Pole Dancing For Weight Loss

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Your Pole Pal gets a TON of questions about pole dancing for weight loss. Here are just a few...

I want to take pole dance classes to lose weight. Is pole dancing a good exercise and will I lose weight if I do the classes?
~Janice

Would pole dancing be a good way to help lose weight? Or would it just be for toning up and getting fit?
~Ally

I am looking for a new form of exercise, I've done gym and walking, but I get so bored.... I want to find something that is fun and will want to come back time and time again. I need to lose about 15kgs. I was thinking of adding pole dancing into my weekly exercise routine, since classes aren't everyday. At the moment my daily exercise is just walking for 30 mins. Oh and plus I hate doing weights, and it seems pole dancing would make up for that.
~Samantha

• What makes for "good" exercise?

• Pole dancing can help you lose weight, but you'll only get out of it what you put in

• What you do when you're NOT pole dancing is important too
  

• Weight loss vs fat loss

• Three surprising bonus ways that pole dancing helps with weight loss

Introduction

Is pole dancing a good exercise for losing weight? While this may seem like a simple question, there's a lot more to it than meets the eye. And unfortunately, the answer isn't so simple. But never fear...Your Pole Pal is about to take you on a quest for the truth about pole dancing for weight loss.

Let's start with a discussion about what qualifies as "good" exercise, and whether pole dancing fits the bill.

Next, we'll look at the weight loss potential of pole dancing. Specifically, we'll examine how "toning up" and "getting fit" go hand-in-hand with losing weight. Spoiler alert: it's more about fat loss than weight loss.

Finally, we'll wrap things up with a bonus section: three unexpected ways pole dancing can help with weight loss.

Ready? Let's get started!

What Makes for "Good" Exercise?

Usually when people ask if something is good exercise, what they mean is, will it help me lose weight, get stronger, or fix a health problem? After all, exercise in and of itself is rarely a bad thing, unless you are:

• new to exercising and do too much activity, too soon

• engaging in a new and/or strenuous activity without proper guidance or training

• attempting an activity that is likely to make a health problem worse, like taking up running when you are suffering from a knee injury

In other words, it's usually a person's circumstances and not an activity per se that makes a given type of exercise unsuitable or "bad."

There are, however, different benefits that different types of exercise provide, and this is often what people are referring to when they ask if a particular exercise is good. For someone whose goal is to lose weight, we can safely assume that to this person, a "good" exercise is one that helps achieve this goal.

Is Pole Dancing a Good Exercise?

If weight loss is your goal, pole dancing has the potential to be an all around excellent exercise. Practicing all those spins, climbs and holds not only burns calories while you train, it also provides a total body, muscle-building strength workout.

This combination of strength training and aerobic exercise is not only efficient, it can help you reach your weight loss goals faster by creating a calorie deficit while you work out, AND by increasing your lean muscle mass so you burn more calories even at rest.

If burning calories while binge watching your favorite show sounds intriguing, you'll want to check out this Q&A about the calorie burning potential of pole dancing. You'll discover how toning up those muscles can actually help you lose more weight than doing aerobic exercise.

But let's focus here on what it takes to actually realize that potential. After all, the mere act of signing up for pole dancing classes isn't going to magically make you drop 10 pounds; there will be actual work involved!

Will I Lose Weight with Pole Dancing?

Pole dancing can definitely help with weight loss, but like any other physical activity you might be considering to help you reach your weight loss goal, there are no guarantees.

In the questions at the top of this page, Janice asked if she would lose weight if she took pole dancing classes. Ally's version of this question showed a little more understanding; she asked if pole dancing would be a good way to HELP her lose weight.

While it might seem obvious, it's important to remember that no activity is going to help you lose weight unless you actually do it. And no fitness class - pole dancing or otherwise - is going to result in weight loss just because you showed up.

To be blunt, if you're expecting to shed some extra pounds just by signing up for a pole dancing class and handing over your cash, you might as well spend your money on a box of double-stuff Oreos and a carton of ice cream instead.

In other words you'll get out of it what you put in. All those people who rave about how pole dancing helped them lose a ton of weight? They showed up for class, consistently. They put in the work. They kept going when things got tough. They buddied up and got support when they needed it. And they celebrated their wins while setting the bar higher and challenging themselves to reach it.

Without meaning to sound harsh, it wouldn't be truthful - or helpful - to tell either Janice or Ally, "sure, you can easily lose weight by taking a few pole dancing classes."

Remember, it's not so much about the activity you choose; it's about whether you actually do the activity, and more importantly, whether you do it correctly and consistently and with a goal in mind.

How to Get Better Results with Pole Dancing for Weight Loss

Here's the thing. Any change - including weight loss - requires that you do something different from what you've been doing so far. And humans as a rule don't like change. For that reason alone, most people give up on their fitness and weight loss goals within weeks or even days of setting them.

But here's the good news: when you take up pole dancing for weight loss, your results are literally in your own hands. Your Pole Pal will be the first to tell you that losing weight with pole dancing is entirely do-able. If...

• you make a realistic plan for incorporating pole dancing into your overall exercise routine, including giving yourself a reasonable time frame to see results;

• you follow the plan consistently, including attending classes, committing to practice sessions, and putting in the work required to meet your goal;

• you support your exercise and weight loss goals with a sensible nutrition and activity plan.

That last one catches a lot of people off guard, but it's important to remember that there are two parts to any weight loss equation. One is how many calories you burn during your class time; the other is what you're doing when you're not at your pole dancing class (or at the gym, or in the pool, etc).

Unfortunately, it's entirely possible to undo all of the weight loss benefits of pole dancing - and then some - if you spend the majority of your day in sedentary activities and eating foods that don't support your weight loss goals.

This is critical to understand, because you'll probably only be in class for 2 - 3 hours a week at most. Given that there are 168 hours in a week, Your Pole Pal would advise you to carefully consider how to make those hours work in your favor when it comes to your pole dancing and weight loss goals.

For example:

• Do you have a plan for how you're going to manage those cravings for potato chips that you always seem to get in the evenings? "Know thyself" is great advice here, and if you know that you crave chips or sweets at a certain time of day, you can plan in advance how you're going to manage those cravings so they don't get the better of you.

• What small things can you change to be more active throughout the day, not just when you're taking pole classes or practicing your pole moves at home? Can you switch to walking meetings at work? Or take the stairs instead of the elevator? Make a list of 3-5 things you can easily do, starting tomorrow. Then every week incorporate one more of these into your day.

• What unhelpful habits can you replace with helpful ones that will contribute to your weight loss goal? These don't have to be big or difficult. Small changes add up over time! How about going for an after dinner walk while you listen to an audio book or podcast, instead of flopping on the couch with a book?

Weight Loss vs Fat Loss

Another critical point to understand if you want to lose weight with pole dancing is the difference between losing weight and losing fat. Assuming you're putting in the work required to build the strength needed for spins, holds and other pole moves, you're going to be building some serious muscle. That's important for two reasons.

First off, all that added muscle means you'll burn more calories, even when you're not exercising. Unlike fat, muscle tissue is metabolically active, which is just a fancy way of saying that muscle needs energy to maintain itself. And it gets that energy by burning calories, whether or not you're actively engaged in exercise.

Remember earlier when we talked about burning calories while binge watching your favorite show? Did you click that link to read the Q&A about how building muscle with all those pole dancing moves can help you burn more calories even when you're not exercising? If not, you might want to do that now. Go ahead, this page will still be here when you get back.

Secondly, while your goal may be to lose weight with pole dancing, you might surprise yourself by losing a few sizes even though your weight stays the same. This can happen because muscle weighs more than fat, but it's quite a bit more dense. Which means that a pound of muscle is a lot smaller in size than a pound of fat.

And that means that as you get stronger on the pole, you may very well find that you "shrink" a size or two even though your weight hasn't changed. In fact, don't be surprised if you see the number on your scale creeping up at first, even though your clothes are getting looser.

This is why so many fitness experts recommend focusing on how you feel and on how your clothes fit, vs what the scale is telling you, when your goal is to lose weight.

So yes, Samantha, pole dancing is an excellent substitute for lifting weights. In fact, some would call it the ultimate body weight exercise! If you hate the idea of biceps curls and lunges, but you dream of being able to lift yourself up a dance pole and strike a graceful pose, be assured that the muscle building benefits are very similar.

And bonus, the extra muscle you build while pole dancing will help your body burn more fat over the long term.

Three Bonus Ways Pole Dancing Helps with Weight Loss

1. The more you improve, the more you move
   In addition to burning calories and increasing strength, pole dancing can improve both flexibility and endurance. This makes it an excellent all around exercise that contributes to an overall improvement in your fitness. And when you're more fit, you're more likely to find enjoyment in other physical activities too. And the more you move, the more you improve! How's that for an upward spiral?
   
   
2. Self-esteem and mental health
   Many people who take up pole dancing report that both their self-esteem and their mental health improves. Pole dancing can have a very positive effect on body image as well, which can play an important role in keeping up your motivation to move. And the better you feel about yourself, the easier it is to take care of yourself with regular physical activity and healthy eating habits.
   
   
3. The fun factor
   Remember, NO fitness program is going to work for you if you don't do it. If you chose something you enjoy, like pole dancing, you're more likely to continue doing the activity, which means you're more likely to get results. And the more you see results, the more likely you are to continue. In other words, don't underestimate the fun factor in succeeding with your weight loss goals!

Summary

If you're thinking about taking up pole dancing for weight loss, rest assured that many people have been successful, and you can too. But keep in mind that it's not so much the specific activity that will help you lose weight. Rather, it's your commitment to being active, learning what it takes to meet your fitness and weight loss goals, and eating in a way that supports your activity plan and your weight loss goal.

Here are the basics for any weight loss plan:

1. Choose one or more physical activities you enjoy so you'll stick with them. If that's pole dancing, great!
   
   
2. Make a plan for being active and commit to following through. Support your weight loss goals with a sensible and supportive nutrition plan.
   
   
3. Honestly evaluate any unsupportive habits that are holding you back from achieving your weight loss goals, such as binge-watching your favorite shows every evening. Make a plan to do something different, but make it do-able so it's not too difficult. Can you break up your viewing binge with a 10 minute walk in between episodes?
   
   
4. Buddy up and make yourself accountable to someone whom you respect, and whose opinion matters to you. New research shows that the person you share your goals with can have a significant bearing on whether or not you achieve them, so choose wisely.

Your Pole Pal sincerely hopes this information helps you if you want to try pole dancing for weight loss. Many people have lost weight, increased their strength, and improved their overall fitness with pole dancing, and you can too!

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