Fitness Revolution … Around A Pole!

Posted March 25, 2013 12:47 pm by healthclubnews

TRAVERSE CITY – There is a fitness revolution taking place in Traverse City’s Warehouse District. Gone are the dumbbells, the treadmills, the spinning and the showy grunting. In its place, you’ll find Studio S Fitness.

Upon entering Studio S, you’ll notice a distinct lack of clutter. In addition, you’ll find pristine hardwood floors, walls lined with mirrors and a row of floor to ceiling poles. Yes poles. This fitness revolution draws upon that slightly stigmatized instrument in its effort to provide a full body workout, one that not only produces convincing results; it drops in a whole lot of fun in the process.

“The idea of bringing pole fitness to Traverse City was hatched by the original owner of the studio, Sherry White,” said current Studio S owner Kristina Nichols. “Sherry had tried pole fitness in 2005, and after her first spin she was hooked. She purchased a pole and began practicing every day until she just had to share with her friends. She installed a second pole so she could teach the wonderful benefits from pole fitness.

“Not only were her friends impressed with the transformation of their bodies, but the self-esteem and confidence they took with them after only one session was enough to make Sherry take the plunge. The doors opened in January 2010, and we’ve been spinning ever since.”

“I was one of those who Sherry introduced to pole fitness in her home before the studio was even open,” said Nichols. “Shortly after the studio opened, I began taking classes, and occasionally teaching. I purchased Studio S in December of 2011.”

Those who have grown accustomed to their normal gym membership often ask Nichols how Studio S compares to a gym workout.

“Well,” says Nichols, “the feather boas and poles aside, unlike a gym – full of cardio and weight machines – at Studio S your body is your resistance machine. Pole fitness truly works every muscle in your body as you work to execute spins and climbs. It incorporates cardio work within dance moves, and as you advance your skills, you begin to use your body weight to leverage yourself into complicated balances and inversions in mid-air.

“While I love to feel fit, I hate to exercise,” she said. “One of my mottos is ‘I will only run if something large and hairy is chasing me in a life-threatening situation.’ But, pole fitness is truly so much fun that you can forget it’s a workout. That is until the next day when you realize that every muscle in your body is sore from it.

“And, for those that still like a little pseudo-traditional body toning, we also offer Zumba, and a body toning class called Tush and Tummy”

Nichols admits that the poles can initially appear daunting

“The poles can look intimidating at first. Almost everyone asks ‘will this really hold me up?’ In our intro level classes, we start with basic terminology, basic spins and transitions, and we usually tell you that in your first class, half your workout will be from laughing at yourself as you try the moves,” she said.

“While it comes very naturally to some, let’s face it, most of us don’t go swinging around a pole regularly in our everyday lives. We begin to teach people climbing and inverting at their own pace as their skill, confidence and strength grows,” Nichols explained.

Those who have taken to the pole over the years have included a wide range of women who come from an even greater range of backgrounds.

“We serve a huge range of clients at Studio S,” says Nichols. “Our age range falls everywhere between 18 and around 60, and our client’s backgrounds are just as diverse as their ages. We have students, doctors, teachers, lawyers, personal trainers, retail clerks, office assistants. Our clients are married, single, divorced, parents, empty-nesters, etc.”

For many of the clients at Studio S, this type of workout becomes rather addictive. To them it’s more than just a workout; it’s an enjoyable, confidence-boosting, empowering experience amongst friends.

Pole Fitness

“There are too many things to name that I enjoy about this workout,” Nichols stated. “A huge part of the draw for me has been the inspiration of seeing amazing performers from the pole community, and just being in awe of the skills and talent that they have, which drives me to personally be able to achieve the same thing. If they can do this amazing gravity-defying feat, then so can I! It’s the personal challenge to achieve more.”

Studio S Fitness offers memberships as well as $12 drop-in rates. They’ll be hosting an open house on April 6 from 2-4 p.m. for folks who are curious and thinking about joining the pole community. More information on Studio S Fitness can be found at studiosfitness.com.