Move It, Fat Boy: A New Spin on Gym Workouts
September 30, 2010, By Brian Bowen 0 comments
Two clowns walk into a gym. No this isn’t a joke. This is Circus Mojo, a Kentucky-based leadership and fitness facility led by two former Ringling Brothers clowns and, I have to say, it was pretty awesome.
I read about Paul Miller and his facility in a local business newspaper as a popular new place for leadership retreats. He offered executives the chance to learn circus skills and team-building through things like ball and tightrope walking, gymnastics and juggling. It sounded kind of cool, but it got me to looking around the Internet to see if Circus Mojo was completely unique or if there was some groundswell in circus-related activity in the nation. Turns out, there is.
Hollywood celebs and fitness geeks are turning toward the circus arts to improve flexibility, agility, balance and strength. Whether it’s Sarah Jessica Parker on a trapeze or any of a host of gyms popping up around the country to put a little fun into working out, there was something there. So we thought we’d give it a shot.
And that’s how I found myself chasing Miller and Emmanuel Tawaih - E for short - on laps around the outside of their renovated movie theater facility. We were “joggling,” which sounds as awkward as it was. Basically, juggling three two-pound balls while jogging. It took coordination and concentration and after a few laps, my heart was pounding through my chest.
Next came the ball walking. It looks easy, especially watching E jump up and start running the thing around like a 12-year-old on a skateboard. But when I mounted the hard plastic ball with Miller offering a spot and encouraging me to keep my feet moving, it took about four seconds for the burn in my thighs and calves to flare up. After three or four attempts in about 10 minutes, I felt like I had spent an hour on a Stairmaster.
We moved to the “German Wheel” next and, no offense to my ancestors, it doesn’t take a genius to recognize the combination of masochism and physics that makes it a distinctly German creation. If you have ever seen that scene in “The Toy” where Richard Pryor climbs into the inflatable “Wonder Wheel,” assumes a mid-jumping jack position and spins out of control like a drunken hamster, you know what I mean here. Again, this was about rigid strength and balance. A few spins around and my arms and abs were feeling it.
Then came the tight-rope walking. Sure, it was only 18 inches off the ground, but walking a tightrope at any height requires a peculiar mixture of muscle rigidity and fluid movement that takes a while to master. You move your feet smoothly while firing your core and balancing with your shoulders. Miller spotted me the first few times, then I tried it on my own. I must have looked like a drunken sailor, but I can’t tell you the satisfaction I felt when I at-last made it across. It was exhilarating.
We did something that probably had Human Resources worried next as Miller and E taught me to balance our Associate Editor, Kasie, on my shoulders as she stood full cheerleader. Kasie is a rather thin woman, but still that combination of balance and rigidity was a workout.
For fun, Miller and E taught me to balance things. A feather on my finger, then my shin. A stool. I was feeling pretty cocky when I had the stool balanced on my chin on my first try, then I looked over and saw Miller balancing a full-sized grocery cart on his chin. It turns out, I have plenty of room to grow when it comes to my mad circus skills.
As we were wrapping up, a funny thing occurred to me. I was drenched in sweat and exhausted. The, pardon the pun, funny thing about working out with clowns is that it doesn’t feel like a workout. It was, dare I say, fun. Amazing how distracting your mind, can help push your body further.
So, if you hate working out, but need to get in shape, I highly recommend you seek out a circus gym in your area. You’ll be ready for the Ringling Brothers in no time.
Transcript: [Craig] So, a lot of the time when we do these shows its trying to find work outs that don’t suck. You know, things that keep you mentally engaged and physically engaged and we happen to cross a circus gym, not far from our office. Uh, we decided it was just too cool to pass up. These places are popping up all over the country. They have them in the big cities, San Francisco, New York, Chicago. A lot of the time they run by former circus performers uh, they are the perfect combination of leadership exercises and just pure exercise. If you’re the kind of person like me, you really hate weights, really hate running on a treadmill. This is actually kind of perfect because its 50 percent mental, uh its 50 percent physical and it’s a whole lot of fun. So we’re going to go meet Paul and E. who own this place, it’s called Circus Mojo and see what they can teach us today. So come on and join me. Hi Paul, I’m Craig. E, how you doing? Nice to meet you guys. What are we going to do today here at Circus Mojo?
[Paul] Welcome to the circus, we’re going to walk on the ball, we’re going to walk on that tight wire, roll around with the gym wheel, we’re going to learn to balance objects, juggle and jog- joggling.
[Craig] Okay, so that’s good. So what am I going to do?
[Paul] Oh, all of it!
[Craig] Haha So lets go get started. So it’s all about agility, focus and balance, right?
[Paul] That’s right, that’s right.
[Craig] Just like any sport, it’s what every athlete is going for, right?
[Paul] That’s right corporation.
[Craig] Alright so we did a little joggling to warm up, it’s good for the hand-eye coordination, get my heart pumping a little bit, it’s really hot outside. ah uh, screw it. What’s next my man?
[Paul] This is the rolling globe see? Alright the rolling globe, now notice E is balanced. Chest over your knee, and stand right up, just that easy. You did sign the waver didn’t you?
[Craig] No
[Paul] Chest up and go, nice, nice. Step, step, step don’t look down. Arms out breathe, smile. Relax, go, step, step, step. Step, step, step, step, step, step, oh better. Better, that’s better. Ohh.
[Craig] This man, I’m an old pro. You know its like second hat. It’s like once you learn how to do it, it’s like second nature. I think I’m going to commute 26 miles to work in this thing tomorrow.
[E] Um, why don’t we get you strapped in here. Nice and tight good.
[Craig] Haha.
[E] Alight, okay, the key, you want to hold on tight, perfect, the the key is to push when you’re upside down. Not to pull, to push, both your feet, ready?
[Craig] Okay
[E] You’re going to rock 1, 2, and your going to go on 3 alright?
[Craig] Okay
[E] Good, hold on tight, good job Craig. Nice work, aw good. Now take one arm off to stop. Aw good, good good. Rock to the other side, good. Aw beautiful work Craig. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful.
[Craig] Alright, that’s a little weird. Show me how the pros do it man. I saw you doing some crazy tricks on there. Um, it’s really awkward. I can only do one at a time. Yeah, definitely leave it to the Germans. Haha. Uh, you tried to kill me on the evil, german wheel of death.
[Paul] Ya.
[Craig] Um, this looks awfully familiar. I’m going to go ahead and let you explain it.
[Paul] Well, this is the tight wire here. And it’s a training wire, it’s 16 inches off the ground. Ohhh. Okay, so um basically what you need to look at on this tight wire is standing up straight here. Um, alright here we go, now you have to keep your whole foot on wire see.
[Craig] Whole foot.
[Paul] Whole foot. Touch and slide, touch and slide. Keep those arms up, chest up. Touch and slide, touch and slide. Touch the wire, chest up slide. Step, and there you are.
[Craig] Alright so we learned a few things here at Circus Mojo today, learning how to get hit in the face with a pin. Uh, exercise doesn’t have to suck.
[Paul] Now this, just this is a work out, just holding this thing up. Here want to try?
[Craig] You can try a lot of different things, there are gyms like this around the country. Great for team building, great for self control and also beats the hell out of being in a gym. So I suggest you give it a whirl. And we’ll see you next time.
Ahh, there it is, nicely done, move it fat boy.
