Category: physical preparation

Dave Tilley:

… gymnastics still fears using external waits for kettlebells as part of their strength work.

The reality is that gymnasts under proper supervision with the proper technique are at a low risk of losing their flexibility, getting bulky, or getting hurt.

In this post, I hope to dive into some of the myths and misunderstandings that still exist in gymnastics, and talk about why I’m such a fan of using a more hybrid based model of traditional gymnastic strength and nontraditional strength.

Gymnastics and Lifting Weights: Don’t Fear Plates, Kettlebells, and Barbells.

For sure body weight resistance is best for specific conditioning. But I agree that supplementary general conditioning with free weights, kettle bells and even barbells should be considered for some kids, some phases of the year. Especially for female gymnasts who are not likely to get bulky.

I was particularly impressed / surprised with this video Dave edited …

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

12-year-old Whitney Bjerken is a Gymnastics YouTube celebrity.

In this episode she tries the AllCore360 machine.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Interesting. Of course she’s training only isometric strength in only one body position. Not what we need for sport. We need train all the sheets of muscle for strength / power.

On the other hand, perhaps some future evolution of this kind of machine could have the athlete go through a greater range of motion. Duplicating specific skills.

Over the 11 minute video they up the resistance of the machine. A gymnast like Whitney finds it easy. That’s because gymnastics body weight training / conditioning is far superior to any machine. 🙂

Thanks George.

New from Tumbl Trak. $119.20 right now.

Great for travel.

Coffee all day through morning and afternoon trainings. Then one meal 30 minutes after second training.

At least that’s what the translation of this Japanese TV interview says. I’m surprised he has enough energy to train.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Thanks Michael.

Summer’s Over… Preseason Food Prep!