Sport
Pole dancing, also sold as pole fitness, is real exercise: a 60-minute class is moderate intensity, a competition routine runs close to flat out, and climbs, holds and inverts take a lot of pulling, gripping and trunk strength. In the one study that followed pole dancers for a year, injuries ran at about 9 per 1,000 hours of pole, most often to the shoulders and the backs of the thighs, though only 25 of its 66 dancers completed the year. The serious injuries in hospital records came mainly from falls out of inverted moves, with no crash mat or teacher there.
This guide covers what pole asks of your body, the common injuries, inverts and falls, shoulders and splits, grip, skin and bruises, bodies and eating enough, the competition rules of the International Pole Sports Federation (IPSF) and the Pole Sport & Arts World Federation (POSA), concussion, and the training with evidence behind it. It includes a 15-minute warm-up and a 45-minute conditioning workout you can do off the pole, with a 3D demo of every move.
A standardised 60-minute class measured 4.6 METs (metabolic equivalents), moderate intensity, in 14 advanced amateur women, and the Compendium of Physical Activities gives a pole dancing exercise class 4.5 METs, a measured value. In one competitor's simulated routine, heart rate averaged 93% of its predicted maximum.
In 66 Australian pole dancers followed for a year, there were about 9 new injuries per 1,000 hours of pole, most often to the shoulder and the hamstrings, though only 25 completed the year. In a global online survey, the shoulder (54.5%) and the wrist (34.2%) were the commonest injuries reported.
In five pole injuries treated at one German hospital, most were to the head, neck or spine, mainly from falls during inverted moves, and no landing mat or trainer was there in any case. A 1 m head-first fall broke and dislocated one woman's neck.
No exercise programme has been tested on pole injuries. In other sports, strength training cut injuries to under a third, while stretching made no difference.
At IPSF competitions, no one under 15 may do pole flips, every POSA performance by 6- to 9-year-olds has a spotter on stage, and grip products go on the skin, never on the pole.
In a small trial, 8 weekly classes raised beginners' mental wellbeing and body appreciation. Competition can bring comparisons, so comments on bodies have no place in class (our suggestion).
A studio pole is a vertical metal tube 40 to 50 mm across and up to about 3 m high, either static or spinning. At IPSF competitions there are two brass poles, one spinning and one static, 45 mm across and built to withstand "the lateral force of 180kg jumping at, and rotating on, the poles at speed"; POSA's are 4 m high, chrome or stainless steel, "Nickel free only".
Spins, climbs, sits and holds gripped with the legs, inverts (moves that take your hips above your head), handsprings and flags held from the arms, splits and backbends, and floor work. Competition codes score strength, flexibility, dynamic elements such as drops and regrips, and compulsory elements, and IPSF athletes lose marks unless they use the pole's full height at least twice.
Much of the hold comes from bare skin on metal, which is why dancers wear little clothing and use grip products on the skin. Sweaty hands are a recognised problem: both federations allow gloves only with a doctor's letter for hyperhidrosis (heavy sweating). The inner thighs squeeze the pole in sits and leg holds, and hip adduction strength on the pole can be measured reliably.
In 14 advanced amateur women, a standardised 60-minute class averaged 4.6 METs, a heart rate of 131 beats a minute and 281.6 kcal, and the part built on routines was harder than skill practice (5.2 against 4.3 METs). The Compendium gives 4.5 METs for a class. In one competitor's simulated 3.5-minute routine, blood lactate reached about 10 mmol/L.
In 52 pole dancers, the more advanced had a stronger grip and swayed less standing still, and 40 women who pole danced carried more fat-free mass and less fat than 59 non-dancers. These studies compare trained people at one point in time; they don't show what pole training causes.
The sites the studies point to:
Hanging and pulling strength, shoulder control in rotation, grip, trunk strength to lift your hips over your head, hamstring and hip range that you control rather than force, and the skill to come down safely.
One study followed dancers forward with diaries; the rest asked people to remember, some counting any complaint and some only injuries a doctor confirmed. Figures in different lines aren't directly comparable.
The numbers, by study:
The shoulder was 20.4% of injuries in the year-long study, and a third of shoulder injuries came from moves that load the arm while it's turned inwards. That comes from one study's abstract, with 25 of 66 dancers completing the year. The shoulder was also the commonest site in two surveys, and the commonest site of repeat injury in one. Our shoulder pain, shoulder impingement, rotator cuff tear, SLAP tear and shoulder dislocation guides cover these.
The thigh was 11.7% of injuries in the same study, mostly hamstrings, and every hamstring injury came from front-split moves; again, that's one study's abstract, with 25 of 66 completing the year. In a survey of 213 women, the outer hamstring (biceps femoris) was among the commonest injury sites in professional dancers (34%). Our hamstring strain and high hamstring tendinopathy guides cover these.
In the global survey, wrist (34.2%) and back (24.7%) injuries came after the shoulder. Our wrist pain guide covers the wrist, and our gymnast's wrist guide growth-plate stress in young dancers; our back pain and spondylolisthesis guides cover back pain, including pain that's worse arching back.
Bruises were 60% of the injuries Polish dancers recalled. No study has looked at friction burns from the pole or at how to prevent either (our search). We don't have a guide to skin injuries yet; the NHS (National Health Service) advice on cuts and grazes is in the warning signs below.
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At one German hospital between 2011 and 2017, four women had five pole injuries: a broken collarbone, small fractures of the lower spine, a mild brain injury, a neck sprain and an ankle sprain. The head, spine and shoulder injuries came mainly from falls during inverted moves, and all four went back to pole. In Chile, a 23-year-old fell 1 m head first from an inverted position, broke and dislocated her neck and was partly paralysed; after urgent surgery she recovered, and she was clinically normal 6 years later. Our concussion, neck pain, whiplash and broken collarbone guides cover these.
More hours of pole and other training a week, and being taller, went with injury; a shorter break after an injury, not recovering fully and less experience went with injuring the same place again; dancers aged 40 and over had 3.7 times the odds of needing more than 3 months to recover; trying to lose weight went with sudden injuries in one small study; and inverting without mats or a trainer went with the serious falls. These are associations.
No injury prevention programme has been tested in pole dancers. The case series' advice and the competition rules are the main guidance, and the strength evidence is borrowed from other sports; each note says so.
The German surgeons recommend "special landing mats, training in how to fall safely, the presence of a trainer and no consumption of alcohol before the activity". The National Centre for Circus Arts asks members trying new or higher-risk skills to use "a mat or attempting the skill at a lower height", and the circus concussion consensus rates inversions and knee hangs on a dance pole below 1 m as low risk. No study has tested any of these in pole. Our suggestion: a crash mat under the pole for every invert, a teacher there for every new inverted skill, inverts low first, and a practised way down before you go higher.
Across 25 trials in other sports (26,610 people), strength training cut sports injuries to under a third, while stretching made no difference. No trial has tested it in pole dancers.
Source 9
A third of shoulder injuries in the year-long study came from moves that load the arm while it's turned inwards (one study's abstract, 25 of 66 completing). No shoulder programme has been tested in pole. In 100 adults with hypermobile shoulders, heavier strengthening helped a little more than light exercise at 16 weeks. Our suggestion: rotator cuff work in both directions, shoulder-blade control in hangs, and loaded moves built up gradually, as in our conditioning workout.
Every hamstring injury in the year-long study came from front-split moves. Our splits guide explains that slow, forced stretching with a straight knee can strain the hamstring tendon high near the sitting bone, and says never to let anyone push you into a split. Nordic curls cut hamstring strains in sprinting sports (our football and gymnastics pages); whether they help with splits isn't known. Our suggestion: splits warm, never bounced or pushed, and slow hamstring lowering twice a week.
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Re-injury went with a shorter break after injury and not recovering fully, and more than 84% of injured Polish dancers had no physiotherapy after their first injury. Dancers aged 40 and over took longer to recover. Our suggestion: get an injury assessed, come back only when the move no longer hurts, and rebuild gradually.
No pole injury prevention programme, warm-up, crash mat, spotter or grip product has been tested on injuries (our search). Stretching programmes didn't prevent injuries in other sports. One survey's authors recommend warming up, which is sensible but untested.
No training trial has measured pole performance (our search), so most of this is borrowed or our suggestion, and each note says so.
More experienced dancers grip harder and sway less, and pole dancers carry more fat-free mass than non-dancers. Strength in pole positions (raising and lowering the arm against the pole, and squeezing it with the thighs) can be tested reliably with a hand-held gauge fixed to the pole. These describe trained dancers; they don't show what training produces.
50 women new to pole (no more than 4 previous lessons) were randomly assigned to 8 weekly 60-minute sessions with a certified instructor or a waiting list. Each session was 30 minutes of strength, endurance and flexibility exercises and 30 minutes on the pole, building from walks, spins and sits to climbs from the fourth class and laybacks and supported headstand variations from the sixth, with no inverts in the 8 weeks. Because of a COVID-19 lockdown, classes were one-to-one or by household. Mental wellbeing and body appreciation improved against the waiting list.
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The closest tested routes are borrowed: our pull-up guide's ladder (hangs, shoulder-blade pulls, rows, assisted pulls and slow lowers), and our grip guide, where 8 weeks of direct grip work raised grip by about 9 to 14% in two small trials. Our conditioning workout builds on both.
Our splits guide's advice: stretch the hamstrings, hip flexors and inner thighs on most days and add strength in the stretched position, never forced. With hypermobility, strength and control come first, as our hypermobility guide explains.
A class is moderate exercise and a competition routine is close to flat out. No study has tested tapering in pole. Our suggestion: before a competition, rehearse full routines at performance intensity, and, as our cheerleading page suggests, cut training volume over the last 7 to 10 days and add no new skills that week.
The NHS asks every adult for muscle-strengthening activity on at least 2 days a week, and our conditioning workout can be one of them. Our suggestion: 2 to 3 pole classes a week with a rest day after the hardest, and the workout on non-consecutive days. Dancers aged 40 and over recovered from injuries more slowly, so build up gradually.
In the German hospital series, head, spine and shoulder injuries came mainly from falls during inverted moves, and "Landing mats around the base of the pole as well as the additional safety measure of having a trainer present were not used in any of the cases". The Chilean case shows that a fall from only 1 m, head first, can break the neck.
No study has set a test for readiness (our search). In the beginners' trial, 8 weekly classes reached climbs, laybacks and supported headstand variations, but no inverts. Our suggestion: once you can climb, hold a hollow and do hanging knee raises with control, invert with a teacher there, over a crash mat, and with a way down you've practised: reversing the move, or sliding down with control.
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The 2025 circus concussion consensus, written for returning to activity after a concussion, puts dance pole with Chinese pole and ranks the skills: static holds, inversions and knee hangs below 1 m and climbs to low height are lowest risk; full beats, single-plane drops and slides, slow spinning and climbs to 1 to 2 m are moderate; multi-planar drops, release moves and full-speed spinning at full height are highest. The same ladder is a sensible order for learning (our reading).
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Our handstand guide's list applies to inverts too: skip them with glaucoma unless your eye specialist agrees, while high blood pressure isn't controlled, and after a recent wrist, elbow or shoulder injury, including a shoulder dislocation; ask your heart team first with heart disease, and don't start learning them in pregnancy. Pole inverts can keep your head down for longer than a handstand (our reading).
The German surgeons' advice includes no alcohol before you pole.
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At IPSF competitions, "Athletes may use Grip products on their hands/feet/body but strictly not on the pole"; spray cans and products containing resin are banned, grip on the pole or residue that can't be removed in 1 minute costs 5 points, and the poles are cleaned before each athlete. POSA bans rosin, dance pitch, aerosol and resin-based grips. Both allow gloves only with a doctor's letter for heavy sweating.
Bruises were 60% of the injuries Polish dancers recalled. No study has looked at preventing them (our search). Our suggestion: expect some while you learn, and see a GP for bruises that appear without a knock, very large bruises, or bruises with bleeding gums or nosebleeds.
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Sliding down the pole can burn or graze the skin, and no study has measured how often (our search). The NHS advice on cuts, grazes and blisters fits these best (our reading), and its warning signs are below.
The NHS says allergic contact dermatitis can be triggered by "some metals, including nickel". POSA requires chrome or stainless steel poles, "Nickel free only", and the IPSF's norms say pole metals "should not contain products that could cause an allergic reaction". A pharmacist can help, and the NHS advises a GP for "persistent, recurrent or severe symptoms".
In the pilot trial, 8 weekly classes raised body appreciation, and in interviews pole dancers described appreciating their bodies and their community. In 20 competitive dancers, competition brought comparisons and insecurities, eased by focusing on what the body can do. In a Polish survey, pole dancers took on appearance ideals more than women who didn't pole.
Not eating enough for your training (low energy availability) harms health and performance in women and men, an international consensus says. In one small study, attempts to lose weight went with sudden injuries, and pole dancers reported more irregular periods than women who didn't pole.
No comments on bodies from teachers or classmates. Eat enough for the training you do, and see a GP if your periods stop or become irregular, or if eating or weight is worrying you; our eating disorders and menstrual cycle guides explain more.
From the IPSF Code of Points 2021 to 2024 (updated 30 January 2022) with its 2024 update, and the POSA Code of Points 2025 (approved November 2024). No study has measured these rules' effect on injuries (our search).
IPSF categories run from Pre-Novice (6 to 9, amateurs only), Novice (10 to 14) and Junior (15 to 17) to Senior, Senior 30+ and Masters 40+, 50+ and 60+, for women and men, with doubles and para pole. POSA's run from Varsity (6 to 9) through Junior A (10 to 14) and Junior B (15 to 17) to Senior and Masters 40+ and 50+, and under-18s need a parent or legal guardian present.
"Pre-novice and Novice athletes are not permitted to perform pole flips or flip outs" (IPSF). At POSA events, "Spotters are required on the stage for every performance in Varsity category", are recommended for juniors, and are allowed for seniors in difficult and risky moves.
The IPSF bans lifts above shoulder level, throwing and catching a partner off the pole, "Twisting saltos and two or more consecutive saltos without pole contact", and rotations of more than 720° on one point, and allows at most 40 seconds without touching the pole.
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"All athletes should be fit, healthy, and in the case of female athletes, not knowingly pregnant" (IPSF), with a doctor's confirmation on request; POSA's rule is similar. If "medical attention is required, the head judge must stop the programme". POSA adds: "To avoid injury, all athletes must not undertake elements they are not fully confident and secure in".
The IPSF reminds clubs and schools that anyone controlling a studio or event "has a duty to see that premises, equipment and activities are safe", and that clubs run by volunteers should still reach the same standards as employers. Neither federation sets rules for classes on mats, ages or concussion.
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Pole sport isn't an Olympic sport. The IPSF says its aim is to become a sport recognised by the International Olympic Committee one day.
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Recreational pole dancers in the UK follow the UK guidelines for grassroots sport: "If in doubt, sit them out", no return that day, NHS 111 or a healthcare professional within 24 hours, a graduated return, and no competition before day 21. Our concussion guide has the stages.
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We found no concussion policy from the IPSF or POSA in their codes or safety pages. The IPSF's code only requires the head judge to stop a routine when medical attention is needed.
A 2025 circus-specific extension of the international concussion consensus covers dance pole with the other circus disciplines. It sets 8 stages, from relative rest to performance, with inversions coming back at stage 4 and a healthcare professional's clearance before high-risk skills. Its earliest return, full training from day 8 and performance from day 9, is only for circus artists supervised by a healthcare professional trained in concussion; without one, its authors advise a slower return. In our reading, its order of skills helps teachers plan a dancer's return within the UK guidelines.
Source 24
Built on our warm-up guide and our gymnastics, dance and climbing warm-ups (editorial): no pole warm-up has been tested on injuries. The doses are those warm-ups', with the band rotations from our hypermobility routine.
Loading the 3D figure…
The movement on the figure: Shoulder CARs (controlled articular rotations)
Hangs and pulls for climbs, hanging knee raises and hollow holds for inverts, rotator cuff work in both directions, hamstring and inner-thigh strength, and grip. Each has a 3D demo.
3D demoBar hangIntermediate · Pull-up bar + A step
3D demoScapular pull-upIntermediate · Pull-up bar
3D demoInverted rowIntermediate · Pull-up bar
3D demoNegative pull-upIntermediate · Pull-up bar + A step
3D demoPull-upAdvanced · Pull-up bar
3D demoHanging knee raiseIntermediate · Pull-up bar
3D demoHollow body holdIntermediate · No equipment
3D demoStanding band external rotationBeginner · A band + An anchor point
3D demoBand internal rotationBeginner · A band + An anchor point
3D demoProne Y-T-W raisesBeginner · No equipment
3D demoNordic curlAdvanced · An anchor point
3D demoCopenhagen plankAdvanced · A bench or box
3D demoFarmer's carryBeginner · A dumbbell + A kettlebell
3D demoHalf-kneeling hip flexor stretchBeginner · No equipmentThe first two are new: a conditioning workout off the pole and a warm-up for class. The pull-up, grip, shoulder and hypermobility sessions add pulling and shoulder care; the rest add flexibility, wrists, trunk, dance strength and light exercise after a concussion.
A 45-minute session off the pole: hangs, pulls and rows, hanging knee raises, hollow holds, band rotations both ways, Nordic curls, Copenhagen planks and grip.
45 minIntermediate19 movesPull-up bar, A stepA 15-minute warm-up for pole: step jacks, skips, wrist circles and rocks, shoulder work and band rotations, cat-cow, hollow holds, leg swings and a graded hang.
15 minBeginner15 movesA band, An anchor pointTrain for your first pull-up: hangs, shoulder-blade pulls, rows, band- or machine-assisted pull-ups, slow negatives and grip work in one session.
30 minBeginner8 movesPull-up bar, A stepWork up to your first pull-up: dead hangs, scapular pulls, rows, negatives and assisted pull-ups.
25 minBeginner7 movesPull-up bar, A stepA 20-minute grip session: warm up the wrists and fingers, train the hand and forearm muscles, then carry and hang to load your grip the way everyday life does.
20 minBeginner10 movesOther / check instructions, A bandA 25-minute band routine for healthy shoulders: move the shoulder and upper back through their range, then strengthen the rotator cuff and shoulder blades.
25 minBeginner12 movesA wall, A bandA 25-minute low-load routine for hypermobile joints: hip, trunk and shoulder control plus balance, done slowly in the middle of your range.
25 minBeginner15 movesA bench or box, A wallA 30-minute antagonist workout for climbers: push-ups and presses, band rotations, Y-T-W raises and face pulls, wrist and finger extensions, and a side plank.
30 minBeginner13 movesA band, A dumbbellFront-split and middle-split days: hip flexor, hamstring and inner-thigh stretches, then strength in the stretched position. Alternate them 3 to 4 times a week.
25 minIntermediate16 movesA wall, An anchor pointA 12-minute routine to loosen tight hamstrings with strap stretches, PNF, folds and hinges.
12 minBeginner7 movesNo equipmentA 35-minute gym hamstring workout: Romanian deadlifts for the hip, seated leg curls for the knee, single-leg Romanian deadlifts, then Nordic curls when ready.
35 minIntermediate7 movesA dumbbell, Strength machineWrist mobility and forearm strength for desk work, climbing, push-ups and handstands.
10 minBeginner7 movesA wall, A dumbbellBuild toward a handstand: wrist prep, dolphin pose, pike push-ups, crow, the wall handstand and freestanding holds.
25 minAdvanced8 movesA wallA 15-minute beginner core workout on the floor: dead bugs, bird dogs, knee planks, side planks and curl-ups.
15 minBeginner6 movesNo equipmentHard core training: ab wheel rollouts, hanging leg raises, L-sits, Copenhagen planks, plank walk-ups and dragon flags.
30 minAdvanced6 movesAn ab wheel, Pull-up barA dance warm-up for class, rehearsal or performance: easy cardio, ankle circles and rises, leg swings, spine moves, turnout, balance and small jumps.
15 minBeginner16 movesA wall, A dumbbellA strength session for dancers, built on the professional ballet trial: calf and foot work, hip and trunk strength, Nordic lowers, step-downs and landings.
55 minIntermediate21 movesA wall, A stepA 10-minute cool-down for after a run, a class or a gym session: a few minutes of easy movement, stretches for the muscles you used, then slow breathing.
10 minBeginner9 movesCardio machine, A wallA 20-minute light session after a concussion: a symptom check, 10 to 15 minutes of easy cycling or walking, gentle bodyweight moves and a cool-down.
20 minBeginner8 movesCardio machine, A bench or boxTwo strength sessions a week fit around pole classes.
Two full-body strength sessions a week: the minimum that meets health guidelines, with every set, rep and rest, and an 8-week progression.
2 training days45 minBeginner3 days a weekA 12-week calisthenics plan for beginners: three bodyweight sessions a week with push-up, pull-up, squat and dip ladders, and a bar if you have one.
3 training days40 minBeginner3 days a weekA weekly workout plan for women: three strength days, cardio and pelvic floor training, with the evidence on periods, pregnancy and menopause.
3 training days45 minBeginner3 days a weekA weekly plan for women over 50: strength, bone-loading and balance on 3 days plus walking, built on UK osteoporosis consensus advice.
3 training days45 minBeginnerThe PAR-Q+ (Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire for Everyone) asks about a heart condition or high blood pressure, chest pain, dizziness or losing consciousness, other long-term conditions and their medicines, a bone or joint problem that activity could make worse, and being told to exercise only under supervision. If you answer yes to any, check with your doctor or a qualified exercise professional first, and wait if you're ill.
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The serious falls in hospital records happened mainly during inverts, without a mat or trainer, and a 1 m head-first fall broke a neck. Invert only with a teacher there, over a crash mat, low first, with a way down you've practised.
The shoulder is pole's commonest injury site, and across 6 studies hypermobile athletes had about three times the odds of a shoulder injury (low-quality evidence). Get it assessed before you load it, and leave hangs out after a recent dislocation until you're cleared. Our shoulder and hypermobility guides explain more.
Every hamstring injury in the year-long study came from front-split moves. Stop splits until it's assessed; our hamstring strain and high hamstring tendinopathy guides explain more.
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Dancers aged 40 and over took longer to recover from injuries, and IPSF categories run to Masters 60+, so age is no bar. Build up more slowly (our suggestion); our older adults and menopause guides explain more.
Our handstand guide explains that hanging fully upside down raised eye pressure from about 16 to 34 mmHg (millimetres of mercury) in one study, and blood pressure from 110/77 to 130/90 mmHg in another. Skip inverts unless your specialist agrees.
The NHS advises against sports with a risk of falling or bumping your tummy in pregnancy, and competitors must not be knowingly pregnant. Pole carries a risk of falling (our reading): don't start in pregnancy, and if you already pole, ask your midwife.
Trying to lose weight went with sudden injuries in one small study, pole dancers reported more irregular periods, and low energy availability harms health and performance. See a GP; our eating disorders and menstrual cycle guides explain more.
Bruises are common in pole, but bruises that appear without a knock, very large bruises, or bruises with bleeding gums or nosebleeds need a GP (our suggestion).
Source 22
Some metals, including nickel, can cause allergic contact dermatitis. Ask a pharmacist, or a GP if it keeps coming back.
Our epilepsy guide explains that the International League Against Epilepsy puts gymnastics in its moderate-risk group and climbing in its high-risk group. Pole isn't named; in our reading, floor work and low pole work are like gymnastics, and climbs and inverts at height like climbing. Agree it with your neurologist, and never practise alone.
At IPSF competitions, under-15s may not do pole flips, and at POSA events the youngest have a spotter on stage. Choose a qualified teacher, and see our gymnastics page's growth-spurt advice (keep flexibility rather than push it) and our children's guide.
Follow the UK guidelines: no competition before day 21. Inverts come back late, at the circus consensus's stage 4. Our concussion guide has the stages.
The NHS says to call 999 if someone has hit their head and:
If in doubt, sit them out: off the pole at once and no return that day. Get help from NHS 111 if they're being sick, feel dizzy, or were drinking alcohol at the time.
Go to A&E (accident and emergency) if you can't move your arm or your shoulder looks out of place or has changed shape. Ask for an urgent GP appointment or get help from NHS 111 for sudden or very bad shoulder pain, pins and needles that don't go away, or pain that started after a fall.
Call 999 or go to A&E if you heard a crack when you were injured, the injured part has changed shape or points at an odd angle, it's numb, tingling or has pins and needles, or the skin around it looks blue or grey or is cold. Get help from NHS 111 if you can't put any weight on it or walk more than a few steps.
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Go to A&E or call 999 if the injured arm or wrist is numb, tingling or has pins and needles, a bone is sticking out of the skin, or it has changed colour or shape or is at an odd angle.
Source 43
Ask for an urgent GP appointment or get help from NHS 111 if a wound is swollen, red and getting more painful, pus is coming out of it, or it's larger than about 5 cm; call 999 or go to A&E if it's very large or deep. Get help from NHS 111 if a blister is very painful, keeps coming back or looks infected.
Call 999 or go to A&E for back pain that started after a serious accident, or with pain, tingling, weakness or numbness in both legs, loss of feeling around your genitals or bottom, or changes in your bladder or bowels.
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Call 999 or go to A&E if symptoms of glaucoma come on suddenly: intense eye pain, a red eye, rainbow-coloured circles around bright lights, blurred vision, a headache or feeling sick. Sudden loss or blurring of vision after inverting needs checking the same day (our suggestion, as in our handstand guide).
Source 45
Call 999 if someone faints while exercising, or for sudden chest pain that doesn't go away, or pain that spreads to your arms, neck, jaw, stomach or back.
A 60-minute class measured 4.6 METs, moderate intensity, and the Compendium gives 4.5; a simulated competition routine ran at about 93% of predicted maximum heart rate, with blood lactate over 10 mmol/L.
A class burned 281.6 kcal in 60 minutes in advanced amateur women, about 4.7 kcal a minute. No pole study has measured resting metabolism or fat loss (our search), and in one small study, trying to lose weight went with sudden injuries.
The beginners' trial took women with no more than 4 previous lessons and started with walks, spins and sits, and competition categories run from age 6 to Masters 60+. No rule or study sets a body size, strength or flexibility for starting (our search).
IPSF competitions have women's and men's categories from Novice to Masters 60+, doubles and para pole, and POSA has Masters 40+ and 50+. Most dancers in the studies are women: 63 of the 66 in the year-long study.
A 1 m head-first fall from an inverted position broke and dislocated a woman's neck, and in a German hospital series, head, spine and shoulder injuries came mainly from falls during inverts, with no mat or trainer in any case.
Across sports, stretching programmes didn't prevent injuries, while strength training did; in pole, every hamstring injury in the year-long study came from front-split moves.
They're common, 60% of the injuries Polish dancers recalled, but no study has looked at what causes them or how to prevent them (our search). Bruises without a knock, or very large ones, need a GP.
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Injuries happen, about 9 per 1,000 hours of pole in the one year-long study, and serious falls from inverts are reported. No study has found long-term harm (our search), and a small trial found better mental wellbeing and body appreciation after 8 classes.
Yes. A 60-minute class averaged 4.6 METs, moderate intensity, with a heart rate of 131 beats a minute, and the Compendium gives a pole class 4.5 METs. Count it towards your 150 minutes of moderate activity a week, and its climbs and holds towards the NHS's two days of muscle-strengthening, which include exercises that use your own body weight (our reading).
In 14 advanced amateur women, a 60-minute class burned 281.6 kcal, about 4.7 a minute. Your number depends on your size and how hard you work, and our calories calculator can estimate it.
Your grip and forearms, your back, shoulders and arms for climbs and holds, your trunk to lift your hips over your head, and your inner thighs for sits and leg holds. More experienced dancers have a stronger grip, and our conditioning workout trains each of these off the pole.
In the one year-long study, the shoulder (20% of injuries) and the thigh (12%, mostly hamstrings) were hurt most often, though only 25 of its 66 dancers completed the year. Surveys add wrists and backs, and bruises were the commonest injury Polish dancers recalled. The serious injuries come mainly from falls out of inverted moves.
Injuries ran at about 9 per 1,000 hours of pole in the one year-long study, and in a survey of 320 dancers, bruises were the commonest injury and muscles, tendons and ligaments the parts most often hurt. The serious injuries in hospital records came mainly from falls during inverts, without a mat or teacher. Learn inverts with a teacher there, over a crash mat, low first.
Gripping the metal with bare skin can bruise it, especially while you learn new holds (our reading). No study has looked at preventing them. Bruises that appear without a knock, very large ones, or bruises with bleeding gums or nosebleeds need a GP.
No. In a trial of beginners with no more than 4 previous lessons, classes built up from walks and spins to climbs over 8 weeks, and competition categories run from age 6 to Masters 60+. Strength and flexibility come with training, and nobody should ever push you into a split.
The NHS advises against sports with a risk of falling in pregnancy, and competition rules say athletes must not be knowingly pregnant. Don't start in pregnancy, and if you already pole, ask your midwife.
No: the IPSF runs Masters categories to 60+ for women and men. Dancers aged 40 and over took longer to recover from injuries, so build up gradually, and check the PAR-Q+ first.
No study has set a test. In the beginners' trial, 8 classes reached climbs, laybacks and supported headstands, but no inverts. Our suggestion: once you can climb, hold a hollow and do hanging knee raises with control, and then only with a teacher, a crash mat and a way down you've practised; skip inverts with glaucoma or uncontrolled high blood pressure.
Exercise education for people who play sport, not a personal prescription or a diagnosis, and clinical review of these pages is pending. Check with a GP or physiotherapist before hard training if you have a heart condition, chest pain, dizziness or an injury that isn't settling, and stop for sharp or increasing pain. Health disclaimer.
