Why cross-training matters for aerialists, circus artists, and dancers
Aerialists, dancers, and circus artists repeat the same movements again and again, working some muscle groups hard while neglecting others. Cross-training, the practice of adding exercises outside your main discipline, is how many coaches and clinicians say artists can balance that load. Here’s why it matters and how to start.
What is cross-training?
Simply put, cross-training means pairing your main activity with other kinds of training that target different or complementary muscle groups. SportsCare & Armworks Physical and Hand Therapy, a practice in the Portland, Oregon, area, says in a 2020 blog post that cross-training is “about balancing our bodies, with attention given to both load and intensity.” In an October 2025 blog post, Deborah Kenner, assistant principal of Pacific Northwest Ballet School, describes the best cross-training as intentionally different from dance, with movement patterns that build full-body strength and correct imbalances. The same philosophy applies to aerialists and circus artists.
For aerialists, cross-training can mean adding strength training, cardio, Pilates or yoga, handstands, and even martial arts. But cross-training isn’t just about adding another workout. Kenner puts it simply: Cross-training “isn’t about doing more — it’s about doing what’s missing.”
Cross-training helps you break through plateaus
Cross-training can also help you get past strength and flexibility plateaus. Often, the answer is to change how you train, not just how much. As Tess Lozensky, head of Roustabout’s Adult Competition Team, puts it: “You can only grow so much so fast if all you’re doing is training on your apparatus. Getting to those advanced levels requires work in and out of the studio.”
Lozensky’s team follows a cross-training program of weightlifting, isometrics, cardio, and straps training alongside its regular apparatus training.
Cross-training for circus artists: Why pro schools expect it
At the professional level, cross-training is foundational. Aimée Hancock, head of curriculum and student development at the New England Center for Circus Arts, or NECCA, a professional circus school in Brattleboro, Vermont, said in an interview with Roustabout that many applicants have good coaching on their main apparatus but little cross-training. She asks them to picture a spectrum with an artist on one end and an athlete on the other. “We want to get you so that you have both ends more under your belt,” she said.
Cross-training for aerialists and dancers: Correcting muscle imbalances
Repetition builds skills, but it can also wear bodies down. In a 2025 blog post, Bloom Movement Artistry, a studio in Charlotte, North Carolina, says aerial training emphasizes pulling, hanging, and backbending while neglecting other movement patterns. That can leave some muscles underused and create imbalances that affect alignment, coordination, and control.
SportsCare & Armworks echoes this idea, comparing aerial training without cross-training to “skipping leg day.” The practice says aerialists who spend all their time on pulling and grip muscles should add activities such as push-ups and handstands. Aerial Physique, a Los Angeles studio, makes a similar point in a 2019 blog post: Aerial work demands a lot of upper-body pulling, so pushing exercises and lower-body strength help keep things balanced.
Dancers face the same problem. Kenner writes that dance involves highly repetitive movement and that, without proper conditioning, dancers are more prone to injury, fatigue, and burnout.
One caveat: SportsCare & Armworks notes that very little research exists on injury rates in aerial and circus arts, so much of this guidance rests on clinical and coaching experience rather than large studies.
Common training gaps and how to fill them
Don’t skip cardio
Cardio is often the biggest gap for aspiring circus artists, Hancock said. Applicants to NECCA’s ProTrack program often say they hate cardio and put it off. NECCA’s answer is that they can’t anymore.
Cardio doesn’t have to mean running. Bloom and Aerial Physique both list swimming and cycling as lower-impact options. Aerial Physique says high-intensity interval training, or HIIT, can help aerialists stay in the air through longer sequences without getting winded.
Build flexibility with strength
Flexibility also takes focused training, not just stretching before class. Hancock recommended prioritizing whatever builds strength in your end range. Kenner makes a similar case for active flexibility, built with control, over passive stretching alone. Bloom adds that consistency beats intensity: Stretching a little and often is better for your body than one intense session a week.
Add a second apparatus and floor work
Training on more than one apparatus can deepen your understanding of aerial theory and work different muscles. For example, training on silks or rope can unlock in-the-ropes skills on dance trapeze, and adding straps to your routine can improve inversions on any vertical apparatus.
Floor work carries over, too. Aerial Physique says a dance practice on the ground can give aerialists the confidence and tools to dance in the air. Hancock said floor skills matter for careers: “Knowing how to move on the floor is really, really key to getting a good job.” NECCA even has its own name for one blend of slow, bendy movement, acro dance, and tricking: “slumbling.”
The benefits go beyond the body
Cross-training can also shape you as an artist. In the same Roustabout interview, Elena Day, who directs NECCA’s professional program, recommended contact improv to get used to “that kind of roly-poly, upside-down, flowy landing,” along with theatrical improvisation, live performances, and gallery visits. Seeing more work, she said, helps artists know their own tendencies: what they like and what doesn’t resonate. Hancock said learning to watch art and talk about what you saw isn’t required for admission, but it makes the training a lot easier.
Variety can also protect your love of the work. SportsCare & Armworks says varying your training helps prevent burnout when progress stalls. Dance Magazine contributor Haley Hilton wrote in a 2022 column that not every cross-training activity has to move you toward a goal. Some can just be fun.
How to start cross-training
There’s no single best plan, but these are good places to start:
Strength training. Add compound exercises such as squats, deadlifts, push-ups, and pull-ups to your weekly routine.
Pilates or yoga. Use Pilates to build core control and alignment, and yoga to improve flexibility, stability, and balance.
Cardio you’ll actually do. Pick something you enjoy, such as swimming, cycling, walking, running, or HIIT, and stick with it.
Dance or barre. Take a dance or barre class to build coordination, body awareness, flexibility, and deep core strength, and to get comfortable picking up new choreography.
Handstands and ground acrobatics. Add a weekly handstand class, such as Roustabout coach Cosmo Dudley’s, to build pushing strength, balance, and shoulder and core stability.
A second apparatus. Try a new apparatus, such as straps, to deepen your understanding of aerial theory and get past feeling stuck. Roustabout’s All-Access Membership lets you explore classes across apparatus, so you can find the one that clicks.
Get expert guidance. Cross-training looks different for everyone. Work with a coach, licensed physical therapist, or certified personal trainer to design a program that fits your goals.
Take the next step
Cross-train in one place. Roustabout is built around cross-training. Its curriculum covers aerial, acro, dance, and handstands, so you can work on many of the options on this list under one roof. Explore Roustabout’s adult circus classes.
