Training Tip: Cardio
In love with circus arts but HATE cardio workouts? You’re far from alone on that one!
Sadly, cardio endurance training is an important component of circus arts; If your muscles aren’t getting the oxygen they need, they’re not going to be able to perform the way you want them to.
We have a couple suggestions that will help you avoid pounding the pavement in your runners and following cheesy YouTube workout videos (which I actually happen to really love).
If you haven’t heard of The Artist Athlete (Instagram: @the_artist_athlete), this would be a good time to get acquainted. She has tons of fantastic resources for circus students and performers. This past June, she hosted a workshop by the renowned aerialist Tanya Burka called Endurance Training for Aerialists: A Methodology That Sucks Less Than Running. Luckily, they recorded the workshop and it’s available online! You can find it through the link here on our blog (above).
We aren’t affiliated in any way, and I honestly haven’t done the workshop myself yet, but it’s high on the to-do list. If any of you do take it, let us know how it is! After enduring several lockdowns where time on an apparatus was nothing but a dream for so many people, it’s super smart to have some tools in your back pocket that will keep you in shape when you can’t access a studio or gym.
When you CAN access an apparatus, here is a drill that I love to use to help boost my endurance. I race against the clock, pushing myself to shave off seconds every week.
THE 3, 2, 1 DRILL
Round 1: 3 Basic Climbs to the top of the silks/rope (no touching the ground in between!) + 3 Straddle Inversions per side (6 total) + 3 Hip Keys per side (6 total) + 3 Pull Ups.
Round 2: 2 Basic Climbs to the top + all the rest 2 times per side + 2 Pull Ups
Round 3: You guessed it! 1 Basic Climb to the stop + all the rest 1 rep per side + 1 FINAL PULL UP!
TIPS:
Try to rest only between rounds, and give yourself a time limit for that rest. Don’t get comfy!
If you do need to rest during any of the rounds, try to do it in the air (I highly suggest the squatting position in a Russian/Parallel/Step Climb).
Keep track of your times and try to beat them.
If you start to lose your form, do take a break!
Use the format, but mix up the skills as you wish! Swap inversions for knee hooks, or add a tuck inversion to the top of your pull up. Whatever you’d like! I stick to skills, but you could probably do a wrap or something from your “trick” repertoire instead sometimes.
I love this drill because it at least gives the feeling that things are getting easier as you go (although in truth you are becoming more fatigued so really, how much easier is round 3?). It’s simple, straight-forward, and actually pretty fun if you race the clock to beat your last time!
Of course there’s no way to completely remove the suckiness of endurance training. It takes a monumental effort, and it’s always going to be that thing you don’t feel like doing. But when you feel the difference that it makes in your training, you may find it a little easier to push yourself to just GET IT DONE!
Happy Training!