Valentin Uzunov posted an article on The Gym Press:
… a 12 week off-season sprint training program, for preadolescent gymnasts (7-12 years of age), who have not had formal sprint training. A detailed discussion is presented on the theoretical and practical application of the key concepts to effective sprinting for vault: optimized running mechanics, start of run-up and acceleration. The methodology behind this program is based on current track and field coaching methods, scientific literature on sprinting biomechanics and preadolescence speed and strength training principles. …
read the full abstract
It’s available to download for a few dollars. (This is a great way to support Valentin’s work studying the art and science of gymnastics coaching.)
He’s posted a number of videos on TheGymPress channel supporting this article.
One sample is a drill that I use a lot – Partner hamstring curls. Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Gymnasts often have a muscular imbalance: their quads are too strong relative to the hamstrings. Partner hamstring curls are ideal for getting close to a maximum contraction safely.
5 comments ↓
Thanks Rick for the promo.
Thank you !!!
1 x a week, try this to failure. You’ll get just as powerful a workout in 1/2 the time, and incorporate muscle fibers that otherwise would not be used.
To achieve that, start in the curled position, and the partner peels back the contracted muscle (i.e., true negative).
For girls, this exercise is incredibly important. As they hit puberty, the increased hip size rotates muscles in their legs away from knee support, and their hamstrings pick up a good portion of the load. When hamstrings are not stengthened, we tend to get more ACL strain, which lead to tearing.
There was a medical website that explained it really really well, but I couldnt find it.
Instead, a basic understanding can be found in section 1 of this webstite:
http://www.precisionnutrition.com/quad-hamstring-ratio
To summarize, if you don’t want to read it, excess load on the quad, with a weak hamstring, causes ACL tears due to the hamstrings inability to handle to stress from sudden turns or change in direction.
Ironically, according to st. johns, gymnastics isnt on their “highest-risk” sports to ACL injury.
http://stjohn.org/HealthInfoLib/swArticle.aspx?1,2810
However, this article addresses a few more reason why girls are at higher risk for ACL tears.
I prefer floor glute hams myself but we do run into the problem of where to do it sometimes.
My boys cannot successfully really partner up in this drill due to strength and size differences but I have used them in female gymnast group conditioning.
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