Legs like Madonna Challenge

Last weekend I travelled four thousand miles to see the pop icon of the century, my #1 fitness inspiration, Madonna, perform at her sell-out Sticky and Sweet concert. Her performance sent me into a frenzy. Her music is my favourite to work out to, not only because it is great and she is a pop princess, but also because of what she represents for me and millions of others as a fitness icon. She has consistently raised the bar on her fitness and her current condition is now, in my opinion, the ultimate peak for any woman, much less one of 50 years of age.

For two and a half hours, she outdanced all of her dancers, most of whom must have been half her age.

Without stopping she was jumping rope, dancing, sliding, kicking, skipping, running and all at the same time, singing her heart out. Her energy was electric and non-stop, the stamina and endurance that she had was worthy of any marathon runner or triathlete. And now I will go on about how great she looked. I can only say that I have yet to see any woman of 50 dance on a pole dancing in micro shorts without a mere crinkle or crease much less a fold or a flap to show for it. Madonna’s body gives new definition to the terms “tight and toned”. Without even a smithereen of fat on her, her muscle tone is spread out evenly and beautifully like a piece of art throughout her entire body. If Michelangelo were alive today, there is no doubt that she would be the next female form of David.

UP TO THE CHALLENGE?
If you have always wanted to have a body like the Queen of Pop herself, and you are ready to raise your game in the fitness department, then who better to get inspired by than Madonna herself? This is summer, season of shorts, and by the look of things in the fashion department, the shorts only seem to get shorter as the place heats up. It’s an invitation to target one of the most attractive aspects of the female physique. your legs and butt. Even though it is true that every woman’s legs will take a different shape and form, and not everyone will end up with a pair of gams like Madame “M”, every woman’s pair of legs is unique to her body, and can look amazing with a few key moves to keep them at their best.
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Layton » It’s like gymnastics, said pole fitness competitor Becca Butcher.

But instead of a balancing beam or parallel bars, there’s a pole.

And it was that last feature that stirred a slight controversy over whether Saturday’s Pole Fetish 2009 competition should be canceled.

Davis County owns the Davis Conference Center, where the event was held, and several weeks ago, county commissioners were concerned the performances might be closer to “adult entertainment.”

But the private contractor that manages and books events at the center met with Pole Fetish 2009 promoters and the event continued.

“They felt comfortable in allowing it to go forward,”

Nichole Smith competing in Pole Fetish 2009 Saturday at the Davis Convention Center. The competition was billed as Utah’s first pole fitness competition. (Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune)

said Commissioner Bret Millburn. “Hopefully, it is what it is.”

And that’s an amazing way to tone your body, said Butcher, a mother of two who has also studied martial arts for about 20 years.

“Hopefully, tonight will break a lot of misconceptions,” she said .

Her family is very religious, she said, and her father, mother, brother and sister-in-law came to the event because they support her and “see it for what it is.”

Ogden’s Adult Dance & Fitness, along with Studio Soiree in Salt Lake City, sponsored the event — the first of its kind in Utah, said Meagan Burroughs, owner of the Ogden studio. She hopes pole fitness will become an Olympic sport.

Burroughs teaches pole fitness along with ballroom, hip-hop and other dancing.

“They always come back,” she said of people who take the pole aerobics workout. “I’ve never had someone go into a program and think they were stripping.”

And there were a few ground rules for Pole Fetish 2009:

“We don’t want any catcalling. We don’t want any tips,” the night’s hostess, Debra White, told the audience. “Let’s keep this clean and have fun.”

Performers were required to keep on the same clothes from start to finish, as well as wear something that covered breasts and buttocks. Most performers wore shorts and sports bras. Footwear varied from nothing to ballet slippers and even plastic platforms.

West Jordan resident Susan Hintze had associated poles with more exotic activities, but changed her perspective after taking pole fitness classes. She came to Pole Fetish 2009 to cheer on her instructor.

“I’ve gained such a respect for the beauty of movement and self-expression.”

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POLE-DANCING is casting off its sleazy sex-club image as more women than ever give it a whirl as a great way to keep fit.

The gymnastic workout involves a series of moves carried out to music which strengthens and tones most of the muscle groups.

Mum-of-three Tracey Huckfield, 29, has introduced around 200 women to the sport since starting her business Pagan’s Pole three years ago.

Tracey works from home in Valley, Anglesey, where a pole takes centre-stage in the living room and a full-sized mirror helps students to monitor their movements.

Tracey first took to the pole when she was studying for her psychology degree at Bangor University and liked it so much she decided to turn it into a career.

“I’ve got the perfect job really because I’m doing something I love and the vast majority of my clients have become friends,” said Tracey, who is also qualified to teach aerobics.

“The initial thing I do is teach a routine that allows a student to become familiar with the grips of the pole and builds confidence into their upper body strength.

“The girls bring a me a song of their choice and I choreograph a routine to that song.

“I’m more of a trickster than a dancer and will put up to ten tricks into a routine but that is pushing yourself to the limit and it’s more gymnastics and aerial skills.

“We’re trying to change the name to pole-fitness to try and get away from the stereotypical image of the sex industry and there’s a petition going round to try and get it into the 2012 olympics as a sport,” she said.

Nadine Challinor, 24, from Amlwch, started pole-dancing with Tracey four months ago and thinks it’s a lot more fun than going to a gym.

Naomi Harries, 31, is also from Valley and said she couldn’t believe how toned she felt after her first pole-dancing lesson.

“I’ve had three lessons now and I love it, it’s fantastic and a great way to keep fit and so much fun,” said Naomi.

“The work-out is unbelievable and I will get my own pole eventually
when I can afford it.

“I would encourage people to try it because it’s a great confidence booster and it’s a full-body work out,” she said.