Training for the Circus

The fluid, smooth and graceful motion of Aerial Arts are everywhere you look. One peep at Instagram will have you transfixed by the talented indidviduals who twist and weave themselves through silks. Its truly a site to see, so of course many would be interested to try the art form including myself. The title may be a slight exaggeration, I’m not exactly training to join the circus but I find many of the acts that aerialists do to be quite fascinating and interesting to watch.

Groupon, Here I Come

I’m always on Groupon looking up new ideas for my search in trying to find a hobby. I usually go with whatever catches my eye at the moment, and this time, it just so happened to be Aerial classes. There were a great number of facilities offering introductory courses. I’ve taken a few classes, all beginner level, but the first I went to was Trapeze Las Vegas. Trapeze Las Vegas is located in the Southern part of the city of Las Vegas. They offer a lot of different classes that are rooted in circus acts such as trapeze, lyra, flexibility, and hammock. You get a taste of all the classes they offer just by being in the studio and seeing the different apparatuses they have around.

I also tried Shine Alternative Fitness which is not too far from Trapeze Las Vegas. They are an alternative fitness facility that offers a wide range of classes focused on different categories. Some of their classes include, anti gravity yoga, handstands, X-treme boxing and pole dancing. I was interested in trying this place out because they offered so many of the classes that I’m interested in. It was like a one stop shop for fitness exploration.

Upper Body Strength Activate

Between the classes I took at both facilities, my experience with aerial arts was an interesting one. I wore a standard athletic outfit of leggings, a t-shirt and my sneakers. The sneakers weren’t needed, but wearing sandals would of felt unrelated. I must say the only part that I truly expected was the 15 minute warm-up. Each class was about an hour, so the other 45 minutes really tested your strength especially in your upper arms.

One hour of moving around those silks and the lyra hoop will give you a full body workout. My love for activities involving heights was also a reason as to why I decided to take the class. I have to be honest though, I didn’t really get to far off the ground but I did impress myself with my flexibility. There were moments though where I was breathing really hard and I just knew I was going to be sore the next day. These skills require a lot of upper and lower body strength and even though I knew that going into it, I didn’t realize exactly how much strength is needed. The professionals make it look so easy, but then again that’s why they are the pros.

Out of both the Silks and the Lyra hoop, I enjoyed the lyra hoop a bit more. As a beginner, it was a lot easier to maneuver and hold onto. I also felt like I could do more of the positions and moves like The Mermaid move. This could be because the Silks have more length to play around with whereas the hoop is more stationary. Its kind of like you work around the hoop while with the silks, you make them work around you. That’s how I’m starting to see it.

Challenge Accepted

Participating in these classes provided such a great opportunity to challenge myself. My athletic style is more inline with dance classes or boxing or apparently any other alternative form of exercise that I can get my hands on, but its all usually stuff I’m comfortable with. Going into these classes, I knew it would be challenging but I also often find myself being surprised by what I can do. After attending class, both times, I was sore but I wanted to try again. I don’t know if it’s something I want to be consistent in but taking those classes did not steer me away from Aerial Arts, they only pulled me in closer because I genuinely enjoyed myself and seeing what I could do.

Have you tried Aerial Arts or are you thinking about it? Share in the comments your experience!

Header Image Credit: Pexels