Guys & Pole - Callum from Christchurch Central
Know what's awesome? The pole dancing community is inclusive to anyone who's inspired by learning how to do AWESOME stuff upside down. We love introducing pole dancing to passionate people... because we know how life-changing it can be!
This post we're here to remind everyone that pole dancing is NOT just for women and we'd like to introduce you to another one of our male pole dancers. Introducing Callum from our Christchurch Central studio.
So, Callum, how long have you been pole dancing for?
I've been poling for probably somewhere in the range of 3 years, including around 9 months I, unfortunately, had to take off through the second half of 2018 and beginning of this year whilst injured.
What made you decide to give pole dancing a try?
Does Joe Astell (@joes_lifeventures) count as an answer??
In all seriousness I was quite heavily into training hand balance and callisthenics at the time and happened to run into Joe at The Base, some of the stuff he was pulling off on the stage pole there was incredible and what can I say it got me curious. Still here now, so I guess that curiosity wound up evolving into a bit of an obsession, huh?
What was it like when you first started?
Terrifying. Well maybe not quite that drastic but showing up to level 1 knowing no one and seeing no guys was certainly a little nerve-racking.
That said the community is awesome, they get you out of your shell pretty quick and also out of far more clothes than you had anticipated now that I think about it.
What's it like now?
I'd say after I got past the initial nervousness not much has changed since. You finally reach those year-long-or-more goals but you always have another one on the go, it's easy to not see how far you've come, I think. Looking back on some of the old photos and videos while trying to work out how long I've been doing this really shows me the light-years of difference in strength and ability compared to the start.
That said I think the mindset is mostly the same. Always some other awe-inspiring peak to chase whether that's from instructors and people immediately around you, or Instagram there's always an awesome supportive group of people pushing you towards that new cool thing.
Which polers inspire you the most?
Oooohh tough picks: Ken Kao, Evgeny, superstrongjeremy, gaborrayo to name a few!
What would you say to any guy thinking about giving it a go?
Go for it!
It may feel a little slow to start depending on what you're immediately in it for but you'll get hooked in no time, everyone is hugely welcoming and you'll find yourself pulling off some fitness things you never thought possible.
So... have we convinced you? Sound like something you'd like to try out? Click the links below to get in touch with a studio near you! We'd love to have you! ✌️
