Pull Strength for Aerialists

How to Improve Your ‘BTR’

Aerial arts require strength and awareness throughout our entire body. Let’s focus on how to gain pull strength for our aerial skills. The foundational arm/shoulder strength that all aerialists need is a strong Brazos T-Rex, aka BTR, aka the upper pull up, aka bent arm hold. So how do you build stronger pull strength and Brazos T-Rex strength for aerial arts? Do your pull/BTR strength drills…2-3 times per week!

Some people ‘naturally’ have the pull strength to execute skills in the air. Some people have to work at it. I am someone who definitely had to work for my pull strength, and now I work hard to maintain it. The best way to improve and maintain strength is the ‘D’ word…DRILLS. You must learn to love or at least respect your drills because they exist to support you and help you achieve your goals. Drills are the means to feeling strong, confident and expressive with your aerial arts.

What do we actually need in regards to pull strength? In order of difficulty:

Ability to hold your BTR for 20-30 seconds consistently
Ability to hold your BTR with your ribs and pelvis stabilized
Ability to hold your BTR and lift and lower your legs keeping your ribs, pelvis, and BTR stabilized
Ability to hold your BTR while inverting and reverting
- The key while inverting is to keep your elbows along side your ribs while inverting. Your elbows straighten to allow the invert, but they stay stabilized by your sides. This action asks a lot of your lats and core.
- When reverting the same principles apply. Keep those ribs, pelvis and elbows stabilized while re-bending the elbows to revert back into your BTR.
Finally, the ability to do your BTR drills WITHOUT rolling your shoulders forward and squeezing your hands into the front of your shoulders.
- Our pecs love to help out. Thanks pecs. But they shouldn’t be doing all the work. Instead we have to find our muscles in the back of our shoulders which help to stabilize the shoulders down and wide. 2 of our main stabilizers are the lower trapezius and the beloved serrates anterior.

Here are 2 tutorial videos with drills to improve your pull strength.

Strengthening Inversions & Reversions Using Brazos T-Rex
Pull Strength For Aerialists

Some important aspects of these videos include:

Assisted pull ups standing in the hammock or standing on the floor with rings or fabric
Pull to BTR from seated and hold, progressively starting with hands higher
Holding BTR while lifting your knees
Put the hammock around your lower back to spot your inverts and reverts.
ROWS with your rings (or fabric) at and angle with feet on the floor
Ball Rocks – inversions and reversions in tuck position

Remember that THE WAY TO GAIN STRENGTH IS TO DO THESE EXERCISES AS DRILLS. That means choose a version of the exercise of which YOU CAN DO AT LEAST 5 IN A ROW, and do sets of 5-20 repetitions for each exercise. Doing 1-2 reps of an exercise that you can’t do or can barely do is not going to get you very far in building strength. Set yourself up for success. Start where you are and progress your drills as you get stronger. Do these exercises consistently 2-3 times per week. It doesn’t take long, but it really makes a difference.

Strengthening Inversions & Reversions Using Brazos T-Rex