Pole-4-Fitness Adelaide review | SA’s Great Travel Planner

I’m standing in front of a pole in an attempted plie position. But this is not ballet. This is pole dancing – and no, I’m not thinking about a career change and learning how to be a stripper.

I’m standing in front of a pole in an attempted plie position. But this is not ballet. Spreading my legs wider, toes and knees pointed out, and up on my toes, we begin our warm-up with squats, lots of squats. It hurts. My thighs are protesting, as is the arch of my left foot. I grab on to the pole in front of me as we slowly squat and come back up.

“There is no turning back now,” Disturbed’s singer barks in the background. “Get up, come on get down with the sickness”. My oh, so flexible instructor Ashleigh is now moving into a series of lunges, stretches, and even the splits as the music changes to Metallica’s Enter Sandman, then Sia’s Elastic Heart. I try to keep up as best I can.

This is my first lesson at Pole 4 Fitness. And no, I’m not thinking about a career change and learning how to be a stripper. While pole dancing has long been associated with strip clubs, it’s now considered one of the best, and fun, ways to get fit as it’s an all over body workout. But it’s not fun yet. We still have to do a series of planks and push-ups, and the “Miley ab workout”, which involves lying on your back and doing leg exercises — without letting your feet touch the ground — for the whole of Miley Cyrus’s song I can’t be tamed. I’m sure she’s singing “I can’t be saved” as these ab exercises are a whole lot of pain.

But no pain, no gain, as the saying goes. It is crucial to have strong core muscles and flexibility to be able to successfully achieve some of the more advanced pole moves, which reminds me of an Olympic gymnastics routine. I have a long way to go.

You don’t need to be fit to start the classes. I’m not a fan of jogging or cycling and my workout routine is normally walking and yoga. I have also done Pilates, step classes and swing dancing in the past but pole dancing sounded like something different.

The pole studio is located upstairs in a warehouse complex off Beafield Road in Para Hills West. There are two pole rooms to cater for different levels at the same time. One room has 10 poles, the other eight. Both have a floor-to-ceiling mirror at the front of the room. Classes run from Monday to Saturday and are available during the day or evening.

Some of the different moves you can do on a pole. Picture: Josie Hayden

The beginner’s class teaches you the basic moves, correct techniques and variations of how to hold the pole and use it to spin, climb and even to go upside down.

Once we are warmed up Ashleigh shows us the basic forward and backward spins. It’s not easy — and you get dizzy. You have to get the pole behind your knee in a certain way and hold the pole with a particular grip. The pole can also be slippery. A product called Dry Hands helps to grip the pole better.

Then it’s on to climbing the pole. Lift your right leg up and press the front of it against the pole, toes pointing down. Reach up high with your right hand, left hand at eye level and forearm resting against the pole. Now bring your left leg around the pole, squeeze your legs together and grip the pole. Move your hands further up the pole and push up with your legs so your body is straight. Now inch your legs higher up the pole and move into a sit position so you can slide down the pole. I give myself a Chinese burn sliding down the pole. I also do not look graceful as I land with a thump on the wooden floor. But Ashleigh is happy with what I have achieved.

It’s now been a couple of months since my first lesson and I can see obvious improvement, although my muscles ache for days after a lesson. My strength has increased, I can do some basic moves and almost invert by myself. Going upside down still scares me but, I’m told, the more I do it the easier it will become. And it is fun, even the “Miley ab workout”.

Reviews are unannounced and paid for by SAWeekend.

This review was first published in August 2016 and details updated in March 2021

• 2/21 Beafield Rd, Para Hills West
• 0403 532 511
• pole-4-fitness.com.au
• WHAT One hour class includes warm up, stretching, pole skills and cool down. Kids parties, hens parties, work parties and sporting get-togethers. Not just pole classes, but also silks, lyra, trapeze, aerial yoga and burlesque.
• WHEN Mon-Sat at various times for beginners, open, advanced and private lessons. Check the website for times.
• PRICE Casual lesson $30, trial $20, $220 for 10 lessons (for three months). Various six week specials for $190.