Pole Dancer Stretch

By Susan Peach

The pole dancer stretch helps to open up your hips and shoulders, while providing an excellent stretch for your hamstrings. It can also help improve your balance and core control while pole dancing.

This stretch is based on the "Dancer" yoga pose, so if you're familiar with that pose (or asana) just follow along and keep your dance pole handy!

To begin, stand 2-3 feet away from your dance pole, and grasp it lightly with your right hand for balance.

Lift your left foot behind you, and grasp your ankle with your left hand, palm out.

Next, straighten your right knee and kick your left foot back into your left hand.

Hinge at the hips to bring your upper body towards the floor, and slide your right hand down the pole.

The hand that's on the pole will help provide balance if this stretch is new to you and you feel unsteady.

Keep kicking back into your hand, and keep that right leg straight for a good hamstring stretch.

Once your upper body is parallel to the floor, or when you've come forward as much as you can, you can try releasing your grip on the pole so that you're balancing on your own, even if just for a second. Your neck should be in a neutral position, with your head in line with with your spine.

Keep your right arm stretched out towards the pole, and if you feel like you're going to fall just hold on again. Gradually your balance and core strength will improve and you'll be able to do this stretch without any support.

There's a lot happening during the Pole Dancer stretch, so take it step by step and you'll get it! Just keep kicking back and reaching forward. Your right leg will get a deep hamstring stretch, while your left shoulder and hip will be opening nicely. You'll also be working on core strength as you stabilize yourself.

Once you're feeling a comfortably deep stretch and you've had a chance to practice balancing, it's time to change sides. Come out of the stretch slowly, trying to hold onto that same balance and control. Then change sides and repeat with the other leg.

Using your dance pole to perform this challenging stretch allows you to have support while you develop balance. Many people find this stretch especially challenging, so having extra support can make it do-able, and give you a starting point from which you can progress.

Pole Dancer Stretch - Reminders

• Remember, there's a lot going on here! Take it step by step, move slowly and with control, and focus on balancing from your core.


• If you feel like you're losing balance, try kicking back into your hand a little more, as this will provide counter-balance to your body moving forward and down.


• Do maintain a neutral spine by keeping your head and neck relaxed and not arched.


• Remember to fold at the hips (not the waist) and keep the standing leg straight. This will give you a fantastic hamstring stretch, but it will also help with balance.


• If you fall out of the stretch, try again on that same side before giving up. Practice makes perfect!


• If you're more flexible, aim to get your upper body parallel to the floor. If you're less flexible, just go for the stretch.

More Pole Stretches & Exercises

• Wide Leg Pole Stretch - for inner thigh, hamstring and lower back

• Pole Lunge Exercise - this one kicks butt!

• Pole Shoulder Stretch

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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