Pole Lunge Exercise

You don't need to take the back knee all the way to the floor if you're new to lunges. Instead, just focus on control and good form.

Use a light grip on the pole, keeping your hand in place. Resist the temptation to move it higher, as this will allow you to use more upper body strength to come out of the lunge. And that won't give you tight buns!

As you lower into the lunge, keep your chest lifted and your tail bone tucked under. Leaning forward will make this exercise much less effective, and could cause knee strain. Notice in this picture that the knee is over the heel, not forward over the toes.


In contrast, this picture shows the wrong way to do the pole lunge exercise. Notice that the foot is too far from the base of the pole, and the arm is bent.

This allows the body to tip forward, and also allows the knee to come forward over the toes.

This type of movement can lead to knee problems and is not effectively targeting the muscles we want to work.

OK, back to the right way to do the pole lunge exercise...

Now for the hard part...squeeze your butt muscles to lift your body back up to the starting point. And try NOT to use your arm.

Of course, you will need to use that arm a little, but put the focus of your effort on your butt muscles. I tell my students to try to relax the biceps muscles as they lift, and to imagine they're squeezing a million dollar bill between their cheeks.

In other words, think of squeezing the butt muscles of the standing leg in order to rise back up again. This is where all the work (and benefit) comes in, so don't start cheating now!

If you've never done a lunge before, you may only be able to do 3 or 4 on each leg before your form deteriorates. That's OK, we all have to start somewhere! It's better to do 3 lunges with excellent form, than 8 with with poor form.

Work up to 12 lunges on each leg. By the time you're able to do this with relative ease, you should be getting all kinds of great comments on your new back end!

Here are some quick reminders for this exercise:

• Do know your fitness level. This type of lunge is not for beginners! (I explain easier and more challenging variations of all the exercises on my pole exercises DVD)


• Keep your body upright as you lower into the lunge, without leaning forward. Imagine your pole has a force field around it and no part of your body, including your knee, can move any closer to it as you lunge.


• Don't go too low at first. When you're ready to try this exercise, start off with a smaller lunge that's not as deep, until you get the hang of it.


• Don't allow your front knee to go past your toe when you lower into the lunge. Proper alignment is key to preventing knee injury with this exercise.


• Try to use only your butt muscles to lift yourself out of the lunge. You will need to use some arm strength, but if you want tight buns, don't let your upper body take over!

Want More Pole Exercises?

Be sure to check out...

Need more ideas for pole dancing exercises?

• Sitting Pole Up Exercise

• Pole Dancer Stretch - adapted from yoga

• Pole Knee Lift Exercise - develop core and upper body strength

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