4 Reasons Cross-Training Is So Beneficial For Your Aerial

What do you think when I mention the word cross training? I think for a lot of aerialists they imagine going to the gym and picking up some weights, without much direction on what they should do or why it’s helpful. It can feel like the only option is to follow a fitness program in order to cross train, and while there are a lot of good fitness programs out there, most don’t take into account the specific needs of an aerialist.

So I’m on a mission to change this, and help teach more aerialists how to cross train in a way that supports their aerial training and goals. 

And in this post I want to talk about why cross training is so valuable and necessary if you want to really excel in your aerial practice. I’ve broken it down into 4 main reasons why cross training is important, and how it will benefit you if you train it consistently over a long period of time. 

1. Accessibility

Cross training creates more accessibility to aerial, because if you have a strong body, you can train more of the things you actually want; the stronger and more mobile your body is, the more movements, tricks and skills that we can safely access and work towards. It’s about creating a solid base that supports our practice. 

Have you ever come across a skill that just feels completely out of reach? Something that you would love to be able to learn but you just don’t have the pre-requisites? Although a lot of aerial skills involve very specific progressions and drills on the apparatus we underestimate the value of building strength through our whole body off the apparatus, and how this can set us up so much better even just for skill progressions. 

If you know you have strength you can trust yourself more. If you move better because your body understands fundamental foundation movements like squatting or hinging at the hips or horizontal and vertical pulling, of course this will translate to your aerial training and give you more access to more things.

2. Injury prevention

Cross training helps you build stronger and more mobile muscles, joints and connective tissue, which means your body is simply better equipped to deal with the demands of aerial. While you can never truly prevent injury if you train something physical, this is one of the best ways to protect against it and reduce the risk.

You’ll likely also have a better understanding of when something is going to be too much for your body, rather than trying progressions or skills that you aren’t ready for and hurting yourself. Again, injury is not something you can 100% avoid by doing X, but you can absolutely create less risk for yourself. 

If you’re currently always getting injured, or feeling like you’re in pain or dealing with constant niggles, it might be time to reassess your approach to training and take a step back. Cross training might not seem as fun or glamorous, but it’s vital for setting yourself up for success and a practice you love.

3. Avoid and overcome plateaus

If you’ve ever felt like your progress has stalled, often focusing on the fundamental strength you need to build for the skills you want will help overcome this. We get stuck when we only train skills and tricks, because those aren’t enough on their own to build more strength. 

Let’s compare it to improving flexibility. If you wanted to nail your splits, you wouldn’t only train it on the aerial equipment - you spend time training it on the floor. You do different drills for different parts of the body. You identify where you’re tight and spend more time on that. It’s the same with building strength. You don’t hammer a skill in the hopes that it addresses weaker areas of the body. You have to actually spend time building that specific strength away from the apparatus. 

4. Longevity

The stronger your body, the longer you can do the things you want to do for! If you train smart, that can essentially be forever. I think there are a lot of factors in cultivating a practice that you can do sustainably for the long run, and having a strong body is one of the essential elements. If you think about building strength like saving money, if you do it consistently over a long period of time, it compounds. 

If you have been consistently prioritising strength over a period of 10 years you will have an unbelievably strong foundation that will allow you to keep going for another 10, 20, 30 years. Of course training needs to change the older we get, but prioritising building strength should be constant. 

And it all feeds into each other. if you can create more accessibility to the skills you care about training, reduce the risk of injury, and your know how to overcome plateaus, you’ve cultivated a practice that you can do long term.

So this is why I am trying to teach more aerialists about the benefits of cross training, and make education around it more accessible. 

I’ve been sharing a lot about cross training for aerial recently, especially on social media. Building strength and helping others do the same, especially for aerial, is something I’m super passionate about. 

If you want more input into your cross training and building strength for aerial, book a call to chat about one to one online coaching. 💖