Gymnast workout program?

Fight Club · 10-19-2002, 01:38 PM

Gymnasts look pretty built and ripped and I was wondering if anyone knew what types of strength training they do. Do they use some weights mixed with calesthenics or is it all calesthenics? If anyone can provide some info on there training methods I'd appreciate it.

Mark21087 · 10-19-2002, 01:39 PM

I don't know but I was watching the gymnastic championships awhile ago. There was a 16 year old champion but he wasn't that built. However, the 19 year olds have huge arms and shoulders, dont know about the other bodyparts though

bruno · 10-19-2002, 03:21 PM

i was reading a newspaper article on this 15 year old gymnast with paralyzed legs and he was benching 295 at 140 something bodyweight. anyway, he stopped lifting at gymnastics season cause he didnt want to be too muscle bound and after the season without lifting, he tested his bench and it was exactly the same. they are very strong even without lifting so i wouldnt be surprised if they didnt lift but if they did they probably wouldnt do that much

Fresch · 10-19-2002, 05:42 PM

Gymnasts do some weight training. However, they also perform a lot of exercises uing their own bodyweight and a lot of balance exercises and isometric work! Much work is performed weightbearing through their arms.

deaconbill · 10-19-2002, 10:50 PM

I was a gymnast during my HS years back in the 70's and, yes, I know this is the teenboard but thought I'd help. We did dips, situps, and pushups in a circuit-type training three days a week; usually around 75 dips (3x25), 150 pushups (3x50) and 250-300 situps (all at once). This was after our usual workout so it was a killer. Also, swinging on the parallel bars, working out on the pommel horse and doing the rings is a great way all by itself to pack on the bulk. We did some weight training but in our HS it was mostly to show the football players we could outbench them and gain some respect. LOL Later

Fight Club · 10-20-2002, 03:27 PM

bump

Switchblade · 01-28-2007, 09:36 AM

how many pushups can most gymnats do- like even the top ones. I heard one guy did like 7000 in a row...i was just wondering if most gymnasts have this type of endurence. If they do, do they have the strength to match it?

concept · 01-28-2007, 10:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Switchblade

how many pushups can most gymnats do- like even the top ones. I heard one guy did like 7000 in a row...i was just wondering if most gymnasts have this type of endurence. If they do, do they have the strength to match it?

The question is...

how many one handed, one legged pushups can they do?

djiang87 · 01-28-2007, 10:39 AM

i know this isnt really weight training, but once back in HS, one of my mates who was a gymnast told me they sometimes had to do a handstand for 10 mins.

1054876 · 01-28-2007, 11:10 AM

Gymnastics is pretty brutal...

http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=512003

You'll enjoy this article if you are into gymnastic training, however it is said that many of the top level gymnasts do indeed lift weights, but look at some of the movements they perform they have to be damn strong and light to do some of that stuff so it is no doubt they have the physiques they do.

Snowy91 · 01-28-2007, 11:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fight Club

Gymnasts look pretty built and ripped and I was wondering if anyone knew what types of strength training they do. Do they use some weights mixed with calesthenics or is it all calesthenics? If anyone can provide some info on there training methods I'd appreciate it.

You could always just join a gymnasium...it won't kill you.

concept · 01-28-2007, 11:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Snowy91

You could always just join a gymnasium...it won't kill you.

A select few sports like gymnastics need to be trained as early as 3 years old for the athlete to have potential.

nutsy54 · 01-28-2007, 12:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fight Club

Gymnasts look pretty built and ripped and I was wondering if anyone knew what types of strength training they do.

I think you're looking at this backwards. . . Most gymnasts look like they do because they're actually doing gymnastics. If they have a workout program, it's only a supplement to their main regimen of practicing routines on a regular basis.

deaconbill · 01-29-2007, 01:05 PM

I was a gymnast in HS many years back. We did lift weights but it wasn't needed that much due to the intensity of our workouts. We had killer circuit training after our normal training on the gymnastic equipment that included pushups, situps, and dips. I once did 4,555 situps in one sitting on a bet. When you are supporting your body on your arms and doing swinging movements on apparatus you will naturally get very strong upper bodies in the process. The tumbling helps to keep you flexible. At 52 I only wish I had some of that muscle tone I had back then.

Switchblade · 01-29-2007, 03:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by deaconbill

I was a gymnast in HS many years back. We did lift weights but it wasn't needed that much due to the intensity of our workouts. We had killer circuit training after our normal training on the gymnastic equipment that included pushups, situps, and dips. I once did 4,555 situps in one sitting on a bet. When you are supporting your body on your arms and doing swinging movements on apparatus you will naturally get very strong upper bodies in the process. The tumbling helps to keep you flexible. At 52 I only wish I had some of that muscle tone I had back then.

so how many pushups in a row could you do in high school?

deaconbill · 01-29-2007, 11:09 PM

True pushups, going all the way up and all the way down, as you already know can be exhausting. When I hear of someone doing an un-Godly number of pushups I wonder what they looked like. The most I ever did at one time was 110 and that was at my peak before my normal workout when I was fresh. BTW, I was worthless after that.

Ominus · 01-29-2007, 11:11 PM

this thread is 4-5 years old

TooBigForYou · 01-30-2007, 03:48 AM

Damn,
Makes you think that u wouldn't really need to weight train at all,

Just keep on doing bodyweight exercise and you get huge!

benjamin88 · 01-30-2007, 03:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TooBigForYou

Damn,
Makes you think that u wouldn't really need to weight train at all,

Just keep on doing bodyweight exercise and you get huge!

ummm ok no

look at this way

olympic gymnast - build and ripped? yes - spends his entire life training, eating for his sport, resting, learning

top level bodybuilder ( even natural) - 10x more build and ripped than your average olympic gymnast, same level of dedication

scale that down, to an amature, not 100% dedicated, bodybuilding is going to change your physique so much more radically than a few sessions of gymnastics

BEhave · 01-30-2007, 01:59 PM

they use stuff like ab wheels, prolly tons of vatiations of pushups, divebombers. stuff that you never heard of