Is Pole Dancing High Impact?

By Susan Peach

"Is pole dancing high impact? I’m talking about purely gymnastic, non-sexy pole dancing taking place in a gym, as opposed to the sexy club kind. I’ve been warned away from high impact exercise by my doctor, because of something with my joints. If I overdo it, I could end up with arthritis when I’m older."
~ Connie

When compared to traditional high impact exercises like running, skipping rope, or doing exercises like jumping jacks, there is relatively little impact on the joints with pole dancing, particularly at the beginner level.

The exception to this might be with landing airborne moves and drops. While there are not many of these types of moves that have a high impact landing as a goal, keep in mind that it's inevitable that you'll have a few hard landings while you're learning.

If you have concerns about impact on your joints, you'll want to take extra care with this aspect of pole dancing. And depending on your doctor's guidance, you might choose to avoid airborne moves entirely.

However, assuming you have a qualified pole dance instructor (ideally with training as a fitness professional), and who is aware of your limitations, you should have been helped to develop the strength needed to land these types of moves gently and with full control, BEFORE you get airborne.

Pole dancing is definitely a strength builder though, and any time you strengthen your muscles that's a good thing for your joints. That's because strong muscles can withstand more stress and can literally carry more weight.

When your muscles are strong they can do their job. When they're not, there's more chance that your joints, tendons and ligaments are going to have to help your muscles out. And that means doing a job they're not really designed to do. This in turn causes unnecessary stress which can lead to injuries or even chronic joint issues.

So do use caution and progress slowly. Even though there's not a lot of impact involved (barring any falls or hard landings of course!) pole dancing can stress the joints, particularly the shoulders, if you do too much too soon. You need time to build up muscle strength so that your joints and connective tissues aren't taking on more than they should. Also remember that, as a rule, connective tissues themselves take longer to adapt to the demands of new movements and new workouts.

If you use a gradual approach, give yourself sufficient recovery time between workouts (as with any other physical activity), and pay attention to how your body feels, you will probably find this form of exercise to be of benefit to your overall fitness, with little to no negative impact on your joints.

Of course it's always advisable to consult with your health care provider if in doubt. However, it's understandable that you may not be comfortable discussing with your doctor whether pole dancing is an appropriate form of exercise for you.

If that's the case, please make sure that at the very least you speak with any instructor you are considering taking classes with, before you go ahead and register. You'll want to make sure the instructor has a recognized certification as a fitness instructor, and that they have the training and experience to be able to offer appropriate modifications given your specific limitations.

If you feel comfortable that your instructor is aware and informed about your limitations, you enjoy pole dancing for fitness, and you feel comfortable asserting your limits if you feel you're not ready for a particular move, you'll likely find that pole dance fitness is an activity you can do safely.

Susan Peach is an early pioneer in pole dance fitness and the voice behind Your Pole Pal, a long-running resource for the pole community. She taught dance & fitness for nearly 30 years, leading hundreds of classes and working with thousands of students aged 6 to 80+, and created original programs when formal training did not yet exist. She also produced one of the first pole fitness DVD series, along with instructor training and Latin dance fitness programs. Today, she writes and builds Your Pole Pal, still with a soft spot for Latin dance music.

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