Flying Trapeze

Today I'm talking about alternative burns. I'll be the first to admit that while Ellipticals on high levels of resistance are great for a toning cardio session, they are flat out DULL. I mean it. Boring with a capital "B". Sadly, a lot of workouts can feel similarly stagnant after awhile. 

My sister has figured out a way to make even the most exciting Zumba class feel relatively ordinary. How? She gets a full body workout from taking trapeze lessons every week at the New York Trapeze School's Washington, DC location

I went down to DC with my family a few weekends ago. First, we saw a trapeze show in which my sister performed. The next day, my siblings and I took a lesson for ourselves.

What an unbelievable experience. First, the school instructors gave each of us a harness and explained to us the safety instructions. Then we climbed a 30-foot ladder to an elevated platform where we grabbed the trapeze bar and launched ourselves into the air, attempting to (at the instructor’s command), pull our knees up to link over the bar so that we could release our hands. We swung for a few moments, and then released – first pulling our knees back to hang vertically by our arms, before falling “gracefully” into a net below.

Not only is flying trapeze one hell of an exhilarating adrenaline rush, (seeking: serious thrill seekers), but it's also a fantastic workout! Experts say it’s comparable to gymnastics work – and focuses primarily on the exerciser’s lats, abdominals, and shoulder muscles. I absolutely agree – two days later, and I was STILL delightfully sore from my offbeat workout.

In fact, while I wasn’t wearing my heart rate monitor during the class, an hour flying trapeze session can burn an average of 300 calories – which is the amount an average person burns doing an hour of weight-lifting.

If I haven’t convinced you, I’ve included some videos below.


This first clip is my sister’s performance (her group had 80s themed costumes) during her trapeze recital.

And here's my attempt. I'm particularly proud of my delicate "dismount". I am the PICTURE of grace. 

And if you're still not tempted to try trapeze, here's a video of some professionals from my sister's recital -- in all their toned glory!

There are several trapeze schools around the country:

http://www.trapezeschool.com/default.php (With locations in NYC, DC, Boston, LA and Chicago)

http://www.trapezearts.com/index.php (Oakland, CA)

http://www.flytrapeze.com/ (Woodland Hills, CA)

http://theflyingtrapeze.net/ (Miami, FL)

http://www.trapezehigh.com/ (Del Mar, CA and Escondido, CA)

http://www.trapeze-experience.com/ (West Palm Beach, FL, The Hamptons, NY, and Rhinebeck, NY)

And so many others!