Aerial Workout: Catch Some Air

You don’t need acrobatic skills to get hooked on the latest aerial classes. Here’s how to swing, spring, and soar as you tone absolutely everything.

- Lindsey Emery

Maybe it’s the boom in boutique gyms or all the Instagram eye candy that aerial yoga has stirred up, but acrobatic-inspired workouts are more plentiful, popular, and accessible than ever. This newest breed of routine incorporates classics like bungee cords, trampolines, and aerial silks in ways that make it easy to go aloft for classes, whatever your starting point. 

“The emphasis [in acro workouts] is on movement, strength, and—eventually— grace. With proper instruction, anyone can learn those skills,” says Lian Lebret, a cofounder of an aerial studio in New York City. Plus, the exercise high of going aerial is next-level, so don’t be surprised if you’re smitten on your first fly. “When we discovered it,” Lebret says, “we couldn’t wait to share it with the world.”

Better yet, such routines speed results as you lose yourself in them. “They’re an amazing way to cross-train and keep the body guessing so you get stronger in new, surprisingly fun ways,” says Joy Keller, the executive editor of Idea Fitness Journal. Ready for takeoff? Try any of these three popular acro techniques.

Spring into action