Remember when you were a little kid and you would spend the entire day rearranging and reorganising your room? Once this very important mission was accomplished, you’d announce it to the whole family and give them a walking tour of your new-and-improved space, complete with commentary and well- timed pauses for the oohs and ahhs of admiration. Changing up your favourite space really projected those “new room, new me” vibes into the universe, and there is something to be said for the feeling of creating a place you love to be in.

Our pole dancing spaces are no different. It’s easier to feel motivated and ready to take an online pole dancing class, if you have an area dedicated to it. You might be lucky enough to have a whole pole room, like a spare bedroom or garage. Or it might be a section of a larger area of the house, like a living room or kitchen. Regardless of the room your pole is set up in, there are a few things that can really make a difference to the area and how you feel about using it for online pole dancing classes.

Here are some must-haves for creating the best space for pole dancing at home!

A pole – duh!

Having a quality pole dancing pole for home is SO important. It’s obvious that you need a home pole to take online pole classes with, but safety should be your number one priority when choosing a pole for your home.

Reputable suppliers like X-Pole, have been supplying poles to dancers for home use since 2004 after noticing that pole dancing for exercise was becoming super popular. For almost 2 decades, X-Pole have been evolving with the pole dance industry to create home poles engineered specifically for the tricks and spins we perform. The poles can be fixed to the ceiling or pressure-mounted without fixtures for people who rent. They even have “stage poles” which come with a base and the top of the pole isn’t fixed to anything.

X-poles have been designed especially for pole “sport” and if mounted correctly, will be able to handle the load we place on them. There are different types of poles available online, but many cheaper poles are not built for pole dancing tricks or spins. Essentially any kind of momentum or pressure, will generally have these cheaper, less sturdy versions falling to floor. And you along with it!

It’s really important to do your research when purchasing a pole for home – ask around at your local pole dancing studio, ask in pole dancing Facebook groups and online forums and check how reputable your supplier is. The price of a pole for home should not outweigh the cost of your safety!

Once you have your pole set-up at home, check your pole regularly to make sure it’s level and fixed securely. If you live in Australia and have questions, check in with The Pole Doctor AKA Toby J who can perform home pole check-ups and video consultations.

Music

There has been so much research conducted on how music can affect mood and physical performance. A study by Karageorghis in 2010 found that listening to music you enjoy while exercising will improve the quality of your workout by increasing stamina and putting you in a great mood. So, it’s a no brainer that having some great tunes pumping while you pole dance at home is essential!

Music can really uplift your mood after a long day at work or get you fired up and ready for an early morning pole session. Trying to time your new tricks, combos and floorwork to a song you enjoy is a great way to train and try combos at different speeds. Music can also act as a great distraction from the pole burn and failed attempts that happen in the learning process.

Our top tip is to warm up to your favourite jams before a PoleSphere lesson, so that your body AND mind are both ready to jump on the pole. Music taste could always be debated (hi Nickelback fans) but as long as you are happy and unlocking pole goals, we don’t mind if you are hitting tricks to Stevie Nicks or smashing it out to the Smashing Pumpkins!

Lighting

It can be tricky having awesome lighting in your pole space at home, but you don’t need to go too crazy. Sometimes having low lighting can help you feel like a total badass when dancing that slinky chorey. However, when you’re training tricks, it’s important to be able to see the pole you’re landing on! Have a lamp to set the mood or perhaps put up some neon LED light strips or fairy lights – all which you can easily by from stores in your area.

The lighting in your pole space is totally up to you – what is accessible and what makes you feel great! But lighting can really make such a difference to the vibes of the room – have you ever been at a nightclub at closing and they turn the house lights on? Yep. Our point exactly!

Equipment

Setting yourself up for pole wins during your PoleSphere classes can also mean setting up your space with what you need. It’s so easily to get distracted when pole training at home, so ducking out to find a Theraband can easily turn into “let’s start dinner and throw a load of washing on”. Not exactly the pole- goals mentality we are aiming for!

Make sure you stock up on the staples you need to do a pole workout at home. A yoga or exercise mat is a must, as is blocks and a resistance band or Theraband for stretching. Some 1.5kg and 3kg dumbbells are also great to have handy and even some ankle weights to train your inverts! Booty bands are a great item to have tucked away for those times you’re feeling like building your booty for twerking. And don’t forget to have a foam roller and a spiky massage ball ready to roll out your body after a big pole dancing week.

All of the above items can be found at your local sports stores or online. Buy a small tub or basket you can pop the workout equipment into so that it’s all in one place ready for you to use.

Crash mat

Couch cushions can get you a long way but investing in a proper pole dancing crash mat might be worth considering for at home pole dancing classes. Pole dancing crash mats differ in size and density, so ask around at your pole studio or online to find out what people are using and which ones work well for

their spaces. Lupit Pole have a range of pole dancing crash mats which fit nicely around the base of the pole and have some suited to stage bases.

Safety always comes before sexy when learning pole dancing at home, so make sure you train safe and when in doubt – whip the crash mat out!

Let’s get techy

Taking an online pole dancing class or tutorial requires two very important things – internet and a device to watch the classes on!

When setting up your pole space at home, make sure you consider the technology needed. Where will you be setting up your laptop, TV or device to watch the class on? Are there power points nearby so that you don’t get a flat laptop battery halfway through (nothing kills the mood like a limp battery, right?!).

Is there a small table you can put your device on which is safe from swinging legs and stilettos? Also consider if the internet will be speedy at that end of the house to avoid frustration and delayed streaming.

Thinking about your tech set-up can make all the difference to the experience of taking virtual pole classes. Pole dancing can be confusing enough without trying to squint at a screen to see what’s going on!

The icing on the cake

Now we are up to the fun bit – decorating your pole space! What’s a cake without delicious icing and decorations, and your pole room should be no different. Depending on your budget and who you share the space with, you can do almost anything – though housemates may not be in favour of renovating floors so that they are dance worthy!

Some of our favourite items to add to a pole room are:

• A large mirror so you can see yourself doing tricks and chorey to speed up the learning process
• Plants of course – because pole dancers are equally plant and animal obsessed
• A small tripod so that you can mount your phone to record the awesome skills you have just mastered on PoleSphere. Like, did it even happen if you didn’t record it?!
• A candle or reed diffuser – it covers the smell of the metho used to clean your pole!
• All the SHOES! Surround yourself with your favourite pole dancing heels and boots, sashies or anything else that helps you feel inspired to get on the pole!Creating the ultimate space for pole dancing at home can really increase your motivation and focus to achieve pole dancing goals! Training at home can be challenging but creating a small zone for yourself to shut out the world for an hour or so, can really help you feel inspired to pole dance. Spend a weekend designing your at home pole sphere and take your pole dance training out of this world!

  

References: Karageorghis, C.I., Priest, D.L., Williams, L.S., Hirani, R.M., Lannon, K.M., & Bates, B.J. (2010). Ergogenic and psychological effects of synchronous music during circuit-type exercise. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 11(6), 551-559. Retrieved from National Center for Health Research, https://www.center4research.org/can-listening- music-improve-workout/.