Struggling with Crossback Straddle? Try “Antler Height”!

Oh heeeeeeey, crossback straddle…

If your crossback has packed up and climbed aboard the Struggle Bus or the No Train, you betta go catch it! Today’s post is all about your hand position and why it matters when you’re trying to go tush over head.

Cool! Should My Arms be Straight?

No. No they should not. Try this the next time you want to push a door open (and video it and send it to me):

Extend your arms above your head. Now, try to push the door open. How did that work out for you?

I KNOW.

Our pushing muscles work best with our hands much lower. The higher you reach, the less efficient they are.

Got It! So… Super Bent Arms, Then?

No again! When hands are too low in this set up (close to shoulders), you cramp your own style by not giving yourself enough room to push back and – again – those muscles will be at a mechanical disadvantage.

BUT, there’s a middle ground!

Antler Height

Ok. Humor me. Imagine that you are all prepped and ready in your cross-back wrap, and you’ve suddenly grown a spectacular rack (of antlers). Make jazz hands, put your thumbs on your temples or just above, and grab the poles of the fabric. This is antler height, the perfect spot to lift and push your way upside-down with a lot less grunting and swearing.

Why does it work? Antler height hand placement gives us enough room for a little pull-up before we begin to lever back, which simultaneously eases some of the tension of the wrap (ooh, and it does get tight, doesn’t it?!), and begins to engage your pushing muscles. From there, this hand height becomes the “Goldilocks” of positions: not too high, not too low.

(Now remember – this is for crossback straddles only, not regular in-air inversions. They’re similar, but the technique is different.)

Give it a try – see if it makes a difference! Sometimes little adjustments are all we need. Love and pull-ups, Laura

PS – are you struggling with push strength? Here are some good basic strength exercises to start with. This site is obviously not geared towards aerialists, but the exercises (especially chest flies as described here) are useful!

Fight the Good Fight – Stop Giving Up Before Your Move is Finished!

Hello, my loves! It’s me again! It’s been a hot second (and good GLORY, I do mean hot), but it’s good to put pen to paper again. Or, fingers to keys…you know what I mean.

Today, I’d love to talk to you about what’s happening when you get within spitting distance of the floor. You know, that moment when, instead of coming out of your move or sequence correctly, you just puddle to the floor and shimmy out of your fabric wraps like two day old underpants? Yes, THAT. That, my loves, is a dreadful habit, and we’re going to exorcise it TODAY.

I love you. Don’t be lazy.

The first issue we have is (I’m gonna say it) a little bit of laziness. Or impatience. Or, maybe gravity is just a little stronger when we’re that close to the floor? Whatever it is, the siren song of the mat often proves too strong to resist, so we completely ignore appropriate movement pathways out and…plop…..shimmy….hop around with one leg in the air because you didn’t take the time to come out of your foot knot….mmmm hmmmm. I see you.

Nope! I was in DANGER!

OK, let’s say that’s true. Maybe your grip gave out, you got dizzy, or you fatigued in another way, and you had to make an emergency beeline to the floor, exit pathways be damned. VALID. I have two things I want you to consider. 1 – you know your body, and an emergency is an emergency. Zero shade for coming down directly when your safety is in question. 2 – so, so often, the correct movement pathway IS the quickest, safest way down. Not all the time, but let me put it this way: if I had a dollar for every student who bypassed a simple and safe way down in favor of a Very Poor Choice, I would be a wealthy woman indeed.

But I’m on the FLOOR!

So? Roll it out on the floor! In fact, make friends with the floor – you’re going to spend a helluva lot of time there during your aerial adventures. You know those big, scary complicated drops that you’re seeing on Instagram? Dearest, they did not just climb up that fabric, cross their fingers, and hope to glory that fabric would catch them. (…well, some of them might have, but we are not going to do that, are we? No we are not….) They rolled it out on the floor first so they knew they understood the wrap sequence and that it would, in fact, catch!

Making good choices

Is it hot? Are you tired? Is it new? Is it hard? Does it pinch? All of the above? Keep this in mind the next time you’re tempted to plop & shimmy.

• Don’t give up just because the ground is close. FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT! All the way to the end, even if you’re on the ground and feel silly.
• Pay attention! Your body will typically give you plenty of notice before your grip gives out and you need to take the express elevator.
• Is it new? Work it low and slow, babe. Make sure you understand how to get in, and how to get out.
• Find a resting place. Feeling fatigued? Panic setting in? Get your weight over your feet (or another supportive body part), find an active rest position, and breathe. Panic is not your friend.
• Put on your listening ears. Is your coach telling you the fastest way to get out and come down? Take a breath, and really try to follow those directions.
• Practice following the tail if you get tangled or forgot how to come out (the tail of the fabric gives you an exit pathway)

Above all else, recognize that every time you give in to the urge to slide down and puddle, you strengthen that habit, and rob yourself of the opportunity to practice correctly. Let it be a once in a blue moon thing, not a once every 15 minutes in class thing! You can do it, I know you can. Love and pull-ups, Laura

When in Doubt, Boobies Out!

If you look like a spastic turtle doing the backstroke on silks (been there), or you’re 25 but look 1005 in your trapeze video, friend – you may have an Aerial Posture Predicament. What’s up with that? What is lifted aerial posture? Does it matter beyond aesthetics? Are you destined to resemble a bashful tortoise forever? Let’s point our nipples skyward and find out.

Lifted Aerial Posture 101

When we’re not hanging from our arms, you get an A+ if you:

• Allow your shoulders to ease down away from your ears – those upper traps can take a seat for the moment.
• Now, think of broadening your collar bones, as opposed to allowing the shoulders to round forward. Feels le poo? The exercise above might help.
• Lift your chin, and lightly tilt your chest up. Let your charms or pecs point skywards! (Well, not that much, but “When in doubt, boobies out!”). Imagine you have a fab new T shirt and want everyone to read what’s on it.
• You might hear me cue for: broadening the collar bones, opening the chest, casting your nipples to the sky, tits up, proud chest, look for Jason Momoa on the horizon, etc.
• While we’re at it, let’s avoid the opposite extreme too! Hyper-arching the spine throws us out of alignment in the opposite direction. You don’t need to put your head on your butt, just imagine that someone is pulling you up by a string attached to the top of your head. 

The effect should be confident and regal! Fake it ’til you make it. 😉 

Again, this is when we’re not hanging by our arms; if you ARE hanging with arms extended overhead, you’re looking to elevate and rotate.

Why Posture Matters

• A lifted carriage communicates confidence! Just by dropping your shoulders an inch or opening your chest, you could go from drabulous to fabulous in 3 seconds! Werk.
• If you’re rounding forward and looking at the floor, people are going to think you dropped money. Lift!
• Rounding forward often places our spines and shoulders in inefficient or even dangerous positions. 

“Boobies out” looks different on everybody, because every body is different! No matter where your body is today – tight shoulders, upper spine rounding, forward head posture, etc – we can find small ways of lengthening to bring ourselves into a more lifted position. So, while you don’t need to climb with a book on your head (though I’ll give you mad props if you do), you will want to cultivate lifted lines in the chest and neck. Video can be super helpful here. So, make like Emily Post, grab a couple of cucumber sandwiches, and get crackin’ on that posture! Making the world more magical, one back, chest, and neck at a time. Love and pull-ups, Laura

The Misdirect: Make the Audience See What You Want Them to See

Truth be told, I totally have a thing for illusionists & magicians. Maybe you do, too. What I find especially thrilling? How you only see what they intend for you to see. While this is most evident in the illusion arts, it’s a skill that successful performers use across the board to help an audience focus on what’s important, or highlight something marvelous. And now, Dear Danglers, I will share with you a Most Magical Secret: how to direct an audience’s attention. But first, two performance concepts to get familiar with.

Pulling Focus

Pulling focus onstage is exactly what it sounds like:  you’re essentially hijacking the audience’s attention, for better or worse. The most successful example I’ve ever seen was while I was watching a college production of some endless Chekhov play; one of the actors in the background pulled every blessed ounce of focus by picking his nose, and rolling the resulting boogs between his fingers as he paced back and forth. If you asked 75% of the audience what they remembered about that scene, I assure you that it wasn’t what Masha said or Medvedenko did, it was all about the nose goblins. 

Directing Focus (Misdirection)

“In The Encyclopedia of Magic and Magicians, author T.A. Waters writes that “Misdirection is the cornerstone of nearly all successful magic; without it, even the most skilled Sleight of Hand or mechanical device is unlikely to create an illusion of real magic.” … The mind of a typical audience member can only concentrate on one thing at a time. The magician uses this to manipulate the audience’s ideas, or, perceptions of sensory input, leading them to false conclusions.” (click here to read the whole article)

Encourage Them to See What You Want them to See

In circus, we don’t generally use sleight of hand or sustained illusions, but we absolutely want to direct an audience’s focus to the right thing. There are a number of skills we use to make that happen, and you can (and should) start playing with ALL of them at your next session. 

• Be still – audiences will watch what’s moving. If I had one piece of performance advice for new aerialists, recreational or otherwise, it would be this: don’t be afraid of stillness! If you want me to see and appreciate that split you’ve been working on for 5 years, STOP MOVING. Just give it a second. Count for a slow 5. Now you can move again. You don’t have to freeze, just pause and let us adore you.
• Control your gaze. Have you ever watched a dance performance where a dancer has been looking at the floor? And then you’re looking at the floor too? Same thing in the air. If you’re looking down, I’m not seeing whatever wonderful thing you’re doing, I’m looking to see if you dropped money. Where are you looking? Where do you want ME to look? Use your gaze to direct mine.
• Direct with a body part. Never underestimate the power of the hand! If you want me to see your gorgeous extension, can you highlight it by running your fingers up your leg? Yes you can. Or, you can use the “one of these things is not like the other” principle – flex a foot, bend an arm, or deliberately break the line of the body to interrupt the audience’s gaze.

What do you want us to see when you perform? Make sure we see it, by pulling attention away from what you don’t want us to see, and redirecting it towards all your magical fabulousness! Love and pull-ups, Laura

Splits Not Flat? There’s an Illusion for That!

I know. You’ve spent an unholy amount of time stretching your splits during Our Time Away, and your bits still aren’t to the floor. Not only are they not on the floor, but you’re pretty sure they’re higher than they were to begin with. Don’t despair, Dear Dangler! There’s an illusion for that!

Keep Stretching

First, meaningful gains in flexibility take a loooooong time. They really do. So long as you’re stretching properly (vigorous warmup, using a variety of techniques with good form, and only stretching to strong sensation – never to pain), you’ll see progress eventually! Consistency counts – a little stretching every day or every other day is going to yield better results than one marathon stretch per week. If you’re doing all that and are still stuck, a session with a dedicated flexibility coach may be just the thing. (Pssst. Did you know I’m an American Academy of Sports Medicine certified flexibility coach?)

Here’s the Magic….

In the meantime, I have great news for you. The March Patreon theme is “Le Cirque des Reves” (based on the book “The Night Circus”), and we’ll be exploring how to add a little magic and illusion to your aerial work. My very favorite feat? Taking a meh split and abracadabra-ing it into one that makes your heart go pitty-pat using one small trick: put it on an angle.

That’s it. And it’s pure magic. Place one foot knot higher than the other (start slowly, don’t go nuts), face the foot that’s closer to the ground, and voila: you look like you’ve gained a foot of flexibility. Careful not to make the angle so extreme that your back foot loses it’s knot! 

Play with it and let me know how it works for you! Tag me on Instagram (@sassypantsaerial) so I can cheer you on! Love and pull-ups, Ms Laura

PS – The Patreon is paused at the moment, but I’ll let you kids know if I decide to start it up again. 

Let the Fabrics Take Your Weight

If you’re anything like my Dear Danglers, you don’t do much resting in your resting poses. Sure, Zooming Zoey, you might pause for a hot second to gulp a breath or two, but then you’re off again to the next position. Or, perhaps you’re a Grippy Gary, who maintains a vise-like grasp on the fabric at all times no matter what. Zooming and gripping don’t sound like that big a deal, so why do we care? Because, Panicking Penelope and Exhausted Ezekiel, you’re never going to get through a piece without learning to let the fabric take your weight.

Taking a True Rest

When we first learn a move, no matter what it is, we grip for Jesus. Over time, we learn to trust our hands more and more, but we’ll always over-grip a bit when new stuff is coming down the pike. This is totally normal! However, when we habitually over-grip, our fingers and forearms will fatigue quickly (or worse – we get the dreaded Popeye arms!). Once you’re reasonably comfy with a move, be a little more conscious about your grip. Are your hands taking weight? Lifting? Primarily there for balance? Totally superfluous? Obviously, use the grip you need, but try to be a tad more mindful about that power squeeze.

We tend to move too quickly from one position to the next, because let’s be honest – every second up there feels like an eternity. Know who doesn’t experience time that way? Your audience! I’m totally serious – video yourself and you’ll see what I mean. That sequence that felt like 10 minutes took barely ten seconds, and you were just a blur of motion. Especially in your training, can you slow down a bit? Not only will your movements become more deliberate, but you’re likely to find some unexpected places where you can fully rest. Which brings me to….

Letting the fabric fully take your weight. Beyond a level of essential tension, we want to be able to meaningfully rest, and regain some power for the moves ahead. How much of your body weight can you give over to your apparatus while maintaining proper form? Chances are great that it’s a LOT more than you’re used to. We tend to use massive amounts of energy in an effort to levitate, and I’m here to tell you that it’s probably working against you.

Try this:

• Move into your splits, and take a quick inventory. Are your hands gripping for dear life? Is that necessary to keep you in position? Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t – just check in.
• Get into a X-back straddle. It took some effort to get here, are you still carrying massive tension in your torso once you’re arrived? How much of your body weight can you give to the fabric while maintaining good form?
• Try a tree house position (pictured). Can you be still for a second? What’s your breath doing? How hard are you gripping? Can you share more weight with your silks?

It’s a balancing act, isn’t it? Finding out how much effort, tension, and energy to put into any particular move, with an eye towards simultaneously being an aerial badass with excellent technique, and using your body resources wisely. Play with this in class! Resting is a skill that can be learned and practiced, and will give your aerial self a big old boost. Love and pull-ups, Ms Laura

Take a Break! Finding Your Rest Poses in the Air

So. You’ve hoisted your butt 18 feet into the air, done some splits, a hip key, and some fancy hip swivel thingie you saw on Instagram. You look fabulous, but your forearms are swearing, your thighs are quivering, and you’re gasping like a beached carp. Time for a rest pose, stat!

Discovering Your Recovery Zone

It’s like an erogenous zone, but BETTER! Maybe. Your recovery zone is the sweet spot you move into during class or performance when any part of you – hands, legs, lungs, whatever – need a break. Your zone is completely unique to you, so it’s up to you to sleuth out what it looks like. Your teacher can make suggestions, but ultimately, it all comes down to what allows YOU to recoup your aerial mojo.

The time to investigate rest positions doesn’t begin when you’re high above the crowd; it begins in class and when you’re training, and it deserves as much attention as that salty quad you threw last week in open workout.

• Slowing your movements can allow for much-needed cardio-vascular recovery, and add some variety to your piece (it’s hard to watch you thrash and flail for 5 minutes straight with no variation in tempo. Surprise me.)
• Get your feet underneath you. Standing or kneeling positions like treehouse (pictured above) offer hands-free rest, and some nice opportunities for emoting. Note: allowing the fabric to truly take your weight is a learned skill, and worth focusing on. You do not need to constantly grip for Jesus and hold yourself up by your hands, or tense your other muscles in an attempt to levitate. Learn to let the fabric take all the weight you can while maintaining good technique.
• Tie yourself in knots. When you’re all trussed up, you can let the fabric do the work. Foot knots, hip key variants, and all manner of little “shelf” positions can give you a good breather. These are fun to get creative with!
• Go upside down! Cross-back straddle, catcher’s hang, and, to a lesser degree, ankle hangs can give you a chance to de-popeye your forearms. What goes upside down must come right side up, so remember to factor that into your choreography.

In class or open workout, begin to keep a list of positions you discover that allow you a degree of rest. Better yet? Set a challenge for yourself to discover the hidden recovery opportunities in every move you learn. You’ll eventually find yourself with 2 or 3 go-to moves, and a near-endless variety of options for whatever your teacher throws at you, or you decide to put into a piece. Take note of what KIND of rest you’re getting from each position – hands, full-body, a second to breathe, etc, and you’ll be ready to spend more time in the air with less worry about fatigue.

Now, go forth and recover! Love and pull-ups, Ms Laura

Sleep! Your Circus Life Depends on It

I’m not a good sleeper. I couldn’t tell you exactly when it started, but I can tell you that being able to binge watch Schitt’s Creek until 2:00 am hasn’t helped. I’m a night waker (who else is intimately acquainted with the witching hour of 4:00 am?), and I either wake up in the middle of the night, or just early enough so I can’t really justify going back to sleep. Ugh – it’s le poo. So, I decided to do something about it! This month’s Patreon theme is Sleep, and I began reading Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker. I cannot recommend it enough!

Why Sleep?

We talk a lot about rest days in aerial work, but I rarely hear us talking about nightly sleep, especially professional artists. “What’s the big deal,” we think? “I’ll sleep when I’m dead! That’s show biz!” I mean, I cannot count the number of times we had early calls on show days that meant 3-4 hours of sleep and maybe a stolen nap before we went back in the air. Go backstage at many shows and count the number of slumbering artists – bodies everywhere!

Turns out, being even a little sleep deprived negatively affects every system in your body. You heard me. Every system. Your reflexes are slowed (UH OH), your ability to learn decreases, concentration diminishes, and your immune system takes a hit. If you’re chronically under-slept, your risk for everything from heart attacks to certain kinds of cancer goes up, and your ability to fully function is massively impaired, similar to intoxication. Seriously – read the book (can you tell it scared me straight?). Science, ya’ll.

Training Exhausted

We’ve all come to class so tired we don’t know whether we’re trapezing or handstanding. You’ve done it, I’ve done it. We KNOW it’s not ideal, I mean, who wants to drool on themselves in an ankle hang? So, what do we do when we’re so tired, but we’ve committed to making it through a class?

• If you’re tired enough that you can’t concentrate, or you don’t feel safe, sit this class out. Please sit this class out. Please. Take notes and watch, or call it a night and head home TO BED.
• Tell your teacher you’re really tired! Tell your teacher before you’re crying because they told you to stop sickling your foot.
• Stay looooow and slooooooow. Today is not the day to throw that triple, dearest. Think of it as more of a moving meditation that has you hugging the mat!
• Be gentle with yourself. Your concentration will be a bit laggy, your body weaker, and your emotions less regulated. It’s real, it’s science, and it doesn’t mean you’re lazy or that you’ll never invert again. It means your body needs sleep.

Performing Exhausted

Adequate sleep is a safety issue, and one that’s often overlooked as clients try to save $$ by flying artists in at the crack of dawn, or tour bookers try to maximize shows (I get it, I’ve been on that side of the table). Additionally, circus artists often have a work ethic (the “hustle”) that would put honeybees to shame – honestly, we’ll take ALL the gigs, back to back, driving between them, sleep be damned. We say “yes” and figure it out later! This isn’t going to change (I’m a pragmatist above all else), but any step in the right direction is, well, in the right direction. Whenever possible, we might try to:

• Acknowledge that sleep is essential, and that a lack of it increases the risk of accident and injury
• Work a rest clause into our technical riders
• Set guidelines on how early or late flights can be
• Sleep instead of going out with the cast (or watching Schitt’s Creek…)
• Nap when we can on gigs with zero guilt

I’m only now learning what a big deal sleep is. If you have a sleep issue, or just haven’t been getting enough sleep, friend – it’s worth prioritizing, circus or not. Read or listen to “Why We Sleep” or the Clif Notes version – it’s excellent, and you’ll be glad you did! Love and pullups…..zzzzzzzz……..

What is an Appositional Issue, and Why Does it Matter?

OK. Bend your arm as if you were doing a bicep curl. Unless you are exceptionally slender, your wrist is not resting on your shoulder. Why? There’s a bicep and all your forearm muscles in the way! That, my loves, is an appositional issue.

Appositional (side by side) issues occur when movement is limited by one body part coming in contact with another body part. They’re super common! If you come away with nothing else, please hear this: almost everyone has or will have one, and they’re more the rule than the exception. They can be temporary (pregnancy) or permanent (joint structure). Bodies are different, so your issue might not match up with someone else’s, but that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t exist.

Why They Matter

I have quite a few appositional issues, but the bane of my existence is my inner thighs. Thanks to a hefty layer of muscle and a dollop of fatty tissue, my ankles will not touch if my legs are in parallel. There is no work around in this position. I am not imagining it, and it’s not me being “lazy”; I cannot count the teachers who assured me that, if I just tried a little harder and “engaged my muscles more”, that my ankles would touch. Girl please, my body parts are literally in the way!

Appositional issues matter because they’re real. You don’t do yourself (or your students) any favors by pretending that body mass doesn’t exist, or that someone’s anatomical structure is anything other than it is.

Where They Occur

So many places! Common areas include:

• During pikes (tissue in the chest or abdominal area may limit compression)
• Side bends in straddle (ribs may come up against tissue in the waist or hip)
• Inner thighs (calves & ankles may not touch)
• Bent arm hang (students with well-developed biceps may struggle to bring the wrist closer to the shoulder)

This isn’t even a remotely complete list – appositional issues can happen almost anywhere.

Working Around Them

Appositional situations are only an issue if they limit or bug you in some way. If they don’t, well, then it’s not a problem, is it? If it’s something you want to address, here are a few things to try.

• Scooch around it. Can you inch body parts a little to the right or left? Elevate your butt? Prop yourself up on some yoga blocks? See if you can adjust your body position in a way that makes this work for you.
• Sub it out. Friend, there’s always more than one way to whip the cream. If a seated pike isn’t working, can a standing hammie stretch do the trick? If your ankles don’t touch with legs in parallel, can you bend one knee & bevel it in all sexy-like? (Yes. Yes you can.)
• Adjust your body composition. Sometimes, adjusting our body composition can affect whether our parts touch. Body tissue – fat and muscle in particular – can influence range of motion, and you’re free to explore that if you’re interested.
• Fuggettaboutit. There’s only so much we can do – we cannot alter our genetics, or trade in our anatomy for a different model. If you can’t adjust your position or swap a move out for something similar, and you’re not interested in trying to adjust your body comp, accept it! Aerial arts are wide and varied – I promise that tabling one move that doesn’t work with your body is not a deal breaker. Cross my heart.

Your body is unique in all the world; not every move is meant for every person! You have the opportunity to adapt moves, stretches, and conditioning to your body, and maybe discover something wonderful along the way. Don’t ever be afraid to ask for help!

A final thought. So many teachers have not themselves experienced appositional anything, and may not have experience in adapting movement to individual bodies. Hell, I don’t always have an immediate answer when a student needs an alternative, though I do try to find an answer later. BUT. Just because a coach doesn’t acknowledge it, or doesn’t know how to advise you in the moment, doesn’t make it less real. Ask questions, and, if your teacher is dismissive, don’t be afraid to push back a little. If you’re in a community that routinely ignores or disparages body differences, I’m going to gently suggest that you find or create a more supportive community. Love and pull-ups, Laura

My Buns Are Frozen! Training in Chilly Weather

Early in my performing career, before circus studios studded NYC, my aerial partner and I struck New York training gold. In exchange for the occasional performance, we were allowed to train in a night club space as often as we wanted. It was glorious. The catch? It was cold. Really, really cold. As in no heat at all during a New York City winter cold. There were days when we worked almost entirely on the ground in our puffy coats because it was just too frigid to take to the air. The result? A duo silk act that we performed around the world for years, and a great big bag-o-tricks for keeping warm when the temperature plummets.

Things That Make You Go Brrrrr, and What to Do About Them

Perhaps your training has you climbing the curtains in the great outdoors. Maybe your space has to keep the windows or doors open to encourage air flow. Maybe your space is just drafty, or you’re a Perpetually Cold Person. Whatever the reason, most of us will have to train chilly here and there. Brrrrrrrrr.

• Layer layer layer, like a delicious cake. Don’t be subtle! You can mix and match depending on your apparatus and whatcha like, and take things on and off as you go. I’m Forever Freezing, so you’ll find me in:
  • Leggings topped with sweat pants, socks, & leg warmers (if training in socks is not your jam, experiment with grippy socks or have a pair of fitted slippers to toast your tootsies between turns)
  • Cami tank or leotard, long sleeved thermal tee, and short sleeved tee. Yes, all at once.
  • Fitted sweatshirt and puffy vest (watch for zippers – snaps are preferred for silks)
• Warm up, then DON’T SIT DOWN. Ya’ll make me laugh when you do a good warm up, then collapse between turns. Get your butt up!!! The goal is to get warm and stay warm. Things you can do between turns:
  • Pay close attention to what your coach is saying to other students (chances are pretty great it applies to you as well)
  • Do your PT! If you’ve got some PT you’ve been prescribed, or a set of injury prevention exercises you ought to be doing (and – seriously – we should all be doing our injury prevention exercises), do them between turns.
  • Get a little extra cardio! Run in place, jumping jacks, squats, dance around, you do you.
• If your digits get cold, or if you find yourself dealing with post-training joint soreness, play with adding gloves & hand warmers to the mix. You can buy reusable warmers, or make ones that you can microwave if your space has a zapper. Hold them in your hands between turns, or put them in your gloves. (note: gloves are for between turns – not for use on apparatus)
• Stretch sloooooooowly. I’m a big fan of changing training with the seasons. In summer, I work on increasing flexibility. Spring & fall are for cardio & stamina. Winter is for intense strength training. Know what cold muscles hate? Surprise stretches. Don’t you DARE drop into that split cold (you did do a vigorous warm up, right?). Go slowly and easily, and pay close attention to where your muscles are today.
• Rosin & cotton! Cooler, drier weather means slick-as-snot fabrics. Moistening your hands before applying powdered rosin can help if you feel like you’re trying to climb glass. Save your 1000% lycra leggings for summer – a nice grippy cotton can go a long way towards reducing the slip n’ slide effect.
• Drink heavily! Not that kind. Warm drinks! A lovely tea or something similar in a thermos can warm hands and insides.

In a perfect world, we’d all be training in spaces that maintained an ideal temperature; alas – our world ain’t perfect! Circus people are tough. We train when it’s hot, we train when it’s cold – we adjust our training! Layer up, stuff your pockets with hand warmers, and keep your butt moving. Go forth and stay toasty. Love and pull-ups, Laura