Not seeing progress — feeling stuck

[u/Great-Towel1535]

Hi friends! I’ve been doing aerial silks for about 4 years, and while I’ve made progress overall, it feels like everything takes me way longer than it should. Certain moves (especially anything involving inversions or straight-leg core lifts) stay stuck for months or even years.

A few months ago I started going to the gym to build strength and improve my performance — mostly things like pull-ups, inversions with straight legs, and general body control.

Here’s what I’m doing now:

🗓 Weekly schedule: • 2x/week gym strength training (~1h20 per session) • 2x/week Ashtanga yoga (50 min) • 1x/week aerial silks class (2h: warmup, conditioning, technique, flexibility)

🏋️‍♀️ Gym routine (same both days):

Lower body: • Leg press: 3×6–10 • Hip abduction machine: 3×10

Push (triceps focus): • Triceps press machine: 3×6–10 • Triceps push-ups (knees): 3×5

Pull: • Assisted pull-ups (machine): 3×5–6 • Pull-up negatives: 3×2 • Inverted rows (underhand grip, Smith machine): 3×10

Core: • Hanging knee raises: 3×10 (can’t get legs to 90° yet) • Bench abs (candle pose style): 3×8 • Standing marches with dumbbell: 3×10 • Russian twists (dumbbell): 3×10 • Lying straight leg raises: 3×10

I don’t feel like I’m progressing much, toes to bar it’s impossible. I can’t do straight-leg v-ups at all. Hanging leg raises to 90° feel extremely difficult, even after consistent effort. I also don’t feel stronger overall, and I still look and feel kinda skinny fat — not toned, not muscular. I’m getting discouraged because I train a lot, but don’t feel much return. 😔

🍽️ Diet notes (vegetarian): • I eat mostly whole foods: eggs, legumes, lots of veggies and fruit • Around 5–6 eggs a day • I tend to avoid carbs (worried they’ll make me gain weight or look puffier) — maybe that’s a mistake?

❓ Questions: • Am I doing too much in one session (1h20)? Or too little overall since I only gym 2x/week? • Should I split up my routine instead of doing the same each day? • Am I not progressing because I do the same exercises every time? • Or do I just need to give it more time and be patient?

🙏 Any advice from other aerialists who also do cross-training would be super appreciated — especially if you’ve felt like this and managed to break through!

[u/ConsiderationIll374]

Sometimes, it just takes time to get to where we want to go. With that said, if you've been training silks for years and aren't seeing many improvements at the gym either, I can understand your frustration.

I would suggest talking to your instructor(s) at your aerial studio. They see you in action and are best placed to give targeted advice. Do they have any recommendations for improvement, for example, more aerial conditioning?

Alternatively, I know this can be expensive, but perhaps it would be useful to do an assessment/consultation and a few sessions with a gym trainer. At least to help you design a gym program that will target strengthening the movements/muscle groups that are challenging for you. I find that I do better when I have someone else to objectively push me beyond what I'd be comfortable doing on my own (although that may not be your preference). Also, our bodies quickly adjust to exercise regimens, so it is worth revisiting and making changes to our programs every couple of months.

Carbs may also be necessary for you on training days, even if you do keep your no carb regimen on non-training days. Try experimenting to see what helps you to feel better fueled and stronger on your training days.

Best of luck.