What Do You Learn in a Pole Level 1 Class?

New to pole? Boy am I jealous.

While I certainly won’t miss the new bruises and pole “kisses” (ie. friction burns), aches in muscles I didn’t know I had, and that overwhelming, “this is a lot harder than I thought it would be” feeling, there are so many wonderful things about trying pole for the first time.

But if I had to pick a favorite… the best thing about being new to pole is experiencing the weightlessness and pure joy of spinning for the first time.

Luckily, in Level 1 classes, you’ll get plenty of spin time. But what else can you expect? Here’s what most standard level 1 pole classes will cover:

The Basic Format of a Level 1 Class

Obviously curriculum varies from studio to studio, but at least in my classes and at most places I’ve been a student myself, a level 1 class almost always includes all of the following:

Warm-up: anywhere from 15 minutes to 30 minutes, depending on the length of the class. Expect gentle joint movements, light stretching, and conditioning on the floor to “turn on” the muscles you’ll need for class and build strength for future sessions.

PSST, I really like this one from Kelsey Janay if you’re working out at home. Freel free to swap the splits for an extra hamstring stretch if needed!

On-Pole Conditioning: pole crunches, pole pole ups, and some “warming your pole” type movements (dip turns, for example) are standard fare.

Home polers, this is a pretty thorough conditioning workout that takes about 15 minutes and has handy time stamps. The workout starts at 2:15:

Spins: self-explanatory! Expect fairly simple spins, often with three points of contact (ie. both hands and a knee or ankle).

Transitional/Dance Movements: a nice rest for your grip and builds your repertoire of connecting movements to build flows and sequences. These can include pole work (dip turns or pirouettes), transitional moves from floor to pole or pole to floor (pole slides or bridges, or thread the needle), and/or floorwork, like prances, shoulder rolls, crawls, or spin “get ups.”

Power Moves: I’d put climbing into this category, and any “holds,” like a basic sit or knee hold, or a tough dymanic move like a carousel kick or fan kick.

Freestyle: this is an opportunity to review what you’ve learned in class and start linking movements together in a flow. I like to challenge my students to just keep moving, even if they blank out. Walking circles around the pole is totally acceptable!

(Home dancers, this is a lovely combo to try from Sammy Piccone that incorporates a dip turn, backhook spin, fan kick, and very groovy transitional/floor pirouettey things (the technical term, I believe 😛).

Cool Down: expect some gentle stretching and a little love for wrists and forewarms. Not all studios or classes make time for this, so if your level 1 class skips it, be sure to take a few moments after class to warm down and stretch.

(Home dancers, trying this cool-down from PoleFreaks—the audio is super clear so you can leave any background music on!