Make sure you set yourself up for success. Wearing the right clothes for training aerial is an easy way to make your training more productive. Yeah, we want to look good, but safety first, hygiene second and protect your skin so you can train all day long.
What to wear:
Wear comfortable form-fitting clothing that covers the armpits and knees. Leggings or yoga pants are a great choice for your legs. A lot of experienced aerialists will also wear another layer underneath like high waisted shorts or leotards. The extra layer adds a little extra cushion between you and the apparatus and can make a real difference when training for several hours. Beginners are welcome to layer up, but it is not necessary.
Form-fitting, sporty tops without a lot of flowy material are best for the top half. It can be really distracting if your shirt falls down (up?) over your face when you go upside down. Experienced aerialists often prefer long t-shirts that can be tucked into pants for added waist protection. Covering the armpits protects the skin of the armpits from scraping and rubbing and it keeps the apparatus cleaner longer. Please wear deodorant in consideration of the other students in class.
Natural fibers like cotton tend to be a less slippery than synthetics. We know, all the cool designs are printed on some sort of nylon/spandex blend, but the extra effort to keep you on the apparatus isn’t worth it.
Additional suggestions:
- Long hair should be tied back.
- Acro students should wear clothing that is not overly slippery like synthetics.
- Handstand students often wear socks when training skills against the wall.
What NOT to wear:
Avoid wearing anything that will be distracting to you or other students in class or anything that may damage the apparatus. Sharp rings or any other jewelry on the hands, wrists or feet can damage the fabric apparatuses and must be removed.
- To participate fully in any class, you must remove all jewelry from the hands, fingers, wrists, and ankles (especially rings and bracelets).
- Do not wear perfume as it can linger on the fabric.
- Do not wear moisturizer as it can make you slippery and damage the apparatus.
- No sharp rings, bracelets, or other sharp jewelry is allowed on the apparatuses, and no clothing with any sharp edges including zippers or sequins.
