Can a sporty girl like Aerials?

Have you met Kat?

I bet you would’ve seen her at the studio! Perhaps you saw her re-writing the stars in last years fundraiser performance. If you haven’t met her yet, I bet you’ve heard her laughing through her aerial class or groaning her way through barre & pilates. Her story really interests me, because it just goes to show how versatile barre & pilates is at improving your skills in other sports or areas.

Here’s her story:

I love sport and have been reasonably fit throughout my life. I enjoy choosing sports that are unique and require different skills and technique. In 2017, my sister and I stumbled upon AerialFit. I was excited to try aerials and test out my fitness levels. I have always loved cardio, but soon realised that my stamina in the air was lacking. I also discovered that I had limited strength, especially in my abs and arms. It took me a whole term of silks to learn how to climb properly. My first routine in silks proved I definitely didn’t have the skill of a Cirque du Soleil performer, nor was I very graceful. Through the last couple of years I have gained so much from aerials: strength, fitness, flow, stamina and friendship.

Although I have made a lot of progress, I have also learnt a lot about my strengths and weaknesses. My core strength in particular is still a work in progress. I believed for so long that I utilised these muscles well, but I quickly learnt that I wasn’t great at isolating or contracting them at the right moments. I began studio classes, including Barre and Pilates, which are challenging (in a great way). Again these classes require such different muscles and skill. Both of these studio classes have guided me on how to use my core muscles. I have gained so much strength and understanding about my core (and other muscles I haven’t used in other sports). Barre and Pilates has made a huge difference to my abilities in aerials. My climbs, inverts, stamina and tricks have improved greatly. Now, they can’t keep me away from AerialFit!