Pole2Pole Magazine The Worlds First Pole Dance Magazine

What is a stretch or stretching?

When we are stretching we are aiming to legthen the muscle, this is done by deliberately elongating the muscle -usually by holding a position or using equipment - it depends on what kind of stretch you are performing. But lets stick with the basics for now.
So now you know what is going on with your body when you are stretching we can move on....

Why we stretch & what are the benefits?

Ever wondered how people get into those wonderful positions on the pole? Well it is probably because they spend time doing their stretches. Anyone can stretch, most people can do the splits (you can do a test to make sure you are able to perform the side splits - I recomend you have a look on the internet for this) you do not need to learn the splits, you can with correct training and regular stretching be able to do the splits at any age, providing that your body will allow you to of course! A good stretch can help relax muscles and improve sports coordination.

So streching should be performed after a warm up, you will injure or tear your muscles if you stretch them when they are cold, but you can stretch before (prep stretch) and after a workout (developmental stretch)
Stretching may reduce injuries, increase performance, help to prepare your body for the exercise/workout, increase the range of motion about a joint and increase flexibility. All those things should help you and your body while you are on the pole!

How & What to stretch............

We already know we are trying to gently lengthen the muscles that we are about to use or that we have just used, so you need to make sure you are stretching the correct muscles and muscle groups before you begin your stretching session, you need to do it right to get the benefits. The following list should help you with planning your stretches -

Front of the body - Starting from the top.

Neck (levator scapulae)
Traps (upper trapezius)
Shoulders (deltoids)
Chest (pectoralis)
Triceps (triceps brachii)
Biceps (biceps brachii)
Forearm (brachioradialis)
Abs (rectus abdominis)
Quads (quadriceps)

The Back of the body -Starting from the top

Forearm (brachioradialis)
Biceps (biceps brachii)
Shoulders (deltoids)
Triceps (triceps brachii)
Traps (upper trapezius)
Lats (latissimus dorsi)
Middle Back (rhomboids)
Lower Back (lower trapezius)
Glutes (gluteus maximus and medius)
Hamstrings (biceps femoris)
Calves (gastrocnemius)

Remember -

You can ask your pole/fitness instructor for help and check your form, and you can use the pole to help keep your body in alignment and to hold your stretch, using the pole should also help to make sure you stretch both sides equally. I like to check in the mirror aswell.


It very important to remember that you must stretch correctly, you risk injury and even tearing of a muscle if you are not using the correct technique. Always stretch when you are WARM or you have warmed up. It is also recommended that you do not bounce a stretch, again you can cause an injury, hold the stretch insted. You may feel some tightness or slight discomfort, you should not feel any pain! And breath.......

There is much debate on if it is beneficial to use a preparatory stretch (after a warm up but before a workout) It is up to you if you want to choose when in your excercise regime that you include a stretch session.
The recommended times for holding types of stretches are as follows -

Prep/Pre Stretch (before a workout) - 6-10 seconds
Cool Down/Developmental Stretch (after a workout)  10-30 seconds


You can build up and add time to each stretch as you improve.
Sport-specific stretches are focusing on the muscles that are used for your particular sport,think about this when plan your stretches.

Points -

Don't stretch cold muscles
Don't bounce or force your body untill you feel pain
Breath and relax
Stretch as much as possible - everytime you exercise
Improvments in flexibility comes with time and patience