Get firm with pole dancing

KATE MOSS does it. So too does Jennifer Aniston, Angelina Jolie and Terri Hatcher. Kate Hudson used it to shed all her baby pounds and according to fitness instructor Anne Goswell, more and more women in the Capital are following suit, waving goodbye to monotonous gym sessions, spinning classes and bodypump and opting for pole dancing.

Once the preserve of sleazy clubs filled with men in dirty macs, pole dancing is now seen as a fast way to firm up, sculpt muscle and lose weight. Guaranteed to improve upper-body strength and tone muscles, burn calories and give the body a full cardiovascular workout, pole dancing gives the burn more than a regular session down at the gym – and proves a lot more fun.

"It's the new Women's Institute," laughs Edinburgh pole fitness instructor Anne Goswell, who has witnessed a massive upsurge in 20-something women and students looking for a whole new way to keep fit. "It's for women who want to meet like-minded women. You do get fit but it's not a punishment like going to the gym."

Anne, 31, is a former professional pole dancer and has taught pole dancing for three-and-a-half years. She stresses that the context of these dance classes is far removed from the stereotype of pole dancing and as such women are relishing the alternative form of keeping fit.

"By lifting your own body around the pole you help to strengthen and tone up muscles, while at the same time the aerobic activity involved in moving around the pole helps you to shed the pounds. The movement also helps you to improve your suppleness," she says.

"It is also one of the most complete forms of exercise there is. You're working on total fitness rather then just working one or two areas of the body like in most workouts. And it's not easy. Many of the girls say they have a new-found respect for professional pole dancers."

While it may be a hard workout, this is what Capital women are wanting. That, and the quick effects and benefits from their efforts. Rachel Sandison, 29, a human resource manager from Meadowbank, agrees.

"Pole fitness has helped me not only to lose weight fast but also meet new friends. I started going to pole fitness classes in April last year. I just thought it would be a fun way to get fit – more fun than going to the gym anyway. One of my friends said she was going and I thought 'that sounds like fun',

"I tried belly dancing and that was fun for a while but then just got boring. But with pole dancing you can get the basic moves when you start but you keep on going to do the more complicated moves. In three months I have lost a good stone or two since I started going to the classes. Everyone was really supportive."

Anne aims to allay any fears that would-be students have of ending up scantily clad in public, saying: "When they first start I get them to wear what they feel comfortable in. Once they feel confident I get them to start wearing hot pants and a T-shirt."

She says that her classes attract women of all ages and all shapes and sizes, with dancers ranging from teenage university students to women in their 50s and from near-athletes to size 18s.

"I've got mothers and daughters who come down. Often the mothers say: 'Oh, I shouldn't be here' but they end up loving it. Anyone can do it.

" I've got one girl who is blind and will be running in the Paralympics in Beijing."

Confidence is another major factor in pole dancing and many women who brave the pole find a certain valour they never knew they had. Anne says: "There is no bitchiness in these types of classes, and everyone is taken for who they are and are welcomed by everyone."

Anne herself is testament to both the fitness and confidence benefits of her dancing. She says: "I'm 31 but I look 25, or so I've been told. I guess it must be the pole dancing."

• For more information, contact Anne at www.goeswell.co.uk


HOW TO GET THE MOVES
IF you can't make it to one of the Capital's many pole dancing classes, then you can buy a pole online or in Ann Summer on Princes Street and work that metal scaffolding. And here's how:

Forward spin
Place your right hand high and the left at waist level on the pole. Step around the pole using the weight of your leg to gain speed. Lift your legs and place them either side of the pole while spinning. This works triceps, biceps and abdominals.

Basic side spin
Place your right hand high and the other at waist level on the pole. Place the back of your right knee on the pole and push off with the left foot. Put your feet together and your knees apart keeping your body straight. This works triceps, biceps, pectorals and abdominals.

Intermediate spin
Place your right hand on the pole and lean outwards whilst walking round the pole to gain speed. Place the back of your right knee high on the pole, continuing to lean outwards. Push off with the left leg and spin around the pole. Left leg must be straight and thighs must be shut making the shape of a four with your legs. This works triceps, biceps, abdominals, gluteuls (buttocks) and all thigh muscles.