Gymnastics is probably the most impressive sports on the planet, perhaps the most impressive, depending on who you ask. Their god-like levels of strength combined with insane flexibility, coordination, and body awareness will humble anyone that appears onto their routines stuffed with flips, twists and strength mixed with elegance.
Watching one among these athletes may even encourage you to coach like a gymnast! We’ll inform you right away that while they might make it look easy, becoming a top-level gymnast takes years. Even a long time.
So, to be a gymnast, you should start somewhere. This text goes to present an awesome gymnastic routine for beginner results.
What Exactly Is Gymnastics?
Let’s begin by understanding the excellent nature of gymnastics. It is a sport that demands athletes to execute various expert movements, requiring high levels of strength, coordination, balance, flexibility, and agility.
These movements, which include jumps, flips, and turns, should not nearly grace and agility, but additionally about displays of strength as athletes hold themselves in isometric positions. This comprehensive understanding will prepare you for the journey ahead.
The actual sport will consist of various events depending on for those who’re male or female. Males compete in 6 events including;
- Floor exercise
- Pommel horse
- Rings
- Vault
- Parallel bars
- High bar
However, females compete in only 4 events, a few of which overlap with the lads. These 4 gymnastic events for females include;
- Vault
- Uneven bars
- Balance beam
- Floor
Being a male or female can affect what your training will seem like. Nevertheless, that is more true for the more advanced athletes. To start with phase, all gymnasts need the identical skills.
What Do You Need To Be A Gymnast?
Being a successful gymnast requires quite a number of different performance variables. We’ll go over a few of the most important ones.
a. Ultra-Strong Back
Let’s be honest. A gymnast must be ultra-strong in the whole lot. Nevertheless, the back stands out as a consequence of the sheer amount of hanging and pulling a gymnast does. Whether on rings or uneven bars, gymnasts are always swinging around and pulling themselves up, which requires ultra-high levels of back strength.
b. Bullet-Proof Shoulders
Along with your back, your shoulders must have the opportunity to take a beating while producing large amounts of force. Gymnasts often perform various flips, akin to the back handspring, which requires them to support their body on their shoulders after which propel themselves as well.
c. Powerful Legs
In the case of your lower body, it isn’t nearly strength, it’s about power. It’s worthwhile to have the opportunity to propel your body through the air, making leg strength a key aspect of gymnastics.
The upper body holds your body as you fly through the air.
As compared, your legs are primarily used for things like jumping. In addition they have to be strong enough to handle landings, that are highly depending on landing technique.
d. Awesome Grip Strength
Have you ever ever seen gymnasts spin around on bars only to fly to a different bar and catch themselves? This requires high levels of grip strength, a fundamental requirement in gymnastics that can not be neglected.
e. An Iron Core
One other crucial component you should have as a gymnast is an iron core. Every gymnast’s movement requires extreme core stabilization to perform their movements safely. Whether holding tucks or an L-sit, a gymnast should have high levels of core strength to perform most movements. More importantly, you’ll need a robust core to stop injury.
And, in fact, gymnasts have a few of the most impressive physiques in the complete world of athletics. In other words, you’re going to look awesome as well.
f. High Levels Of Anaerobic Endurance (Muscle Endurance)
Not only do you would like high levels of strength, you’ll must have the opportunity to perform for an prolonged period. There’s a significant difference between pulling a 600+lb deadlift and performing pull-ups for 60 seconds!
This implies you possibly can’t only be concerned with increasing your 1 rep max. Reasonably, you have to be more concerned about increasing your muscular endurance. Specifically, you must aim to extend your relative strength. That is your level of strength in comparison with how much you weigh.
Gymnastics Routine(s) For Beginner Adults
We’re now going to put out a gymnastic routine for beginner adults. To maintain things easy, we’ll separate this into two different routines. The primary goes to be strength training that can have a direct transfer to gymnastics. It will include more traditional exercises to enhance body strength.
Your first goal as a beginner gymnast is to accumulate your foundational strength and skills. You won’t fly around on bars immediately but this routine will assist you get there. Too often, people will jump right into complex gymnastic movements with little to no strength training. We understand people want to start out doing flips immediately but neglecting to construct a base level of strength can lead to injuries.
Secondly, we’ll lay out specific gym skills you possibly can begin working on. These can be a combination of easy gymnastic movements in addition to various exercises which have direct transfer to gymnastics.
Beginner Gymnastics Routine To Construct Strength
We’ll go over one of the best movements to extend the mandatory body strength. These can be included within the routine to follow.
1. Pull-Ups
You’ll be able to’t ever do too many pull-ups when training to be a gymnast. This is well probably the most vital exercises you possibly can do as you start training for gymnastics.
Take into account that you might want to train the pull-up on two fronts: absolute strength and endurance. Subsequently, use rep schemes on each ends of the spectrum.
In your strength day, you possibly can work as much as performing sternum pull-ups. These are pull-ups where you bring the underside of your chest as much as the bar. Essentially, these are progression in your solution to a muscle up which is a compulsory skill for any gymnast.
Further, if you’ve got rings, train ring pull-ups as well. These are more difficult but will provide higher adaptations for gymnastics.
2. Dips
Dips are one other crucial calisthenics movement for improving your gymnastics ability. They’ll strengthen your chest, shoulders, and triceps and improve your ability to support your body in your arms. That is crucial in movements akin to rings or parallel bars.
Like pull-ups, you’ll want to train these at each ends of the spectrum; absolute strength and increasing muscle endurance. Just like pull-ups, you wish to eventually train these on rings if you’ve got access.
When you do have rings, you too can get in the highest position of a dip. Next, begin to let the rings exit to the side as for those who’re going to do an iron cross. The iron cross may be very difficult but when you construct some strength, you possibly can begin throwing in some practice.
These are going to be crucial to assist support your body on events akin to rings or pommel horse.
3. Farmer Carry & Suitcase Carry
Carries will profit you in two ways. The primary is grip strength. Farmer carries and suitcase carries are a few of one of the best exercises for increasing grip strength and grip endurance.
At the identical time, these movements will help construct a solid core and overall body strength. Walking under these loads will construct strength in not only your muscles but additionally your joints, each of which can prepare your body for the demands of gymnastics.
4. Push Press
The push press is an awesome exercise for increasing power throughout the body and improving strength within the shoulders. One profit is that you could use leg drive to push a heavier load over your head. You’ll be able to then hold it above your head within the lockout to construct strength in your shoulders.
In your last rep, keep it locked out over your head for so long as you possibly can.
5. Walking Lunges
Walking lunges are going to extend the strength of your entire lower body. Still, lunges stand out as they require you to maneuver under a load. More importantly, they’re going to strengthen your joints and improve balance.
6. Z-Press
The Z-press is an underutilized exercise that’s greater than only a shoulder exercise. These will strengthen your entire shoulder girdle and increase stability. Further, they’ll greatly improve the mobility of your entire posterior chain and thoracic spine.
7. Depth Jumps
Depth jumps are a sort of plyometric that has you step off from a height (select height appropriate on your level of fitness) after which immediately propel yourself as high as you possibly can immediately upon landing.
These are great to extend your power production and something generally known as the stretch-shortening cycle (SSC). If you stretch a muscle, it’s going to also stretch the ligaments which act like a rubber band. Because the ligaments stretch, they store energy. If you quickly reverse the motion this power is released and increases power production.
Take into consideration while you jump. You don’t just push off along with your feet. Reasonably, you are taking slightly dip first and propel yourself. Mastering this ability is crucial for a gymnast as many routines require the rapid repetition of jumps and flips.
Further, this can assist construct eccentric strength and teach you landing mechanics.
8. Barbell Rollout
The barbell rollout is the one best exercise to strengthen your core. They require you to completely lay out while maintaining a solid core in an isometric fashion; this is identical demand you’ll find in gymnastics.
9. Squat Jump
The squat jump is an excellent exercise to strengthen the leg and increase power production. We like training these with a trap bar as they have a tendency to be easier handled and are easier to perform.
Use a small amount of reps for these as each rep must be done with 100% effort so you wish to minimize fatigue.
10. Bentover Row
One other exercise to enhance that back strength. You might swap this out for other row variations for those who prefer.
Here’s how these exercises could also be split up right into a 3-day split.
Session 1:
- Farmer Carry 5X:30
- Pull-Ups 5X4-6
- Depth Jump 5X3
- Push-Press 3X8-12
- Dips 3-5X10-15
Session 2:
- Squat Jumps 5X3
- Push-Press 5X5
- Bentover Rows 3-5X6-8
- Barbell Rollout 5X5
Session 3:
- Suitcase Carry 5X:30
- Dips 5X4-6
- Walking Lunges 3-5X10
- Z-Press 3X10-15
- Pull-Ups 3X10-15
Beginner Gymnastics Routine To Construct Skills
These are some gymnastic skills you possibly can start working on now. These will lay the muse on your gymnastic profession and are the primary a part of your journey in gymnastics. Mastering these movements will offer you a few of the specific performance variables you’ll need.
Take into account these are gymnastic skills you possibly can practice on your personal. Once you begin to enterprise onto harder movements, you’ll need to search out a specialized coach in gymnastics.
1. L-Sit
The L-Sit may look easy, however it is incredibly difficult. Ideally, you’ve got a pair of parallel bars. If not, you possibly can make two stacks of equal height using weight plates (bumper plates work awesome).
Sit (or stand in case your bars are high) in between the bars. Place your hand on the bars and extend your arms so your body is off the bottom. From here, you’ll attempt an L-Sit.
Ideally, you possibly can lift your legs until they’re sticking straight out along with your torso perfectly prolonged, making a 90-degree angle at your hips. Nevertheless, these are tough. Listed here are some progressions.
- Alternate lifting one leg at a time as high as you possibly can and are available back down.
- Lift one leg at a time for so long as you possibly can.
- Lift each legs up as high as possible, then come back down.
- Hold one leg up and perform reps with the opposite leg.
- Hold each legs up together so long as you possibly can.
In case your bars are high enough, you possibly can add a transition by lifting your knees and holding.
When you turn out to be more advanced, try and perform these using a set of rings.
2. Crow-Pose
The crow pose comes from yoga but is an awesome move for improving balance in a partially inverted position. Further, it’s going to begin to construct strength in your arms and shoulders as you should support your body with prolonged arms.
This just isn’t a movement utilized in gymnastics but exercise to learn as you progress to harder movements.
3. Front Bar Dip
The front bar dip involves performing a dip with the bar in front of you, just like the second a part of a muscle-up. These are very difficult, and while you first begin, you will likely just have the opportunity to carry yourself in the highest position. That is where you must start.
Get on a straight bar and hold your body up in an prolonged position. Try to hold yourself up here with prolonged arms and regularly extend your body out. You’ll naturally need to lean over the bar, so that you will slowly begin to increase your body.
4. Parallel Bar Hand Walks
Parallel bar hand walks are an awesome beginner exercise for upper body strength and mobility. They’re performed by moving into the up position of a dip on a set of parallel bars. Keeping your arms locked out, you’ll walk down the bars using your hands.
It will increase the strength of your triceps and shoulders along with your elbow in a locked out position. You’ll need this strength to perform on the pommel horse, rings or any of the bars.
5. Bar-Hang
The bar-hang is strictly because it sounds. It could be done as a warm-up to your exercises, but you’ll hang from a bar. The goal is to extend your grip strength to carry your body weight.
Once you possibly can hold for a minimum of 60 seconds in a single set, you possibly can begin so as to add weight and improve your endurance.
You might also begin to make use of these as a warm-up exercise as well.
6. Handstand
One other movement you might want to start working on immediately is the handstand. You’re going to want this movement for a wide range of gymnastic movements. As well as, it’s going to further help your body awareness and orientation.
Maintaining balance while fully inverted may be very difficult. It requires high levels of strength, balance, and basic orientation. Your body is totally inverted, making it very difficult to achieve control while you first start. As you’ll eventually be performing flips and twists, you’ll must have these high levels of orientation.
The most effective solution to start learning the handstand is by performing it on a wall, ideally with a partner. To perform these, you’ll must have the shoulder strength to support your body within the air.
One solution to get into the position, and easiest version, is something called a wall walk. Face the wall, get on the bottom and place your feet on the wall. You’ll then walk your feet up the wall as you concurrently walk your hands towards the wall. Do that until you get your body vertical. From here, you possibly can regularly take your feet of the wall as you improve your balance.
7. Tumbling And Kart-Wheels
Now’s time to also start working in your tumbling skills. This includes movements akin to front rolls, back rolls and kart-wheels.
You too can fiddle with performing flips on the rings or bars, if you’ve got them. Or, you may hang the other way up in an inverted position. These are simply to enhance your strength in addition to body awareness.
Gymnastics Routine 1:
- Front Bar Dip
- Bar Hang
- Handstand
- L-Sit
- Tumbling
Gymnastics Routine 2:
- Parallel Bar Walks
- Crow-Pose
- L-Sit
- Tumbling
For these movements, it’s tough to present a rep scheme as they’re skill based and you almost certainly won’t even have the opportunity to perform them. Subsequently, while you’re just starting out, it’s more appropriate to easily divide your time amongst them.
Full 4-Day Gymnastic Routine For Beginner
Now, perhaps you desired to mix the gymnastics training along with your strength training. Here’s how that may look in a 4-day split.
Training To Be A Gymnast
If you wish to turn out to be a gymnast, be prepared to place in plenty of time. Top gymnasts have been training since an early age and train year-round. It just isn’t a simple sport and is arguably one probably the most difficult to excel in as a consequence of the massive demands in strength and complexity of the movements.
Nevertheless, you possibly can still train one even for those who don’t intend to compete. Together with its difficulty comes great pride while you succeed. So, if you wish to be a gymnast, start training today! Again, constructing these basic components are crucial before moving on to higher levels.
