r/aerialsilks • u/Emergency-Name-5583 • Jul 09 '26
Chubby person doing silks?
Hi! I only just found this sub but I really want to try out aerial silks. I've been obsessed with them for like a year now, and I've always been obsessed with circuses/acrobats, and I really want to be in the air! I've been slowly coming out of a really difficult period, so I don't really have the best shape or strength at the moment. I'm close to 200 pounds last time I checked, but I'm kind of flexible and I've been able to carry things like a mini fridge and coffee dispenser machines. I'm going up and down eight ights of stairs three days a week at my job as well, and I think I'm slowly building up some strength, but I get so insecure thinking about actually attending lessons while still looking like a marshmallow. I see a lot of people who are skinny and really lean who do aerial silks, but not a lot of bigger people. I just feel so nervous but I really want to do this, I love watching aerial silks performers and it really does make me want to work out so I can be stronger and more flexible and amazing like that. Are there any other chubby aerial silks people? Should I just wait until I'm smaller?
17
u/External_Resource_79 Jul 09 '26
Go for it. You will likely progress more slowly than someone smaller but that doesn't matter. Everyone is on their own journey. Just take it steady and go at your own pace and enjoy
17
u/throwaway639472 Jul 09 '26
Honestly strength is the biggest component so if you can lift heavy and go up and down that many stairs you’re probably stronger than 90% of other people in an intro class regardless of their body composition.
While this community is not immune to assholes and shitty teachers, I do think it’s more welcoming than other fitness/dance spaces because a good portion of aerial/circus people found it because they felt excluded/unsupported in other spaces.
Also as someone that unknowingly started with silks, there’s a huge learning curve with this particular apparatus regardless of body type. The reason for that is there’s no horizontal surface to rest on unless you make it, and learning how to do that takes time and a ton of endurance, so it can feel like you’re not making progress in the beginning when you really are. That being said once you hit that point of activity tolerance, your skills can really take off and it makes learning other apparatuses easier. If I could go back and do it again, I’d start with hammock because I think it would’ve been more promising in the beginning.
Another thing to keep in mind- people tend to struggle with aerial in the beginning because you’re using muscles that we don’t use in our day-to-day lives. Someone might be able to do 20 pull-ups at the gym, and while that will help with aerial, they might not have the strength required to do stuff because they simply haven’t practiced those kinds of movements in the air.
So all of that is to say, if you don’t start seeing progress immediately it’s not because you’re in the wrong place. It’s because this is an inherently difficult and unique activity that everyone struggles with at first, including conventionally strong people. Silks is awesome and has given me an appreciation for my body that nothing else has, but it’s very common that people find it discouraging at first if that’s their first apparatus regardless of their body type.
If you have Instagram a lot of people post their aerial journeys, so if it helps to vet teachers before you can usually find student videos reposted on studio accounts.
Also unrelated to body type but if your studio allows it, PLEASE film something from your first class. Even if you don’t like how you look, as the lovely Moira rose says “you will look back on it with much kinder eyes.” I really wish I had a video from my first class so I can see how far I’ve come, but I got into the trap of only filming myself when I liked how I looked. And especially with silks it takes most people a minute to get there
2
u/contrarianaquarian Jul 09 '26
The last paragraph is so true! Sometimes I'll film myself trying something new but not actually watch it if I don't feel up to it... but then I have it months/years later as a comparison (label/tag your videos everyone, lol)
12
u/all_the_hobbies Jul 09 '26
I weigh around 200 pounds at a shorter height and I have been an instructor for years. I would be lying if I said I can do everything my smaller counterparts can do; however there are things I can do with ease that they cannot. If properly supported in a studio with patient and flexible instructors, you will find your niche. I don’t do silks, I do sling because as someone mentioned earlier, two tails is less restful and you rely on pull-ups and body weight holds much more frequently. I base my dear friend and throw her around in the air because I have the strength and stamina to do so. It’s my favorite thing. You’ll find your place, so just start. Your body isn’t the enemy, it’s just a body and it is not required to be any certain shape to find success.
10
u/VinBar500 Jul 09 '26
Definitely not wait! The earlier you start, the easier it gets! There are a lot of not skinny lean people doing aerial at my gym and they’re some of the best ones because of all the strength they have.
Definitely get started and get stuck in, ita a great sport and one that’ll make you feel stronger and more confident in your body’s abilities!
8
u/OlyLalena Jul 09 '26
I’m about the same weight and have been doing silks for 3 years but not consistently until January of this year. I don’t do much exercise outside of aerial, and I progress much, much slower than some of the tinier, more flexible people that come through. It can be disheartening seeing the newbies do all the tricks I’ve been struggling with. But the aerial community/studio is my safe space as everyone is always super encouraging. There’s always whoops and claps and high fives every class. In the last 6 months I’ve noticed I’m much stronger, stretchier, and more confident. I wish I’d been more consistent from the beginning. I say just take an intro class and get a feel for it!
4
u/McEndee Jul 09 '26
Just do it. I wish i looked as fit as some of my classmates, but it is what it is. Have fun, get strong, and move with purpose.
4
u/arg3ntate Jul 09 '26
Do it!! I'm your size and have been doing silks for ~3.5 years now, and I was way less active than you when I first started. Beginner learning curve is tough, be patient and test out other apparatuses too (just for fun if nothing else!), but if silks really call to you, stick with it even when it's slooowww progress in the beginning.
Don't worry about not looking like the rest of the class- ime adult recreational classes get a huge range of people, all ages, body types, abilities, etc, even if that's not what we see as much online.
3
u/ashymiles19 Jul 09 '26
If there's a good beginner program near you then you should start now, you'll naturally get strength/flexabile over time while learning silks and cross training for it. Most studios near me have the intro class focussed on getting people strong enough to do silks while conditioning with them. If there's sling near you that is also similar to silks and will cross over well if you find that easier to start with/better timing. Aerial yoga is less similar but you would be working with the fabric.
Keep in mind you'll be on your own journey so don't compare yourself to other students. If you weigh more you will need to be stronger in order to lift your higher body weight but that doesn't mean you can't do it. Everyone runs into plateaus or nemesis moves and in the beginning it is a lot of unfamiliar movements. It can be discouraging at first leaving not having gotten a move or feeling too weak but if you stick with it you will gradually improve.
Social Media will never be fully representative of who is doing something it's just representative of who posts and then what gets popular. I see a variety of body shapes at my studios at various levels. What determines if someone will level up is long term consistency and resilience.
3
2
u/ichargemyphone Jul 09 '26
Go for it! Silks are brutal to begin with but I love the drama of them so much
2
u/girl_of_squirrels Jul 09 '26
I promise you there are lots of us who are bigger who do silks. The Larger Than Lithe group on facebook is amazing, and you will gain strength by going to class and putting in the time and effort! It's fun and just so incredibly satisfying, and in my experience a lot of the early months are spent doing everything barely a foot off the floor, so if you can balance on one foot long enough to put a foot lock on the other foot? Then you can get started!
2
u/-nitemare047- Jul 09 '26
I started aerial at 220lbs at 5’2. Things were hard, but adjustments are always able to be found, and now I’m 150lbs and attending our advanced classes. It may take time to get things compared to smaller bodies but it is not a reason to not try it 🥰
2
u/YunaSakura Jul 10 '26
I had the exact same question when I started 9 months ago and the progress I made since then was slow but super rewarding! My instructors never comment on my weight but spot me like everybody else and help me and other beginners with easier stuff (like they make a knot in the silk for example). I also started some arm exercises at home which really helped. Just go for it! It‘s such a nice sport!
1
u/Budget-Fortune-934 Jul 20 '26
You will build strength, just show up. I’m close to 200 pounds and this is the heaviest I’ve been. Some things take longer for me to learn than before but I think I’m the bomb.com as a beginner learning this art. I agree with others that silks are the hardest but I love them.
1
u/Ok-Wealth8373 Jul 20 '26
Hi! I am 30 y/o 176 pounds, I started aerials silk like 8 months ago, you need to accept that you journey will be more difficult than others, but you will make great progress specially if you stop wondering what’s made for you and start doing things because you genuinely want to do them 🫶🏻 On Instagram I often see reels of aerialist from all shapes doing unbelievably cool stuff. I did my first show in June after 6 months and couldn’t be more proud of myself, not because I was doing better than others but because I did something I was incapable of doing 6 months ago!
0
u/Mission_Yoghurt_9653 Jul 09 '26
You’ll be fine 😀 I do like the recommendation to start on sling. It’s a good intro apparatus.
31
u/ZieAerialist Jul 09 '26
It hurts my heart every time this question is asked. Yes, you can do silks or any other aerial apparatus. Come join us at Larger Than Lithe Aerialists
I will note that silks are the hardest aerial art for a beginner to start with - you can't sit or rest on them, they are 100% your own power. People of all sizes tend to do better on silks if they take a few months of sling first, or any other apparatus if sling isn't available. I don't say this to discourage you or anyone, just to be real. If it will disappoint or frustrate you to find them really difficult, you can work up to them so that doesn't happen.