Get Your Body Ready to Return to Circus!

Hello everyone and happy Sunday!

First of all, did anyone make those cookies from this past week? If you haven’t yet, you’re missing out! Now onto the real stuff. As of now, Akrosphere is all set to start back for summer on June 1st! Yahoo!!! We are so excited by this possibility and are pretty sure you guys are too! 

Did you now that when you stop exercising you are telling your body that you don’t need to use certain muscles anymore? Even just taking two weeks off can be bad for your strength, and we’ve been gone for a bit longer than two weeks. We know circus work takes a lot of strength, and that you haven’t been able to climb on the actual apparatuses, but FEAR NOT! The muscles that you use for all of your circus training can all be worked on at home! 

Lucky for you guys, we have developed the Zoom class schedule so that everyone can work on the strength and flexibility needed for you to be successful in your circus class. We want to remind you that classes are no longer broken up by level, and you can join EVERY DAY OF THE WEEK! That means that if you are very busy on Monday, because of virtual schooling or doing all your chores we’re sure you’re helping your parents with each day, you’ll still have five other opportunities to join a virtual class throughout the week. We strongly encourage everyone one to join! We know working out is hard, but we promise this will help when you transition back into your regular circus class. 

Now we don’t want to set you up to fail, so if you really aren’t able to join any zoom classes, here are some exercises you can do at home on your own. Before you start your strength training, do some cardio for 5 minutes. That can be jumping jacks, running, or even dancing! Once you’re warm, you can get started with the following exercises:

• Plank – A huge component of circus training is core strength, and what better way to work on that than the mighty plank? There are so many benefits to holding a plank! It strengthens your core, helps give you better posture, reduces back pain, and gives you better movement and coordination. All from just one exercise! You see why it’s considered one of the best exercises you could do for your body! How to: Get on your elbows with your feet out behind you. Keep your chest and abdominals strong, your thighs activated, and avoid sagging or hiking up the hips. Basically, keep a straight line all the way from your head to your heels. Make sure your nose is right above your hands. Hold for at least 30 seconds. 
• Circus Push Ups – If you’ve ever tried climbing a silk, or a rope, or even just holing on to a trapeze, you know that a lot of upper body strength is required. Push ups are great for building your chest, biceps, triceps, and core. So many muscles are benefitting from a simple push up! Now, you notice I’m calling them “circus” push ups. All that means is that instead of having your elbows go out to the sides, you want to keep them close to your body to really focus on those triceps. How to: Start in that plank position from above; see, you’re already halfway there! Lower your body and then push it back up! Sounds easy, but make sure you maintain your plank position the ENTIRE time! You can always go on your knees or put your hands on a raised surface to make it a little easier. Don’t forget to keep those elbows in! Do 10.
• Squats – You think circus and aerial, and you automatically think about strong arms and core, but to be a great performer, you need a well rounded body! And did you know that squats don’t just help strengthen your legs? Yes, you feel it in your legs, but they are such an intense exercise, that they help release hormones that can help your other muscles continue to work and grow! How to: Start by standing up straight with your feet shoulder-width apart. Put your arms out in front of your body to help with balance. Start lowering your body by not just bending your knees, but by pushing your knees out to the sides. Keep your chest up throughout the whole exercise, and push your hips back to make sure that most of your weight is on your heels. Once you’ve gotten to your lowest point, push back up, again making sure your chest is staying up. Do 10.
• Burpee – Now we’re putting it all together! Most people don’t particularly love them *points finger at self,* but burpees are amazing for the body! Not only do they make you stronger, by working on so many different muscles, but they work your cardiovascular endurance, too! It’s an all-in-one, full body exercise! Who doesn’t want that? How to: Start by standing up straight. Then, lower into a squat and place your hands on the floor. Jump your feet back into plank position, and you know what comes next: circus push up! Remember to squeeze everything! Return your feet to squat position and immediately jump in the air as high as you can! To make it more fun, do them with a partner and give each other a high 10 every time you jump! For any kids reading this, I’m sure your parents would love to do some burpees with you! Do 10.
• STRETCHING! – You probably thought that this would all be about strength, but you also lose flexibility when you don’t train it in a while, which makes it just as important to practice. Stretching keeps your muscles flexible, strong, and healthy. Flexible muscles allow you to maintain range of motion in the joints. Without it, your muscles can shorten and become tight, which could lead to injury, and we do not want that! How to: Make sure you are warm! Cold muscles do not want to stretch! Hold each position for at least 30 seconds; it takes some time for tissues to lengthen safely. Make sure you hold and not bounce. You want to feel the stretch. If you feel pain, you’ve gone too far, so go back to the point where you are feeling the stretch. Finally, relax and breathe! Stretching is not always pleasurable, but breathe through it and when you’re done, you’ll feel amazing!

We would love for you all to be able to join the Zoom classes every day, but we know that’s not always possible. On the days you can’t join us, get your body moving with this routine. If you have time, do it twice or even three times! We want you guys to be super strong when we see you again, so no excuses!

Before I go, I wanted to give a few Zoom updates!

• Like I mentioned last month, the longer we do this, the more we learn what works and what doesn’t. While it seems like most of you are enjoying the workouts, the hangouts happen to be “not that cool.” Hangouts will no longer be happening during May. If anyone wishes to speak to a coach, please email us and we can get some communication going.
• Strength classes will be happening Monday-Friday from 6-7pm. Body Movement will also be happening on Saturdays at 1pm.
• We will continue to hold weekly raffles! After we pick the name for the April prize, all names will be thrown out! That means you need to join us in May for a chance at winning. We will be raffling out an Akrosphere tank top for the first two weeks, and a private lesson will be the May grand prize!
• Since we are so close to returning, we really want to make sure that we can get your strength exactly where it needs to be. We ask that when you join us for a Zoom class, you please make yourself visible so that your coach can ensure you are doing all of the exercises properly and can give you corrections if necessary. This way we can all ensure everybody is safe.

That was a ton of information, I know, but that’s all I got for now. As always, if anyone has any questions, please email and let me know—I’m here to help! I am keeping my fingers crossed for our return in June! See you guys (hopefully) soon!

Catch you next time!

Mar