Do you remember those first few classes when we told you “flying trapeze isn’t about strength, it’s all about timing?” Well, that was true…mostly. It’s undeniable that if you move at the right time, most tricks on the flying trapeze are much easier. As you develop as a flyer, however, the equation expands to include a need not only for good timing, but also for strength.
In other circus disciplines, like aerial silks or static trapeze, the need for strength is inherently clear: if you want to do certain moves, you need to be strong enough to do them (otherwise, you just cannot do the move). With flying trapeze, the value of additional conditioning is not always as easy to see.
Truth be told, some degree of conditioning is always useful. Swinging or even just hanging from a bar (safely) requires you to activate the same muscles that are involved in doing a pull-up. This is not to say that if you cannot do pull-ups you cannot do flying trapeze, but keeping your shoulders healthy and happy does require a certain level of ‘fitness’ in those muscles.
As you develop as a flyer, the need for additional conditioning becomes more apparent. Your one-handed take-off requires a certain amount of core strength. Learning to seven and forceout in your swing also calls for a high level of strength through your ‘middle.’
And then there is the very serious matter of flying out-of-lines. In order to swing and perform tricks at this level, a certain minimum level of whole-body strength is required—not only for effective execution, but for your own safety as well.
No matter where you are in your progression through our Curriculum, it is likely you could benefit from some additional conditioning. Whether you train on your own, at a gym or in our awesome Conditioning classes, we highly recommend supplementing your Flying with strength training. If you have questions on exercises that can help enhance your flying please speak with our instructors!