At-Home Activities

Part 1

Picture yourself in this situation: your instructor begins class with a few strategies that can help expand your flexibility and strength for your aerial classes. You take mental notes on what to practice later at home. Once you arrive home you set up your dancing space and begin to warm-up, with the movements your instructor taught you. Once you begin, you realize that you can’t remember the activities! It’s like a flashback to high school: you understand the formula in class, but when you get home to work on your homework it’s like you were on another planet during class. Sound familiar? Have no fear! We at Flight Fitness Studio are beginning this blog to help you with all things aerial, and to begin we are starting a two-part series about at-home stretch and conditioning activities you can complete by yourself!

#1: Shoulder Mobility Rolls

Using the end of a broom or similarly shaped object, hold each end of the stick with one hand. Without bending your arms, move the stick behind your body, all the way down toward the small of your back. Completely bring the stick back to your starting position. Repeat 10-15 times as necessary. If you are struggling to complete this exercise without bending your arms, only extend as far as you can without bending them; it’s fine if you don’t have the mobility to begin with, that’s why we are practicing! The biggest key here is to keep those arms straight.

#2: Puppy on a Wall

All you need to complete this simple stretch is a blank wall. The object of this stretch is to gain more flexibility in your upper trap muscles and shoulders. You should hold your hands above your head shoulder-width apart. Keeping your hands above your head, place your chest directly on the wall and your back-side facing out. Really arch your back and dive deeply into the stretch. Holding your head up high or looking above your head helps as well. As always, only complete this stretch as far as you can go without straining or hurting yourself. Hold for at least 30 seconds.

#3: Curtsy Lunges

Lunges are a very important aspect of aerial fitness, since we are using hips and hip flexors a ton. This easy-to-do at home stretch and conditioning activity will help you strengthen your quads, hamstrings, and calves. Switching legs each time, swing your first leg out and behind you, as if you were trying to kick something you can only see in your peripheral vision. Lunge down to the ground; if you are comfortable with your knees touching the ground do that, and if not, you can lunge down as far as you can go. Complete this at least 10-15 times on each side.

#4: Wall Straddles

What a great way to try and master your middle splits! This stretch uses another blank wall and gravity as the force that pulls you down, so you don’t have to worry about the work! To get into this stretch, kneel with your hip on the wall, facing either direction (not directly toward the wall). Slide your inside leg (the one touching the wall) up the wall, so that your back-side is driven to the floor. Let your legs hang out and let gravity do the work! Your toes can remain flexed as shown, or pointed. Hold for at least 30 seconds.