We all know that there are so many different training methods, training programs and training personalities. Many gymnastics coaches successfully strengthen their gymnasts, but do not necessarily incorporate enough sport-specific training into their programs. I’ve seen gymnasts benefit from general strength exercises like push-ups, but when it comes time to perform certain skills, the gymnast’s muscles aren’t always ready, charged with the sequence of movements for the skills, or strong enough. in each position required to safely complete the skill.
Gymnasts really need a variety of training to include sport-specific training in addition to general strength conditioning to more closely simulate skills in our sport. For example, many straight-arm exercises, such as lateral front raises, press handstands, or plank exercises, simulate gymnastic skills more closely than bent-arm exercises such as push-ups, bench presses, or dips. inverses.
Here’s a straight arm exercise that has helped many gymnasts strengthen their chest, shoulder, and back muscles, getting stronger in two very important movements. Since the gymnast must often be able to open and close the shoulder angle during maneuvers on uneven bars, I have included a very useful exercise that incorporates up and down movements. This should help her learn to efficiently transition from one arm movement to the next with ease. Imagine your gymnast performing a sliding kip, cast handstand, clear hip handstand. She will have to reverse the movements of her shoulders several times in this short period of time. Once you see the shoulder movements necessary to connect these skills, you’ll see the reasons I had for incorporating two exercises into one exercise over a decade ago. This exercise actually alternates the movements of opening and then closing the shoulder angle.
Lie Back Cast / Kip Drill (Barbell / Toning Bar)
1. Find your gymnast during this exercise. Give complete instructions before the exercise begins.
2. Setup: Have your gymnast lie on their back between two folded panel mats with their arms above their head. Her head should remain between the mats, but her hands and wrists should go beyond the mats to allow the bar to nearly touch the ground after raising it overhead for full range of motion.
3. Folded mats should be a few inches higher than your gymnast while lying between them for safety reasons. The bar should be long enough so that each end can rest in the center of one of the mats. The bar will rise and return to the mats without touching your gymnast. There should be enough room for your gymnast to slide in or out while the bar rests on the mats. Although you will see your gymnast, the mats will also help prevent the bar from touching her. If one mat on each side is not tall enough, use two folded mats on each side. If the bar goes down too fast or falls off, it should land on the mats, not on your gymnast. This is a very safe exercise when the coach and gymnast keep safety in mind.
4. After the mats are installed, place the bar on the mats and make sure it does not fall between the mats or roll.
5. Starting Position – Once the mats and bar are in place, instruct your athlete to sit between the mats, slide their legs under the bar, and then lie down. You should position yourself so that the bar is above your hips.
6. Once set, allow your athlete to grasp the bar and then straighten their arms. Instruct your gymnast to keep their arms straight, but not to lock them.
7. Take care that the bar does not shift into an unsafe starting position.
8. Next, instruct him to lift the barbell toward the ceiling and then toward the floor above his head to simulate an upper body cast-to-handstand motion.
9. Remind your athlete to continue to hold the bar securely and then allow them to lift the bar off the floor, toward the ceiling again, and then lower it to the mat on their hips to simulate an upper body kip.
10. Allow your gymnast to continue with several reps if able. Let her know that it should be one continuous movement once she is comfortable.
11. Your gymnast may need to lift more of the bar from the mat (the initiation phase) involving the shoulders (deltoids) than in the return phase involving the back muscles (latissimus). Be prepared to detect all phases of this exercise. You can have one trainer point each slice. To spot the lift from the mat, kneel on one of the mats to help your gymnast get up from the mat. Kneel near her head to see the elevator from the ground. Make sure you can reach the bar, especially when it is above your gymnast’s body.
12. Start with the lightest bar possible, maybe even a broomstick to ensure proper safety and form. Once charged with this exercise, your gymnast can use weights on a barbell or toning bar, but should always rely on her strength and experience. If you’re using a barbell without weights, you can wrap a thick towel around each end to help keep your gymnast’s knuckles from touching the floor.
The second exercise is more obvious. This also helps the gymnast with specific gymnastic skills because she will be in and out of a handstand. The Planche – Virtual Handstand – Planche Drill is an excellent exercise for body tension, control, upper body strength, and core strength. This exercise is an appropriate exercise for gymnasts at many levels, including those expected to perform the cast handstand and clear hip handstand on bars in the near future.
1. Instruct your athlete to stand with their back to a support block or mat stack, place their hands on the floor, and then place one foot/ankle on the block. Once your athlete has one foot/ankle on the block, they can place the other foot/ankle on the block.
2. Your athlete should now be in a high push-up position with their feet on the block. Your athlete’s legs, hips, and chest should not touch the ground during this exercise.
3. Now that your athlete is in the push-up position, instruct her to move her hands closer to the positioning block and her shoulders forward to form a light plank position.
4. Once your athlete is in a plank position with their feet on the block, instruct them to squeeze their glutes and then pull their navel in. You should see your gymnast’s lower back lengthen in the correct lower back position for a handstand (pelvic tilt).
5. After your gymnast has formed the correct form with her lower body, instruct her to push down on the floor and contract her chest simultaneously. The part of your gymnast’s back between the shoulder blades should rise toward the ceiling. Your gymnast has just performed a push-up/shrug in the push-up position. To help teach the shrug, touch your athlete’s back between the shoulder blades and have them push their hand up to form the rounded back.
6. Instruct your gymnast to maintain that steady form for the remainder of the exercise.
7. To start the exercise, instruct your athlete to lift one of their legs towards the ceiling, but keep the other foot/ankle on the block. Your gymnast’s body, with the exception of the foot/ankle still resting on the block, should have moved as a unit to the virtual or single leg handstand. The leg pointing toward the ceiling should be the one that forms the handstand along with the upper body.
8. Your athlete’s shoulders, hips, and one ankle should be directly over your hands while the other leg remains on the block. Inform your gymnast that her hips and shoulders should remain in line with the block. Her buttocks should be under, belly in, hips open, chest in, and shoulders in a hunched/stretched position. Staying square and steady is not always easy for the gymnast.
9. Once your athlete is in the correct single-leg or virtual handstand position, they can begin the return movement by slowly lowering their free leg back onto the block and moving their shoulders forward slightly to return to the starting position. griddle. Your gymnast’s body should move as a unit to the starting position. Instruct your gymnast to keep their head in line with their spine, not in or back.
10. Next, instruct your athlete to return to the virtual or single-leg handstand position by lifting the free leg above the hips so that it is vertical, with the exception of the supported leg. She should also open her arms again and square her shoulders and hips to the block. Your gymnast must align their shoulders and head to return to proper handstand form. Instruct your gymnast to look at the floor just above their hands for the plank and then the block for the handstand.
11. Once your athlete understands the movement from virtual handstand to plank and back to handstand, ask them to complete a few repetitions before stopping if they are able.
12. Tell your gymnast not to plank too far forward until she builds strength and feels comfortable enough not to collapse.
13. You should also let your gymnast know to call when she is tired so you can let her rest. This exercise puts tremendous pressure on your gymnast’s wrists. You must allow her to rest when she tells you that her wrists are getting tired.
This exercise, when performed correctly, closely simulates the shoulder movements of the cast handstand and clear hip handstand on uneven bars. You can use a floor bar as long as the floor bar is stable.
The constant change in shoulder angle causes a change in demand on your gymnast’s upper body muscles. Your gymnast should build strength in a wide range of positions after performing this exercise frequently and consistently over time.
As you can see, these exercises are very different from push-ups due to the straight arm training that so closely simulates gymnastic skills. Your gymnast’s entire upper body will be challenged with this exercise. If done frequently and consistently, this exercise should help tremendously with overall upper body strength, in addition to specific gymnastic skills.
Although push-ups and bench presses are great exercises, they don’t really simulate the gymnastic skills of gymnasts. Gymnastic skills must be safely simulated to train a gymnast’s mind and body to perform gymnastic skills safely and efficiently.
Karen M Goeller
www.GymnasticsDrills.com