Fresh New Fit: Static Trapeze Class at Twin Cities Trapeze Center

Ah, I'm so sorry I have been MIA! My computer was on its last leg, so I had to order a new one. The new one was a custom order with loads of memory, so it took a little while for it to arrive. But now I am back in action, and this Macbook is WAAAY faster; I love it!

Anyways, I have been meaning to write a post about the static trapeze class that Dustin and I took last Saturday. Remember last January, when Dustin and I tried our luck with aerial fitness at the Stomping Ground?   (Check out that post HERE)

Even though Dustin wasn’t really onboard with the whole idea beforehand, he ended up really enjoying it (and being pretty good at it too!)

Since he had a good experience last time, he was a little more open to try another circus type class. I purchased two Living Social deals for a “Static Trapeze” class at Twin Cities Trapeze.

  

We signed for the Saturday class, which was an hour long. They only allow for 4 people in each class, so you do have to plan ahead a bit to reserve an open spot.

The studio is in St. Paul in one of the old Hamm’s Brewery buildings. 

When you enter the building, you can see that the flying trapeze is the focus of the space. There was a flying trapeze class going on right when we arrived, and it really looked like fun!

But the trapeze isn't the only thing they do here. In fact, they offer all kinds of classes- Hoola Hoop classes, Flying Trapeze, Yoga, Zumba, “Flirty Fitness”, Barre, and Acro /Gymnastics

The living social deal was only for one Static Trapeze class, which is described on their website as follows:

Lower and steadier than the Flying Trapeze; as the name suggests, the Static Trapeze stays put as the performer executes positions, tricks, and transitions on, over, under and around the bar! Classes begin with a warm-up and focus on skills and choreography before concluding with conditioning. Classes are 60 minutes in length and have a maximum of 4 students per class.

In our class on Saturday, there were three beginner students (Dustin, me, and one other girl) and then another student who had been taking lessons for quite a while. She was quite advanced compared to the rest of us.

The class started with some stretching. The instructor warned us that we would be sore the next day – “from using muscles we normally don’t use!”

After some stretching, the instructor moved right into the moves on the trapeze.

We started with the basic lift onto the trapeze to knee hang. We practiced letting go from the knee hang “with style” of course.

The next move was the bird’s nest, where we hooked our feet and legs on the trapeze ropes and hung upside down. This one felt really good- it really stretched your back out!

After we had all mastered the bird’s nest, we moved on to moves on top of the trapeze. First we just a basic lean-back, and then the "mermaid."

This mermaid move was a bit more of a challenge for me. I got a little fearful of letting go with one hand and really rolling to my side hip. Eventually I was able to do it, but it took some work.

Now, for the "big" move: standing on the trapeze. The instructor walked us through the different steps to get into the standing position. 

From the stand, we also learned “star” where you pop both feet onto the ropes and then push out in a star position. The first few times we did this move, the trapeze was moved closer to the ground so we’d feel more comfortable. But by the end, she moved the trapeze back up again.

Towards the end of the class, we all had the opportunity to go through our whole “routine” as a bit of performance. She even played some tunes for us as we "performed"- so fun!

Remember how I said she warned us that we would be sore? I didn’t feel so bad right away after the class, but throughout that night and into the next day, I was really sore in my upper body… Dustin was really sore too, even though he is more accustomed to this sort of thing with all of his rock climbing.

The static trapeze was somewhat similar to the lyre class we took in the Aerial Fitness class at the Stomping Grounds.  I would recommend a static trapeze class at the Twin Cities Trapeze Center. The facility was nice, and the instructors were really helpful.

At our class, there was also a more experienced student working through her routine. It was fun to watch all the other stuff she had learned. She said she had only been taking lessons for a few months, but she was really good (being extremely flexible probably helped too!)

I have a greater appreciation for the Cirque du Soleil trapeze artists, as it is definitely NOT easy!

From the FAQ’s on the website:

What do I wear?  Anything comfortable which allows easy movement.  Yoga/sweat pants and a T-shirt are good choices.  They recommend wearing something that covers your knees.  Long hair should be tied back.

Where are you located? They are at 719 Minnehaha Ave E in St. Paul.  Also known as building 45 of the Hamm’s Brewery.  They are the in the far Northwest corner of the old brewery campus.  

Is there an age limit? They have taught students from ages 3 to 73.

I would also suggest that you bring  a camera to take pictures! I had a lot of fun with this fresh new fit.  Give it a try, and let me know what you think!