A Contortionist's Workout Routine
March 1, 2019 6:19 PM Subscribe
How do I make the contortionist workout schedule make sense? Alternatively, what other workout routines from contortionists can I incorporate and how?
I'm pretty bendy and the few times I've got to try contortionist stuff (mostly in the context of circus classes) I've quite enjoyed it. I really enjoy exercises to do with stretching and flexibility, much more than anything else, and I've tried yoga and pilates before. While I have no grand illusion of being a professional contortionist, I feel like a routine along those lines would be more likely to get me to keep to it compared to anything else.
I have a printout of the Contortionist's Handbook linked above, and they do outline a schedule, but I'm lost on how to adapt it in a way that makes sense. I don't know how to arrange and pick exercises from each category in a way that ensures a safe progression and I don't know how often to do these exercises per session or per week.
Assume I'm a beginner who's not super fit (I've done dance and physical theatre before but it's been a good while; my current form of exercise is walking). Should I do this daily? A few days a week with rest in between? Should I add or reduce something?
I'm pretty bendy and the few times I've got to try contortionist stuff (mostly in the context of circus classes) I've quite enjoyed it. I really enjoy exercises to do with stretching and flexibility, much more than anything else, and I've tried yoga and pilates before. While I have no grand illusion of being a professional contortionist, I feel like a routine along those lines would be more likely to get me to keep to it compared to anything else.
I have a printout of the Contortionist's Handbook linked above, and they do outline a schedule, but I'm lost on how to adapt it in a way that makes sense. I don't know how to arrange and pick exercises from each category in a way that ensures a safe progression and I don't know how often to do these exercises per session or per week.
Assume I'm a beginner who's not super fit (I've done dance and physical theatre before but it's been a good while; my current form of exercise is walking). Should I do this daily? A few days a week with rest in between? Should I add or reduce something?
Best answer: I second ananci above in that strengthening exercises are just as important, if not more, than stretches when it comes to contortion. I would highly recommend checking out Catie Brier’s Contortion Strong series, which is an excellent routine of warmup and conditioning exercises for backbending. She is currently working on one for legs (which I am stoked for) and also offers tailored online flexibility training (if you have the funds). Cirque physio’s Instagram also has a lot of good small exercises and tips. As for frequency, consistency is really the key (stretching at least a couple of days a week). Rest weeks (rest meaning, doing something else activity wise) every so often are also important.
I also second ananci with recommending you look up circus schools in the area and finding contortion instructors to take classes with. From even a few classes, you’ll get a good sense of exercise progressions and what works for you. Every body is different and what works for me might not work as well for you, so there is some exploration you’ll have to do as well.
It’s worth noting that contortion is different from yoga and also different from general flexibility training. It’s probably worth figuring out what your goals are so you can decide if finding a contortion coach at a circus school is what you want, or if finding a more general stretching class somewhere else (like at a gym) would suit your needs.
Source: I majored in contortion at circus school
posted by =^.^= at 9:29 PM on March 1, 2019 [6 favorites]
I also second ananci with recommending you look up circus schools in the area and finding contortion instructors to take classes with. From even a few classes, you’ll get a good sense of exercise progressions and what works for you. Every body is different and what works for me might not work as well for you, so there is some exploration you’ll have to do as well.
It’s worth noting that contortion is different from yoga and also different from general flexibility training. It’s probably worth figuring out what your goals are so you can decide if finding a contortion coach at a circus school is what you want, or if finding a more general stretching class somewhere else (like at a gym) would suit your needs.
Source: I majored in contortion at circus school
posted by =^.^= at 9:29 PM on March 1, 2019 [6 favorites]
Response by poster: The one contortion class in my area is booked out till April and even then it's so expensive 😭😭😭
I'm not seriously anticipating that I will get mad skills in cortortion (though if I do that's fab) - it's more that I recognise that for me, I get more motivated to exercise if there's a creative element or outcome to it, and I loooooove stretching to an absurd degree, so contortion seems like a good meld of the two. The points about strengthening and stabilising exercises is a great one, thank you for pointing that out.
While I wait till April, any suggestions for a pre-contortion or contortion-inspired exercises I could follow? I'll look into general stretching, but keywords for what these things tend to be called are useful.
posted by divabat at 2:23 PM on March 2, 2019
I'm not seriously anticipating that I will get mad skills in cortortion (though if I do that's fab) - it's more that I recognise that for me, I get more motivated to exercise if there's a creative element or outcome to it, and I loooooove stretching to an absurd degree, so contortion seems like a good meld of the two. The points about strengthening and stabilising exercises is a great one, thank you for pointing that out.
While I wait till April, any suggestions for a pre-contortion or contortion-inspired exercises I could follow? I'll look into general stretching, but keywords for what these things tend to be called are useful.
posted by divabat at 2:23 PM on March 2, 2019
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Stretching a bit to get more flexible is one thing. If you want to seriously push your bendy nature, I STRONGLY encourage you to take classes with trained professionals who can help you through the process of establishing safe and sane training activities. Most of your specific questions (number of reps, number of sessions) will largely depend on your current strength and flexibility, your body’s ability to handle the workouts as you do them, and your body’s recovery time after. Whatever you decide, start slow. You can alway add more time, reps, distance, but you can’t undo overworking your hamstrings.
Most larger cities have circus schools, or places that offer circus arts classes. You can also inquire with your local circuses to see if their contortionists offer classes or training. Please be careful with this, I’ve seen more than a few people try too much too quick and end up getting hurt.
That said, have fun! Circus / acrobatic circles tend to attract awesome, interesting people, and I think you’ll have a great time with it.
posted by ananci at 6:32 PM on March 1, 2019 [6 favorites]