ST. GEORGE — Five years ago, at age 22, Kiesha Paulus was in search of a fitness program that would capture and keep her attention.

“I was barely 110 pounds soaking wet,” Paulus said.

After short-lived attempts with CrossFit and quickly becoming bored at the gym, Paulus received a gift lesson at Southern Utah Pole Dance.

“Pole (fitness) was the only thing that kept my attention,” she said. “It is always changing. Even when I think I mastered something, there are so many different variations I couldn’t possibly get bored.”

Paulus trained and quickly bonded with the instructors and students.

“I had so much fun at my first class that I just kept going back and I never stopped,” Paulus said.

While Southern Utah Pole Dance did not survive the COVID-19 pandemic, it did not prevent the instructors and enthusiasts from pursuing their passion. Instructor Mishel Goodrich built a studio in her garage and continued to hold classes.

The makeshift studio not being conducive to St. George’s scorching summer weather plus an increase in clients made expansion necessary. In April 2022, Goodrich, along with her sister Alyssa Goodrich, and Paulus, opened Studio Invert.

The studio currently operates as a team of six including the former owner/instructor of Southern Utah Pole Dance Annie Berry. Together, they tracked down a dingy office space and converted it with their own hands into the bright, inviting and professional pole fitness studio.

“It is kind of a dream come true for all of us because we never thought we would become teachers ourselves,” Paulus said.

No longer for the naughty

Before pole dancing took over the strip club industry, it was a form of dance and entertainment for centuries across the globe. In the past few decades, pole workouts evolved from the adult entertainment scene slowly separating from connotations of the barely clothed.

Now it has become an alternative fitness outlet sought for many reasons: to add sensuality to one’s life, mental focus, relaxation or a supplement to additional athletic training while incorporating art and beauty. Pole fitness includes learning how to have controlled climbs, inversions, holds and spins executed on a floor-to-ceiling bar, all requiring a buildup of patience and tremendous strength.

Those who want to tread lightly in pole fitness can start with a beginner class. A beginner pole class focuses on upper body strength and core in order to learn basic spins and holds while also conditioning skin to the pole, which can be sensitive at first.

Studio Invert offers strength and stretch options, so fitness enthusiasts don’t need to head to the gym for leg presses. This class leverages the pole for exercises yet limits the skin contact to the pole.

All demographics are represented including men who want to work on their core strength and master some pole tricks. Anyone who has attempted a chin-up knows the strength required to hold or hoist one’s own body weight. Pole fitness slowly builds this strength to achieve body weight holds in many angles.

Next challenge

Graduating from a student to an instructor, Paulus, now 27, is carrying 20 additional pounds of muscle and is incredibly fit. She admits was never an athlete and had her awkward years growing up.

“Now I feel strong and powerful,” she said.

Paulus is tenacious and not one to sit idle. Her boyfriend, Tim Leavitt, also shares the same drive and resilience. Leavitt, after being wounded in the service by a rocket-propelled grenade, was told he would struggle being physically active and is now an accomplished triathlete. Looking to spend more time together, Kiesha decided late last year to train and participate in the May 6 Ironman 70.3 championship. in St. George.

The Ironman bike course is 56 miles long. Her expedited Ironman training over the past four months has included hours on a stationary bike versus riding outside due to inclement weather and unpredictable drivers on the road.

The triathlon swim distance is 1.2 miles, roughly 40 laps at a standard pool.

“I did not know how to swim competitively,” Paulus said. “A month ago, I couldn’t swim the full distance.”

She asked fellow swimmers at the pool for advice and has been completing swim workouts weekly.

“I fell in love with the training,” Paulus said.

When asked how the pole fitness has given her the edge with such a short training for the Ironman, she said:

“I was already in the best shape of my life. Pole fitness can be painful, discouraging and uncomfortable at times; however, it is a mental game-changer and when you trust the process, you see and live the results. You need to push yourself past the discomfort. You have to constantly push yourself and respect your body at the same time.”

One-year anniversary

Paulus’ training will come to its apex on May 6 and she plans to continue in the triathlon circuit. In the meantime, Studio Invert is celebrating their first anniversary on Saturday, April 29, from 4-6 p.m. They will set up all of their apparatuses, conduct demonstrations and have sales on memberships.

Their increased popularity is outgrowing the studio’s equipment and space and they plan to expand by the end of the year. Their intention is to diversify their offerings to include hoops, silks and bungees. Studio Invert is located at 221 W. 200 S. Suite C, St. George. You can follow them on Facebook and Instagram.

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