But then something funny happened.
Whether it was adrenaline, an unconscious acceptance of the inevitable, or the fear of wussing out in front of the cute instructor who was waiting up there to—I’m just guessing here—toss me overboard if I couldn’t do it myself, I cowboyed up. Stepped to the edge of the platform, hooked my toes over the edge, and gripped the bar when she handed it to me. Bent my knees when she called out, “Ready,” and jumped when she barked, “Hep!”
No matter how prepared you are, that initial drop is bracing. It sucks the wind out of your lungs, lasts just long enough for you to question why you jumped in the first place, and produces so much downward momentum that when you reach the bottom of the arc you feel two-and-a-half times heavier than you really are. And coupled with the constantly shifting horizon, it makes concentrating on Flint’s instructions from below (“Legs up, knees over the bar!”) challenging. But I’d be lying if I said it isn’t exhilarating. This is what a yo-yo feels like.
I didn’t complete a catch. Didn’t even attempt one. Flint estimates that seven out of 10 first-timers pull it off (or, more accurately, get pulled off), but the motion sickness sidelined me after my fifth solo swing. But just like he promised, I overcame some stuff along the way—namely the irrational fear that comes from taking an instructor’s lighthearted, well-intentioned comments too seriously.
FLIGHT TRAINING
“If you look at trapeze artists, they have sculpted bodies,” says Emerald City Trapeze Arts instructor Brian Flint. “And the reason is because trapeze is a tough, physical activity.” It’s also a heck of a workout, particularly for the
following muscles.
Abs
“If you don’t have good core strength,” Flint says, “you’re going to struggle.” The momentum you generate while swinging will help you bring your legs up to your chest and over the bar when attempting the knee hang, but your abs will be doing most of the work.
Shoulders and back
At least half of your time on the trapeze is spent hanging by your hands. That means it’s up to your shoulders and back to support the majority of your weight.
Legs
The other half of the time, you’ll be hanging from the backs of your knees. It may not sound all that hard, but in that position you’re asking your hamstrings and calf muscles to flex and hold all of your weight, which only gets tougher at the bottom of the arc. (Flint questions to what degree the trapeze can work out your legs, but I definitely felt it.)
Published: September 2010
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