Andrea Thomson has tried yoga, Pilates, dance and running. But lately the St. Albert resident is combining her routine with something completely different: workout exercises for circus acrobats.
Every Sunday she is part of cluster of physical fitness devotees that gear up for a weekly dose on the aerial silks, the kind of mesmerizing, gravity defying gymnastics Cirque du Soleil performers are known for.
Until one of her friends turned 40 this year and encouraged a group to enroll at the newly opened CircoFit in Campbell Park, Thomson never imagined herself climbing 18-foot silks while performing backbends, splits and upside down flips.
“It’s fun to be a kid again. It’s incredible,” says Thomson. “But you get really sore, especially the triceps and forearms.”
Circus arts are the hottest trend in physical fitness and the silks appeal to people searching for something new, exciting and challenging. No longer just for performance artists or celebrities such as Vanessa Hudgens, the silks are being introduced across the country at gyms, fitness clubs and dance studios.
CircoFit founder Meghan Schech, who rents out space at Saint City CrossFit, explains a typical workout on the silks strengthens core, arm, back and abdominal muscles in addition to helping an individual lose weight and tone the body.
“It’s very community based, very positive, very inclusive. You don’t need a high level of athletic ability to start,” Schech says.
The exercises involve scaling two long strands of fabric securely attached to beams running across a 20-foot-high ceiling. Interestingly, silks are made of a special polyester or nylon tricot that easily supports about 2,000 pounds notes Schech.
As an exercise tool, the silks develop strength, flexibility, stamina, neuro-muscular co-ordination and a variety of motor skills. And unlike other acrobatics performed with a harness, the fabric is worked solely on the basis of a performer’s strength and skill.
The 60-minute class begins with a warm-up that combines walking, bending and stretching. Participants are divided into teams of two. To start, the gymnasts rub a rosin-type powder on their hands, take a deep breath and hit the silks.
As each person takes her turn, a look mixed with trepidation and sparkling excitement swiftly crosses their face. They grab the silks, pull themselves up, twist their foot in a circular motion and tie a figure eight knot for safety and support.
Once balanced on the knot, they split the silks, perform a backbend and kick the leg forward and pointing their toes in a superwoman pose. Throughout the split-second motions, the fabric bobs and weaves threatening their carefully calibrated balance.
“It’s about teaching your body different ways to move. It’s like learning a different language. The time goes by quickly,” Thomson says.
Even the basic moves look impressive and students get hooked quickly says Schech who received the bulk of her training with Edmonton’s innovative Firefly Theatre.
“You get stronger by default. You’re having fun. You’re so focused you don’t realize you are building muscles,” says Vannessa Brown, a mother of two under the age of five.
The St. Albert resident is an avid soccer player who had a secret wish to learn the circus arts. When her husband heard a CircoFit radio commercial, Brown, who yearns to reach a performance level, signed up within 15 minutes.
Overcoming the physical limitations is expected. However, working the silks is just as much a mental game. As Thomson puts it, “One of the hardest things is trusting yourself and not beating yourself up when you can’t do something.”
Amber Freysteinson, who studied pole dancing for two years, finds certain similarities exercising on silks.
“I feel a sense of accomplishment. It’s really paid off. I didn’t have much energy today, but I feel really good now.”
By the end of the sessions, muscles are burning. But participants never feel as if they’ve over-exhausted their body.
“That’s when you feel you can go for a run. The class revitalizes you. It’s an adrenalin rush,” concludes Thomson.
Schech states everyone attempting silks encounters challenges.
“To be good you have to have a willingness to work at it, even if you’re not good to start. Everyone has different challenges. Some it’s height inversion. Some it’s strength. Some it’s hanging upside down. But you can build gradually. You just have to be willing to work up.”
For May-June class information visit www.circofit.ca.
