Strip Your Way to Skinny with Strip Aerobics

On the crest of the newest fitness trend, women across the country are adding feather boas and fishnets to their gym bags as they combine their workouts with the proven aerobic and toning benefits of the strip tease. "Stripper workouts" have been gaining in popularity and are now considered a perfectly legitimate way to blast those calories thanks to celebs like Carmen Electra, Lucy Liu and Christina Applegate.

We all know strippers have the best bodies. Now fitness experts are looking into exactly why strippers' bodies are so amazing. Turns out, all those shimmying, booty shaking and hair slinging makes for an aerobic workout that takes the same stamina and endurance of cross country runners. And those graceful one-handed spins with perfect landings? Those take incredible arm strength and coordination to support the stripper's body weight and still look effortless.

The basis behind the stripper workout movement is rooted in empowering women as much as helping them lose weight. Teaching moves like the Spicy California Roll or the Hello Kitty floor squat allows women to get in touch with their inner sexuality. Even before the weight loss shows on the scale, women learn how powerful they are and develop a very attractive confidence. Jeff Costa, the stripper, choreographer and aerobics junkie who developed Cardio Striptease for Crunch gyms (CardioStriptease.com), said the eZine Your Total Health: "We are human. We are sexual. It's ok to show off your body."

Here a few ways to explore the Stripper Workout for yourself. And remember, the more weight you lose, the less weight you have to support during those butterfly and fireman spins.

Sex it Up at the Gym:

Many gyms, like Bally or the internationally known Crunch gyms, are including now stripper workouts in their repertoire. You'll be in class of sweaty, probably flabby, women (and possibly a few men) who have the same goals you do: lose weight, tone up and learn some sexy new moves. It can be a great way to meet new friends with a sense of adventure and find a great weight loss support group. Stripper workouts are like any other fitness regime - they require constant inspiration to keep you motivated and a little bit of humor to branch out into the unknown. Let the rest of your gym buddies keep you motivated when you want to quit half-way through the workout. Use your friends as accountability so you don't miss a workout and let them spot you as you learn new moves.

Take a Class:

Nothing's sexier than a school girl, especially when she's taking a stripper class. Shelia Kelley's S Factor classes (SFactor.com) are the hot workout scene in Los Angeles, Encino, Orange County and San Francisco, California as well as Chicago, Illinois, Chelsea, New York and Houston Texas. Developed by Shelia Kelley, these classes combine the aerobic benefits of striptease with classic pole dancing. Videos and convenient at-home poles are available online. Dedicated to "empowering all women," there is even "The S Fund" designated to help women who cannot afford to pay for classes.

Bring it Home

Can't find a class near you? Invest in a library of quality instructional DVDs and materials to help you learn the stripper workout in the privacy of your home. Carmen Electra's Aerobic Striptease is program designed to ease extreme beginners into the basic moves. Videos demonstrate a lap dance and simple dance routines. The Lap Dance DVD demonstrates how to use your male partner's hat, tie and button-down shirt for a sexy chair dance. New releases include Vegas Strip and In the Bedroom. The Carmen Electra Aerobic Striptease is good for beginners but very tame compared to the moves real strippers are expected to perfect. The routines offer a minimal aerobic benefit at first. Serious students should look into a more serious program.

The S Factor and Flirty Girl Fitness have similar home-based programs offering a broad range of DVD workouts for each of the different stripper skills. What makes these programs a notch above others in the market is the availability of removable dance poles. Neither the S Factor nor the Flirty Girl Fitness poles require permanent installation. They use a threaded compression system to support up to 180 pounds of spinning and dancing. When you get finished with your workout, simply remove the pole and your neighbors will never know. The poles do not require professional installation and can be done by almost anyone.