What to wear to pole?

Seasoned polers enjoy choosing their next pole outfit, they mix and match through multiple options, wait in anticipation for their online purchases to arrive, and sometimes even wear their pole clothes around the house (...or is that just me?). However, for new polers it can be the sole reason they don't step into a studio! It can be incredibly intimidating and uncomfortable as they think to themselves: 'Is it really necessary to wear that...little?' 

So, what do I wear to pole and more importantly WHY to do I wear what I wear to pole? If you're completely new to pole, bike shorts and a tight t-shirt will suffice but it won't be long till that extra material is getting in the way. So you really want to wear things that are tight, easy to move in, and cover only the essentials. You want to start with the basics: a sports bra and tight sports bottoms. 

And WHY?! Well, here's it put simply:

You need your skin as grip to hold onto the pole. Knees, armpits, inside of the elbow, inner thighs, neck, waist, shins - are only some of the areas of your body you'll need to use as grip. Imagine holding yourself up on the pole while wearing wooly gloves....not gonna happen. The same goes for other parts of your body which sometimes function as hands to hold yourself up. Yes someday you will be strong enough to grip the pole through leggings but until that day comes it'll be near impossible advancing until you've learned how to really sink your skin into the pole. 

And really, that's it! That's the reason why polers need to wear a minimum amount of clothing. 'But my sports bra is so ugly! It belong under my clothes...' fear not fair lady! For there are endless options of pole apparel that is NOT to be worn under clothing! But that I'll leave for a later post...