Gymnastics strength training is about getting crazy strong by using your own bodyweight with the tools that gymnasts traditionally used. These tools are rings, parallel bars and a high bar or pullup bar in general. Some people may have access to a floor for plyometrics and a pommel horse for circles and scissors, but for this article we will stick to the upper body training that can be done on dip bars, pullup bars and rings.
Rasmus Thorø Thomsen – Training
How does gymnastics strength training work?
It’s no secret that gymnasts are known for their strong and physically impressive upper bodies, but how do they really attain this physique? While many people from outside circles still think gymnasts do a lot of weight training, this is simply not the case. Even though some supplementary exercises are used, gymnasts get their impressive physiques from the gymnastics strength training they do.
When doing bodyweight exercises, results are achieved through resisting the force of gravity on one’s body. A muscle contracts against resistance, and with time, grows stronger. However, for a muscle to keep increasing in strength, the resistance it fights must also keep increasing. Thus, when doing exercises that use only the weight of the body as resistance, the inevitable question arises: how is it possible to increase the strength of the muscles? The answer is actually quite simple, and it lies in the concept of torque. The torque created by the muscles must fight against the torque created by the bodyweight. As torque equals force*distance the equation looks like below.
F(muscle)*d(tendon insertion) = F(body weight) * d(distance to center of mass)
Therefore, resistance can be varied in these exercises by varying the length of gravity’s lever arm (the distance between the center of mass and the hands). When the length of the lever arm increases, such as when you go from a tucked to a laid out position, the muscular force must also increase to keep the equation balanced. In this way, a gymnast can work to increase his strength by using a progression of positions that gradually increase the strain on his muscles and build up the muscles’ ability to contract against the resistance offered it. It is this that effectively eliminates the need for gymnasts to use external resistance such as free weights or pin machines.
What are the benefits of gymnastics strength training?
There are several benefits of gymnastics strength training over regular weight training.
1: Higher motor unit recruitment. In Charles Poliquins modified version of Dietmar Schmidtbleicher’s chart on muscle activation, you will see such things as ring dips and rope climbs at the hardest level 7. This means these forms of exercise will activate your muscles to a degree higher than other forms of exercise such as normal free weight exercises that belong to level 5 and 6 of the chart. The interesting thing here is that rope climbs and ring dips are some of the least complicated movements in gymnastics strength training. When you move to things such as handstand pushups on the rings or even harder stuff such as iron crosses, planches or front levers that’s when you will really start seeing some bang for your buck. In other words: the strength gains from this kind of training transfers much easier to regular training (or anything else), but not vice versa.
2: Improved kinesthetic awareness. Because you are manipulating your body in space during, for example, a ring strength sequence, you will develop better awareness of your body in space, which is useful when you try to transfer the strength to any real world scenario or sporting event.
3: Stronger joints. Because you are in such disadvantageous positions in many of the movements, the pressure on the joints becomes much greater than during other forms of training. This increased pressure will lead to a greater joint stability over time. Of course messing around with too hard variations can also destroy your joints, so be careful!
4: Greater range of motion and flexibility gains. Because the rings can rotate, and you can also rotate around them, it is possible to load the shoulder joint in a much greater range of motion than with other forms of training.
Keegan – On the rings in the park
5: More fun. Of course this is subject to individual preference, but to me learning a new movement and constantly challenging my body at different positions in space, is much more rewarding than slapping another 5kg on the barbell. Don’t get me wrong, I love strength training, but I love gymnastics strength training even more.
What are the disadvantages of gymnastics strength training?
While there are many advantages of gymnastics strength training, there are also some disadvantages.
1: It’s hard to measure progress. Because improving usually involves changing of body positions, it is much harder to measure this change when compared to simply counting kilos on the bar. After all even the slightest change in angle can make a movement harder, so attention to detail is required in great amounts.
2: It’s hard to program and progress. It takes knowledge of many different exercises, progressions and supplementary exercises to properly program gymnastics strength training. Most people stick with chinup and dip variations, which is why they never get far. Even when people move into the straight arm exercises such as levers, planches and crosses they have no clue how to train these movements except for eccentrics and tucked positions.
3: Insufficient stimulus to all muscles. Because gymnastics strength training usually works with integrated movements, not all the muscles in a given movement tires out at the same time. For this reason some isolation movements may be necessary in order to ensure proper training of all muscles.
Where can I learn more?
The best sources for information on gymnastics strength training are hands down Ido Portal and Christopher Sommer, two persons that have both taught me a lot of what I know on the subject.
Rasmus Thomsen is an exercise science studient aswell as biosignature practitioner and PICP 2 coach. Furthermore Rasmus is a national level gymnast in Denmark and has sought out many specialized courses in gymnastics strength training. Check out more from Rasmus at www.rasmusthorø.dk
Rasmus Thorø Thomsen – PICP 2
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