Pole fitness flies as mainstream workout

After graduating from mortuary college in 2011, Tor’keese Moss was looking for some relaxation and a whole body exercise routine when she discovered the benefits of pole fitness.

What started as a way to get in shape and tone her own muscles quickly turned into an entrepreneurial enterprise that resulted in Moss opening and operating a successful dance and fitness studio in her hometown of Myrtle Beach.

While poling has a history in the Chinese culture of men doing calisthenics, in America it has been more commonly associated with gentlemen’s entertainment clubs. However, over the last decade, pole dancing — or pole fitness — has become a global rage, turning the negative views of using the pole back into something positive.

This year, the Arnold Schwarzenegger Sports Festival, held in Columbus, Ohio, included the Pole Championship Series in its competitions. Additionally, the International Pole Sports Federation has been pressing to get pole dancing for both men and women included in the 2016 Olympics.

While pole fitness may appeal primarily to younger generations, USA gymnastics champion Greta Pontarelli, 63, took up pole dancing to stave off osteoporosis. She reportedly hopes to inspire other senior citizens to take up the sport for total body fitness.

The good news is, you do not have to be a gymnast or even strong to get started. The bottom line, said Moss, is that exercising through use of the pole works the entire body, relying solely on your own body weight. The results include greater strength, endurance and flexibility in an atmosphere of fun and comradery.

Moss said for her, using pole fitness to tone and strengthen her core has been a fun adventure. “Ever since I took my first class, I’ve loved it,” she said. “It was different.”

The exercise was so different from traditional fitness routines offered in gyms, in fact, Moss immediately started planning to open her own business to include both hip-hop dance classes and pole fitness.

In the beginning, she said, “It was something a lot of people would say, ‘You want to do what?’”

While finding a location and the stigma of pole dancing were obstacles for Moss to overcome, the greater obstacle was finding a qualified instructor. Her initial idea was to visit some of the local strip clubs and hire someone to instruct for her business. As it turned out, her timing was perfect to capture the expertise of certified pole fitness instructor Valerie Reyes, who was offering private pole instruction after retiring from a 12-year career as a pole dancer in a local club.

Moss collaborated with Reyes, who became lead instructor at Teazers Pole Fitness & Dance Studio, which opened in 2013. In addition to Teazers, classes also are offered at Surfside Beach’s Wicked Fitness Yoga Studio.

Moss and Reyes say their relationship works perfectly, with Moss handling the business end, while Reyes, at 5-foot-2 inches and 115 pounds of pure muscle, handles the classes.

Reyes, 31, gained certification in Las Vegas in 2011. She said pole climbing is her “passion,” and she enjoys watching beginners gain their confidence.

Since instructing at Teazers, Reyes said she has developed muscle tone and “six-pack abs” she never had as a dancer.

“What [pole fitness] has done to my body is amazing,” Reyes said.

Here is how it works

Utilizing the pole for stability, movements engage long and short muscles to improve core fitness, torching calories while toning. Pole fitness is said to compel major muscle groups to work in synergy.

Beginners quickly become familiar with the terms inverted and flying — terms that can be intimidating to the novice. However, with training broken down into six levels, participants progress every six weeks, learning techniques that grow increasingly more difficult and how to use the pole to hang upside down (invert) or progress up the pole to perform aerial maneuvers (fly).

Reyes sees herself as the “motivator,” helping class participants, who happen to be mostly women, enjoy a workout in an atmosphere that inspires laughter and self-confidence.

For naysayers who only relate working the pole in a negative context, she says, “My studio is not about sensuality; it is about fitness. There’s a broad line between fitness and being a stripper. I was just an entertainer there, and now I’m just a teacher.”

Just take the first step

Zig Ziglar once said, “You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.” Using this quote as its mantra, Teazers challenges people of all ages to begin an enjoyable workout routine.

Moss said Teazers stands for fun and fitness. Participants have included people from all occupations, including doctors, lawyers, college students, a midwife and even out-of-area students on spring break looking for something fun to do, she said. Moss gained her own upper body strength by progressing through the class levels. “It is what helps you get stronger,” she said.

She said some women are uncomfortable lifting weights in the gym. “Why lift weights when you can lift your own body weight and workout in a feminine environment with music and a lot of fun?” she said, adding that class participants cheer each other’s successes.

Phoebe Morrison, 21, a marketing student at Coastal Carolina University, accepted the fitness challenge when she started lessons at Teazers last November. Morrison quickly fell in love with the workout after accompanying a friend to class.

“It’s a very vigorous workout, so your muscles learn very quickly, because you have to hold your own body weight,” Morrison said. While she sometimes gets strange looks when she explains her workout routine, she sees pole fitness as a rapidly growing sport.

“If you say pole fitness in Myrtle Beach, people are automatically going to think stripper, but that isn’t the case, and it shouldn’t be,” Morrison said. “I know that thought bothers Valerie because she wants people to think of it as a true fitness course, which it is. It’s fun and gives you a chance to really laugh at yourself because it is a completely different experience.”

Wearing a “Jesus is Lord, Can I Get an Amen” T-shirt to class recently, Jodi Outlaw, 25, said she attends classes for the fitness and “because it is really working.” She said other members of her church have taken the classes, and she has not felt stigmatized.

“I can feel the change in my muscle definition,” she said. “My arms and back are feeling it. I am so excited, and I can’t wait to keep going.”

Kate Ropposch, 28 and an employee at CCU, said she began classes to get back in shape after having a baby. “It helped give me my confidence back completely,” she said. She said the stigma of taking pole-related classes falls away once people understand it is a fitness workout and they see the results.

After her introductory class, 35-year-old Conway resident and floral studio owner Ravin Session was eager for more. “I’m excited. I love a challenge, so if I don’t know it, I’ll go home and practice till I get it,” she said.

Ready to purchase a pole for home fitness training, Session said, “I want to go all the way to the top [of the pole]. I always wanted to learn pole dancing. It’s a more fun way to exercise than the treadmill, and you use all your body parts — to me, it’s like ballet on a pole.”

It is easy to envision that when watching Reyes, as she effortlessly glides upward, ultimately balancing atop the pole on her abdomen, hands and legs, gracefully stretched outward. It is an amazing feat that takes time and practice to conquer.

Helping Reyes teach pole fitness at Teazers are Areille Chisolm, 25, and Amber “A.J.” Johnson, 31.

Chisolm graduated from CCU last year with a degree in interdisciplinary studies with a focus on art and dance therapy. A Level 5 pole fitness student, she said she started the classes because she was looking for a workout to avoid running, an exercise she “really, really hates.”

After serving in the Army and breaking her back in a training accident, Johnson used pole fitness as a way to regain strength and flexibility without putting strain on her back. A former burlesque-type dancer, she helps teach classes while working to lose weight and gain muscle strength.

In addition to the various pole fitness and hip-hop classes, the calendar at Teazers is constantly expanding. Currently, offerings include Pole Conditioning, Bendy Diva Stretch, Sensual Chair, Booty Camp, Rockin’ Stilleto Dance, Hula Hoop Dance and Twerkout Workout. Moss said her next step is to bring Aerial Silk classes to the studio.

This story was originally published April 10, 2015 at 2:00 AM with the headline "Pole fitness flies as mainstream workout."