It's a Monday evening at True Balance Studio in Baltimore's Mount Vernon neighborhood, and a handful of students are hanging out in the loft-style exercise facility. Literally.
As in hanging upside down, suspended midair, doing splits and other daring feats. And all while their arms, feet and assorted body parts are intertwined with two long swaths of black, silky fabric, rigged up from the 12- to 15-foot ceiling. A few thin mats are situated underneath.
"Pull your abs in, tuck your pelvis," said instructor Mark Harding, encouraging beginning student Lauren Butkiewicz, who's hoisted herself into an aerial seated position, with legs extended and toes pointed. To more advanced student Guido DiSalvo, Harding compliments the graceful lines of his 5-foot-11 frame as he sways midair.
"Beautiful," he said.
Imagine Cirque du Soleil minus the costumes and choreography and in a gym setting instead of a theater, and you have some idea of the look and feel of aerial conditioning. This form of exercise, popular in Europe and gaining more fans in the U.S., borrows the artistry and athleticism of circus acrobats to build the body's strength, control and flexibility.
It's one of several hip fitness trends that have cropped up in recent years nationwide and in and around Baltimore, and is aimed at giving those who work out new and unique exercise options. Studies have shown that nearly half of the people who start an exercise program quit within six months, and many experts say monotony can be a factor.
"People are constantly changing their regimen; otherwise you lose interest," said Ali True, 33, who worked locally for Merritt athletic clubs and as a celebrity trainer in Los Angeles before launching the studio a year and a half ago.
Its offerings range from yoga to hip-hop dance and martial arts classes, all taught by credentialed instructors. True, who holds a degree in exercise physiology from Temple University and multiple certifications, believes her studio is among the first in the city to offer aerial conditioning.
"There's nothing wrong with going to the gym and getting on the treadmill, but this is something different," said Butkiewicz, 25, a Cockeysville resident who works at the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore. "I enjoy it."
"You're up there in the air, using silks, so it's definitely interesting," adds DiSalvo, 30. "It's great conditioning for the back muscles and triceps," said the federal computer programmer. "I plan to make this a regular thing."
