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Physical Conditioning for Circus Arts
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Balance Board Work
Benefits: Enhances balance and core stability, critical for tightrope walkers and unicyclists. How to perform: Stand on a balance board and try to maintain equilibrium, progressing to tricks and movements as stability improves.
Pull-Ups
Benefits: Develops upper body strength essential for aerial acts and acrobatics. How to perform: Grip a pull-up bar with palms facing out, pull yourself up until your chin is above the bar, lower back down with control.
L-Sits
Benefits: Increases core strength and compression, beneficial for poses on aerial silks and trapeze. How to perform: Sit on the ground with legs straight, place hands by your hips, lift your body off the ground.
Russian Twists
Benefits: Strengthens oblique muscles, aiding in twist maneuvers and body control during spinning acts. How to perform: Sit on the ground, lean back slightly, lift feet off the ground, and twist the torso side to side while holding a weight for resistance.
Deadlifts
Benefits: Builds overall strength, particularly in the posterior chain, useful for lifts and throws in partner acrobatics. How to perform: With feet hip-width apart, bend at the hips to lower and grip a barbell, keeping the back straight, stand up by driving through the heels.
Backbends
Benefits: Enhances spinal flexibility, which is important for contortionists and acrobats. How to perform: From standing or seated, arch the back and reach the hands towards the ground, pressing hips forward.
Hollow Body Hold
Benefits: Strengthens core in a way that is translatable to aerial and acrobatic techniques. How to perform: Lie on back, extend arms and legs, lift shoulders and legs off the ground to form a 'banana' shape, hold position.
Pike Stretch
Benefits: Increases hamstring flexibility, which is beneficial for leg flexibility and lines in aerial straps and silks. How to perform: Sit on the ground with legs straight, fold at the waist reaching hands towards feet to stretch hamstrings.
Handstands
Benefits: Improves shoulder strength and balance, essential for hand-balancing acts. How to perform: Kick into a handstand against a wall for support, maintain a straight line with a tight core.
Box Jumps
Benefits: Enhances explosive leg power, helpful for tumbling and dynamic aerial acts. How to perform: Stand in front of a stable box, lower into a quarter squat and then explode up to jump onto the box, land softly and step back down.
Kettlebell Swings
Benefits: Develops hip power and endurance, useful for dynamic movements found in juggling and acrobatics. How to perform: Holding a kettlebell with both hands, hinge at the hips and swing the weight between the legs, then thrust hips forward to bring the kettlebell up to chest height.
Plank
Benefits: Strengthens core muscles, which improves balance and stability needed for all circus disciplines. How to perform: With forearms on the ground and legs extended, maintain a straight line from shoulders to heels.
Squats
Benefits: Increases leg strength and stability, crucial for base performers in partner acrobatics. How to perform: Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, lower into a squat position keeping the back straight, then rise back up.
Shoulder Mobility Drills
Benefits: Increases range of motion in shoulders, essential for static trapeze and hand-to-hand acts. How to perform: Use a resistance band or stick to perform dynamic stretches such as shoulder dislocates and band pull-aparts.
Leg Raises
Benefits: Strengthens the core, particularly lower abdominals, important for leg lifts in Roman rings and vertical rope. How to perform: Lying on the ground or hanging from a bar, keep legs straight and lift them to a 90-degree angle with control, lower them back down without touching the ground.
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