I arrived for my third class invigorated and excited for the challenges that todays class would bring. If there is one thing that I am good at, it is putting all my effort into something and to get myself excited about it. Noticing that I was rather weak from the past two lessons, I decided to visit the gym a few times that week. I did my usual 10 minute warm up on the treadmill and then a 30 minute or about 500 calories according to the machine, cardio on the elliptical. I used various arm and leg strengthening machines and did body circuits.
We did the same warm-up as the previous two classes. My goal for the rope climbing was the same, to get over my fear of heights and to make it higher than before. I found that by just looking up, and concentrating on what was above me, it was far less scary than looking down at what my feet were doing. I made it a little higher, but was still too scared to go all the way to the top.
This class, we learned about half of the foot block moves. After the disaster that was last class, the week leading up to my second class, I reviewed in my head how to do a foot block. I felt confident that I could actually do it on my first try this class and…I DID! So I climbed up about two climbs and painfully tied my foot into the foot block. We then set to work learning six new moves all based on our knowledge of the foot block.
First, the “elbow lean away”. Very simply, with my right foot in the foot block, I stood up and hooked my right elbow around the rope and leaned away. Feeling pretty confident, I advanced to the second move, the “1-hand hang”. Again, very simply, standing up with my right foot still in the foot block, I held onto the rope with my right hand and leaned away.
(example of a 1-hand hang) I was feeling pretty good, so I decided to finish the foot block moves that required the participant to stand up and advanced to the “back arch”. Holding onto the rope with both hands (very tight I might add), I swung my body around the rope so that it was behind me. I then did the stag pose that we learned on the trapeze, except instead of a bar, I had the rope tied around my foot and instead of holding onto both ropes of the trapeze with each hand, I held onto one rope with both hands. My foot began to really hurt, so I decided to come down for a quick break and to move the skin on my foot back into place.
Finished with my break, I scaled the rope again two climbs and retied my foot into the foot block. For my fourth move, I tried the “back of knee hang”. It is another standing move, but this one gave me a very peculiar and uncomfortable pulling sensation in my knee. Standing up and holding onto the corde lisse with both hands, I swung my left leg up and hooked it around the rope. Quickly, I grabbed my ankle with my left hand. Once I felt secure (and with the owner of the studio standing beneath me), I let go with my right hand. To get out of the move (as I mentioned it was not a comfortable one), I accidentally grabbed the corde lisse underneath my leg instead of above and had to awkwardly untangle and climb my hands above my left leg again. Continuing with awkward, painful and scary knee moves, I tried the “thigh side lean”. With my right foot in the foot block, I pinched the rope to my right knee with my left foot, leaned my body over into a semi-straight position and made myself let go with my hands. It pinched awkwardly and I basically hated it. At least I tried it.
We ended our daily stint on the corde lisse with the “squat”. Simply, hold onto the rope with both hand, and while still in a foot block, slide down the rope until in a squat position and lean back for style. The untied leg should be straight and pointed.
We did nothing new on the trapeze, re-trying the birds nest (bent and straight legs) both from sitting and from under the trapeze, and the mermaid.
The strengthening and toughening exercises were the same as the day before, doing either 10 seconds of each position for the toughening ones and 10 reps for the strengthening ones
This third class was the first that I truly felt like I could do something extraordinary. None of my friends (with the exception of Shmulie Smaters) was doing this. I found it on my own, and I could feel myself getting better. It was exciting becoming stronger and more aware of my body. It is an unusual activity, with a high yield of confidence. I could feel myself tightening up and becoming more toned through my efforts of both going to class and going to the gym to support going to class. It is definitely a more fun way than plain old going to the gym to get in my cardio and strengthening workout, and since it is sustained over about an hour and a half, I know that I am getting a good one.
(here is another cool video I found, hopefully I'll be able to load the pictures that my dad took of me during one class very soon)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RgWIDk0nuU&NR=1
We did the same warm-up as the previous two classes. My goal for the rope climbing was the same, to get over my fear of heights and to make it higher than before. I found that by just looking up, and concentrating on what was above me, it was far less scary than looking down at what my feet were doing. I made it a little higher, but was still too scared to go all the way to the top.
This class, we learned about half of the foot block moves. After the disaster that was last class, the week leading up to my second class, I reviewed in my head how to do a foot block. I felt confident that I could actually do it on my first try this class and…I DID! So I climbed up about two climbs and painfully tied my foot into the foot block. We then set to work learning six new moves all based on our knowledge of the foot block.
First, the “elbow lean away”. Very simply, with my right foot in the foot block, I stood up and hooked my right elbow around the rope and leaned away. Feeling pretty confident, I advanced to the second move, the “1-hand hang”. Again, very simply, standing up with my right foot still in the foot block, I held onto the rope with my right hand and leaned away.
(example of a 1-hand hang) I was feeling pretty good, so I decided to finish the foot block moves that required the participant to stand up and advanced to the “back arch”. Holding onto the rope with both hands (very tight I might add), I swung my body around the rope so that it was behind me. I then did the stag pose that we learned on the trapeze, except instead of a bar, I had the rope tied around my foot and instead of holding onto both ropes of the trapeze with each hand, I held onto one rope with both hands. My foot began to really hurt, so I decided to come down for a quick break and to move the skin on my foot back into place.Finished with my break, I scaled the rope again two climbs and retied my foot into the foot block. For my fourth move, I tried the “back of knee hang”. It is another standing move, but this one gave me a very peculiar and uncomfortable pulling sensation in my knee. Standing up and holding onto the corde lisse with both hands, I swung my left leg up and hooked it around the rope. Quickly, I grabbed my ankle with my left hand. Once I felt secure (and with the owner of the studio standing beneath me), I let go with my right hand. To get out of the move (as I mentioned it was not a comfortable one), I accidentally grabbed the corde lisse underneath my leg instead of above and had to awkwardly untangle and climb my hands above my left leg again. Continuing with awkward, painful and scary knee moves, I tried the “thigh side lean”. With my right foot in the foot block, I pinched the rope to my right knee with my left foot, leaned my body over into a semi-straight position and made myself let go with my hands. It pinched awkwardly and I basically hated it. At least I tried it.
We ended our daily stint on the corde lisse with the “squat”. Simply, hold onto the rope with both hand, and while still in a foot block, slide down the rope until in a squat position and lean back for style. The untied leg should be straight and pointed.
We did nothing new on the trapeze, re-trying the birds nest (bent and straight legs) both from sitting and from under the trapeze, and the mermaid.
The strengthening and toughening exercises were the same as the day before, doing either 10 seconds of each position for the toughening ones and 10 reps for the strengthening ones
This third class was the first that I truly felt like I could do something extraordinary. None of my friends (with the exception of Shmulie Smaters) was doing this. I found it on my own, and I could feel myself getting better. It was exciting becoming stronger and more aware of my body. It is an unusual activity, with a high yield of confidence. I could feel myself tightening up and becoming more toned through my efforts of both going to class and going to the gym to support going to class. It is definitely a more fun way than plain old going to the gym to get in my cardio and strengthening workout, and since it is sustained over about an hour and a half, I know that I am getting a good one.
(here is another cool video I found, hopefully I'll be able to load the pictures that my dad took of me during one class very soon)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RgWIDk0nuU&NR=1
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