As discussed last week, it not helpful to jump cold into the splits and imagine you are helping yourself get the splits. If you are taking the time to stretch make it worth your while, make your body happy by stretching properly. The most effective time to stretch your splits is when you are warmed up and have stretched the involved muscle groups. Stretching before a workout does not help flexibility. Most Effective Plan for Stretching the Center Splits 1. Stretch when you ar

Let’s keep it simple when it comes to the splits. I see it it all the time where people hop into their splits without stretching. Stretching the involved muscles in a splits first is going get you more bang for your buck then hopping in cold. Even if you have your splits, you still need to stretch and why not stretch smarter instead of harder. Getting your splits or even if you have your splits still means you need to stretch. The most effective time to stretch your splits is

Pull-ups and pull-ups all done with pointed toes and controlled movement, right? Here we are again talking about overdeveloped muscles that come from repetitive movement and how injuries occur because of this over-development. Pole and aerial arts activate the pectorals and latissimus dorsi big time. We also work trapezius, rhomboids and the muscles of the shoulders. Plus we use everything involved in the core. However let’s break this down and focus on the lats and pecs and

The best way to train a sport is to do the sport and pole and aerial arts are prime examples. You will not get hard moves if you do not practice and work on them. However, cross training with activities that enhance your abilities on the apparatus can help you achieve moves or gain strength and endurance. We break our cross training into three categories based on the the three elements of fitness: cardio, strength and flexibility. It is super easy to overtrain and you definit

Some of the most common injuries in aerial arts and pole happen in the shoulders. The shoulder girdle in composed of lots of muscles that do amazing things like help us invert. These muscles can easily be neglected and can also become underdeveloped compared to larger back muscles like the lats and pecs. I have selected a set of exercises that come from physical therapy and can be used to strengthen the shoulder area. As I have said my workouts tend to be a combination of wei

In aerial arts and pole there is no denying we use our pecs and then some. The pectoral muscles are easily overdeveloped and frequently get tight. Many of us in aerial arts know the pain of having large pecs. The pecs are composed of the pectoralis major and minor, they tie in with other muscles of course, but lets focus on the pecs. This group of muscles fans out from the sternum to the shoulder and eventually meet the bicep. Every pull-up we do, we engage the chest. If the

HIIT is not a new concept in the world of fitness, HIIT involves using interval training, high intensity periods of work, to spike the heart rate above 75% of max followed by a short recovery period. Studies found that getting the heart rate above 75% of max for a total of 30 minutes will create vast improvements in cardio vascular development, burn fat and increase metabolic rate (burn calories). Doing HIIT workouts can mean burning an extra 100 to 200 calories in the 24-ho

One of the most common imbalances that happens in the human body is overdeveloped front, underdeveloped back. We are going to focus on the lower half of the body and look at a few exercises that can help you build muscle in the hamstrings and glutes. Call it Bubble butt, J-Lo Booty, or just a lift, these hammock based exercises can give you some backside. Three Exercises with the aerial yoga hammock for working the backside. Reverse Ankle Trap Lunge Get into the hammock from

Yes, that question opens a can of worms. In the world of aerial, pole and martial arts the front and center splits are everyday moves, but many athletes struggle to get and maintain the splits. Most of us are actually blocked by a combination of things. Obviously, tight muscles can be a block and probably not actually stretching correctly or long enough. Some of us also have to work through genetics; but it is possible to conquer genetics. If you are struggling to get the spl

The push-up and the plank are en vogue in training at the moment. It makes perfect sense; these two moves work with your bodyweight to build strength. Trainers and fitness instructors love both moves because they effectively train the core. The push-up also works the Pecs, triceps and shoulder girdle muscles as well. Now I know I have said, “don’t do push-ups” in past blogs, but that is for the people who are training all the time and get their pectoral, core and shoulder wor