Author: Rick Mc

That’s the goal of a new program from Jay and Andy Thornton:

Training as gymnasts our whole lives, Andy and I whole-heartedly believe that gymnastics-style body-weight training is more effective than any other type of fitness program currently on the market. No other style of training gives the same level of strength, balance, coordination, body awareness, explosive power, flexibility and overall fitness that gymnastics strength training does.

… I’m excited to announce that Andy and I have officially launched GymABstics– a 6-Month Strength & Fitness Program based upon the fundamental principles of gymnastics training, and designed for anyone interested in general fitness.

Each month, for 6 months, subscribers to the GymABstics Program will receive online access to the following:

GymABstics Warmup (5-7 min)

GymABstics Workout (30-40 min)

GymABstics Warmdown (5-7 min)

GymABstics 6-Pack Workout (3 min)

Nutritional Information

Healthy & Delicious Recipes

Training Tracker

“Secret” Gymnastics Training Tips

Suggested Modifications for the Exercises each week

Motivational Emails directly from the Creators

check out – GymABstics.com ($24/month)

Inspired by Nadia translated an interview with multiple Olympic Gold medalist Simona Amânar from April 2009.

She’s vice-president of the Romanian Federation of Gymnastics.

The interview is OK. But I really like the photos!

check it out – Simona Amanar interview, April 2009

Here’s a super Mom to be …

Miller announced this morning on Oklahoma’s channel 4 that she and her husband, John Falconetti, are expecting their first child November 5.

InsideGym on Twitter

ShannonMiller.com

My favourite gymnastics blog — over the long haul — is Blythe Lawrence’s Gymblog.

Unlike the hack editor of this site, Blythe is a professional journalist.

I highly recommend a few of her recent posts for your weekend gymnastics video enjoyment:

… Yulia Berger of Russia …
The new A-Sac?

… Stunningly beautiful, yes, but boring because everyone does the same skills. …
Chinese bars boring?

… Three come to mind …
Hardest beam routine ever done?

Camp Woodward has a cool new website.

CampWoodward.com

Inline, skateboard, BMX, mountain biking, gymnastics, cheer, trampoline sports … and much, much more.

Snowboarding and other snow acrobatics are offered at Copper Mountain. Phoebe Mills works at that camp.

Andrew Egyed who trains power tumbling out of my gym will be coaching at Woodward Pennsylvania for 2 weeks in June.

Highly recommended. Every coach needs get to Woodward, sooner or later.

It was terrific to have a chance to meet the founder Ed Isabelle at NCAA Championships. And I finally got to meet Tracey Rosenfeld from the Pennsylvania camp. They do great work.

I used to think the “bullying” problem in schools was often overblown by the media.

Seems I’m wrong.

Two 11-year-old boys in the States took their own lives this month. Both deaths blamed on school bullying.

And in the U.K. …

British diver Tom Daley, who at age 14 finished seventh in the men’s individual 10-meter platform final at last summer’s Beijing Olympics, has been temporarily removed from school after being repeatedly bullied by his classmates, according to a story published Friday in the British newspaper The Guardian.

Tom Daley is still 14; he turns 15 on May 21. In the meantime, his father, Rob Daley, told the newspaper the son had been kept at home this week so as to reduce distraction in advance of an upcoming meet in Florida.

“The bullying is severe,” the father said. “He has been tackled to the floor walking through the school field and in class they throw pens and pencils at him.

“Some of them have even threatened to break his legs. That was the last straw. It has got to the point where enough is enough.” …

Truly unbelievable: Olympic diver bullied at school

Sounds like Tom will move to a private school.

related post – 14yr-old diver to compete at Olympics

Many of the US National Team girls are on Twitter.

And many are at training camp in sweltering Texas right now.

Olympian Sam Peszek is missing her Prom. Mattie Larson, Nastia and others are going to “celebrate” Sam’s Prom with her tonight.

If this kind of stuff appeals, you would probably like twitter.

Follow Gymnastics Coaching at twitter.com/GymCoaching.

A few more usernames to check out:

OfficialMBallas
ShawneyJ … not ShawnJohnson01, a fake, I assume
NLiukin
ShaylaWorley
InsideGym
chalkbowl
GymUnited
Gymfinity
gymnasttwit
Gymnastics_Net
samanthapeszek
bridgetsloan
gymnastike
AboutGymnastics
StickItMedia
chalkbucket

Leave a comment if there are other gymnastics twitterers we should be following.

Jason has held the world record for difficulty since April 2, 2007.

Now from Trampoline Canada:

Jason Burnett dominated the trampoline event today at the Astronaut Alexandrov Trampoline Cup in Bulgaria. Burnett won the preliminary round with an incredible total score of 73.7 and also unofficially became the new World Recorder holder for the highest total score for a first voluntary routine (aka: compulsory routine). His compulsory routine scored an amazing 31.6.

Canadians Jason Burnett and Rosannagh MacLennan are ranked number-one in the world heading into the 2009 trampoline and tumbling season. Both are coached by Dave Ross in Toronto.

You might assume Dave’s triple Olympic medalist Karen Cockburn has finally retired. Not so.

… She is planning to return to competition at the Canadian championships in June, and will also compete in the World Games and at least one World Cup before the world championships this fall in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Gymnastics Canada

Silver medalist in Beijing – EuroSport

I use Panasonic HDC-SD5 camcorder I bought in December 2007 for about US$1000. Including some accessories.

It’s great. But $1000!

Gymnastics video guru coach Don Eckert at Woodward West Camp was the first I saw using an iPhone to demonstrate specific drills to gymnast.

Coach Ed Louie uses one of the inexpensive Sanyo Xacti series. He paid less than US$200. For in-gym use, I think it’s better than mine. Faster. The playback is clearer. It has frame-by-frame advance.

Here’s an up-to-date waterproof version.

Amazon – Sanyo Xacti VPC-E2 Digital Camcorder and 8 MP Digital Camera (US$228)

related post – flip Mino video camera

Leave a comment if you’ve found an in-gym camcorder you like.

An excellent special event to add to your annual calendar.

You need good coaches, though. That are able to spot beginners. Especially older Cheer tumblers.

CGA’s Back Handspring Clinic is open to all Superoo’s and Level 1 – 3 students. This is an excellent opportunity to develop strength and technique to successfully complete the “Back Handspring!”

SUNDAY, APRIL 26th
3:00-4:30
$25.oo per gymnast

Cincinnati Gymnastics