just how transformative pole can be. Many walk into their first class nervous or unsure – but they leave feeling empowered, strong, and inspired to keep going.
Why Pole Dancing Is a Serious Workout
Pole dance is functional strength training disguised as fun. Pole dancing addresses all facets of fitness: strength, stamina, and flexibility. While it’s easy to get lost in the artistry and flow, each move requires compound muscular activation, and core engagement. A single pole class often blends:
Upper body strength: climbing, holds, and spins work your arms, shoulders, and back.
Core activation: almost every pole move engages your abs and obliques.
Lower body toning: pole sits, climbs, and transitions sculpt your legs and glutes.
Flexibility and mobility: you’ll gradually improve your range of motion through flowing stretches and active flexibility work.
Cardio stamina is built as you start to combine skills and learn to connect them together into a flow or routine.
A typical 60-minute pole session can burn anywhere from 300–600 calories, depending on intensity. More importantly, it challenges your body in ways traditional workouts often can’t – blending strength with grace and self-expression. Your hard work at Awakenings not about lifting dumbbells or barbells, it’s about lifting yourself (both literally and figuratively) as well as about lifting your fellow students by cheering them on!
Muscles You’ll Strengthen on the Pole
1. Back and Shoulders – Moves like pole climbs and inverts require pulling your own body weight, which sculpts and strengthens the lats, traps, rhomboids, deltoid muscles and your rotator cuff muscles too!
2. Core and Obliques – Every spin and static hold demands core stability. Moves like leg hangs or side climbs turn your abs into powerhouse muscles.
3. Arms and Grip – Your forearms, biceps, and triceps all get stronger from supporting and lifting your body weight. Over time, even students with “weak grip” gain incredible hand and wrist strength.
4. Legs and Glutes – Don’t underestimate the legwork! Pole sits, climbs, and transitions engage your quads, hamstrings, and glutes, shaping them beautifully.
The Mind-Body Benefits of Pole
Beyond the physical strength, pole dancing builds mental resilience and confidence. Students often say that pole makes them feel powerful and connected to their bodies in a new way.
Confidence boost: You’ll celebrate small wins (along with the rest of your class)– like your first spin or climb and that builds self-belief rather than feeding into any self-limiting thoughts.
Stress relief: Moving with music and flow has a meditative, mood-boosting quality. You truly have to be fully present in the moment as you are learning and practicing pole and aerials.
Body positivity: Pole celebrates what your body can do, not just how it looks.
Who Can Try Pole Dance Fitness?
Anyone! You don’t need to be strong, flexible, or have dance experience to start pole dance fitness. In fact, most beginners come to class with no background at all. The movements are scalable, and instructors at Awakenings teach you how to progress safely at your own pace via our unique, proven level- based curriculum. As a beginner, you start in Level 1.
How to Get Started
If you’re new to pole, the best way to start is with a beginner series. Throughout the series, you’ll learn:
Basic spins and transitions, both grounded and aerial spins.
Static holds, climbing and sitting techniques.
Safety tips and a variety of beginner grips.
How to condition your body for future skill building.
Pro Tip: Wear shorts and a tank top for better grip on the pole (but bring leggings for warm-up if you want). We don’t recommend shoes for beginners. Avoid lotions or oils the day of class, as they can make the pole slippery. Don’t wear any jewelry and bring a bottle of water and a hand towel.
Your Turn to Try Pole Dance Fitness
If you’re looking for a workout that’s fun, empowering, and far from boring, pole dancing might be exactly what you need. At Awakenings Pole and Aerial Dance & Fitness, we specialize in welcoming beginners with zero experience – and we love seeing them surprise themselves!
👉 Ready to give pole fitness a try? Check out our Intro to Pole Series Schedule here.