We all know there are so several various coaching techniques, instruction programs, and coaching personalities. A lot of gymnastics coaches productively get their gymnasts stronger, but they do not always incorporate adequate activity distinct education into their applications. I have observed gymnasts advantage from the common toughness workouts such as push ups, but when it arrives time to carry out certain expertise the gymnast’s muscle tissues are not constantly geared up, accustomed to the sequence of actions for the abilities, or strong adequate in each position essential to properly total the skill.

Gymnasts truly need a range of coaching to include sport distinct instruction in addition to basic power conditioning in get to more carefully simulate the expertise in our sport. For example, many straight arm exercises such as the entrance lateral elevate, push handstand, or planche drills far more closely simulate gymnastics expertise than bent arm workout routines this kind of as the thrust up, bench push, or reverse dips.

Below is a single straight arm exercising that has served many gymnasts reinforce their chest, shoulders, and again muscle groups, turning into stronger in two really essential motions. Go Ninja Program Given that the gymnast often need to be ready to open and near the shoulder angle for the duration of capabilities on uneven bars, I have provided a extremely useful workout which incorporates each up and down movements. This 1 ought to aid her find out to effectively changeover from a single arm motion to the following with relieve. Picture your gymnast doing a glide kip, forged handstand, clear hip handstand. She will have to reverse shoulder movements numerous times inside of this quick period of time of time. As soon as you see the shoulder movements essential to hook up these abilities you will see the motives I experienced for incorporating two exercise routines into one particular drill more than a 10 years in the past. This workout actually alternates the motions of opening and then closing the shoulder angle.

Lie Down Solid/Kip Drill (Barbell / Firming Bar)

1. Location your gymnast throughout this exercise. Give her complete recommendations prior to she commences the exercise.

two. Placing Up: Have your gymnast lie on her back again amongst two folded panel mats with her arms above her head. Her head should continue being in between the mats, but her palms and wrists need to go past the mats in order to enable the bar to practically contact the floor following it is lifted more than head for full selection of movement.

3. The folded mats have to be a number of inches greater than your gymnast whilst she is lying amongst them for security factors. The bar have to be long enough so that every single conclude can relaxation on the heart of one of the mats. The bar will be lifted from and returned to the mats with no touching your gymnast. There ought to be enough clearance for your gymnast to slide in or out while the bar rests on the mats. Despite the fact that you will be spotting your gymnast, the mats will also aid avert the bar from touching her. If one mat on each and every aspect is not substantial adequate, you should use two folded mats on each side. If the bar is brought down way too speedily or falls, it must land on the mats, not your gymnast. This is a extremely safe exercising when the coach and gymnast preserve security in mind.

four. When the mats are set up, location the bar on the mats and make positive it will not tumble between the mats or roll off.

5. Beginning Placement: Once the mats and bar are in area, instruct your gymnast to sit between the mats, slide her legs beneath the bar, and then lie down. She must situation herself so that the bar is earlier mentioned her hips.

six. After positioned, let your gymnast to grasp the bar and then straighten her arms. Instruct your gymnast to maintain her arms straight, but not to lock them.

seven. Be watchful the bar does not shift to an unsafe starting situation.

eight. Up coming, instruct her to lift the bar up toward ceiling and then toward the floor above her head to simulate a cast to handstand motion with her upper entire body.

nine. Remind your gymnast to continue to keep the bar securely and then let her to raise the bar off the ground, towards ceiling once again, and then decrease it to the mat previously mentioned her hips to simulate a kip with her upper physique.

10. Let your gymnast to carry on with numerous repetitions if she is able. Notify her that it should be a steady movement after she is cozy.

11. Your gymnast will very likely want more location lifting the bar from the mat (the initiation stage) which entails the shoulders (deltoids) than she will on the return section which includes the back again (latissimus) muscles. Be prepared to location all phases of this workout. You can have a single mentor spot every single part. To place the carry from the mat, kneel on 1 of the mats to aid your gymnast lift off the mat. Kneel in close proximity to her head to place the lift from the floor. Make certain you can get to the bar, specifically when it is above your gymnast’s entire body.

twelve. Start off with the lightest bar achievable, perhaps even a broomstick to make sure suitable protection and sort. Once accustomed to this workout, your gymnast can use weights on a barbell or a toning bar, but it ought to usually depend upon her power and knowledge. If you are employing a bar with no weights, you can wrap a thick towel about every single end to assist avert your gymnast’s knuckles from touching the floor.

The 2nd exercising is more apparent. This one also will help the gymnast with specific gymnastics expertise simply because she will be in and out of a handstand. The Planche – Digital Handstand – Planche Drill is a fantastic workout for physique tightness, control, higher entire body toughness, and main power. This drill is an appropriate physical exercise for gymnasts on so numerous stages, such as these predicted to complete the solid handstand and very clear hip handstand on bars in the around foreseeable future.

one. Instruct your gymnast to stand with her back to a spotting block or mat stack, spot her fingers on the flooring, and then spot 1 foot/ankle on the block. When your gymnast has one foot/ankle on the block, she can then location her other foot/ankle up on the block.

2. Now your gymnast ought to be in an elevated thrust up situation with her feet on the block. Your gymnast’s legs, hips, and upper body must stay off the flooring throughout this exercising.

three. Now that your gymnast is in the elevated drive up placement, instruct her to go her arms closer to the spotting block and her shoulders forward in order to type a slight planche situation.

four. As soon as your gymnast is in the planche place with her toes on the block, instruct her to squeeze her buttocks and then to pull her belly button in. You ought to see the reduce portion of your gymnast’s back again elongate into the proper reduced back placement for a handstand (pelvic tilt).

five. Soon after your gymnast has shaped the right form with her reduced physique, instruct her to drive down on the flooring and pull in her chest at the same time. The part of your gymnast’s back again amongst her shoulder blades ought to increase toward the ceiling. Your gymnast has just done a protraction / shoulder shrug in the planche push up place. To help instruct the shoulder shrug touch the part of your gymnast’s again that is in between her shoulder blades and inquire her to push up on your hand to sort the rounded back.

6. Instruct your gymnast to maintain that restricted condition through the rest of the physical exercise.

seven. To commence the exercising, instruct your gymnast to carry one of her legs up towards the ceiling, but to preserve her other foot/ankle on the block. Your gymnast’s entire body, with the exception of the foot/ankle still supported on the block ought to have moved as 1 unit up to the one leg, or virtual, handstand. The leg that is pointed towards the ceiling ought to be the a single forming the handstand form alongside with the upper body.

8. Your gymnast’s shoulders, hips, and 1 ankle need to be straight earlier mentioned her palms while the other leg stays supported on the block. Notify your gymnast that her hips and shoulders should remain sq. with the block. Her buttocks need to be below, tummy in, hip opened, chest in, and shoulders in a shrug/stretched situation. Remaining sq. and limited is not often simple for the gymnast.

nine. After your gymnast is in the right single leg, or virtual, handstand situation she can begin the return motion by slowly and gradually decreasing her totally free leg again to the block and shifting her shoulders slightly forward so she returns to the planche drive up position. Your gymnast’s human body should transfer as one particular unit to the starting up situation. Instruct your gymnast to maintain her head in line with her spine, neither tucked in nor tilted back.

10. Up coming, instruct your gymnast to return to the one leg, or virtual, handstand placement by lifting her free leg again up above her hips so that she is vertical, with the exception of her supported leg. She have to also open up her armpits back again up, and square her shoulders and hips with the block. Your gymnast should deliver her shoulders and head into alignment for the proper handstand shape once again. Instruct your gymnast to appear at the floor just above her palms for the planche and then at the block for the handstand.

eleven. When your gymnast understands the movement of the digital handstand to planche and again to the handstand, ask her to comprehensive a couple of repetitions ahead of halting if she is ready.

twelve. Advise your gymnast not to planche also considerably ahead till she builds toughness and gets really comfy so she does not collapse.

thirteen. You have to also advise your gymnast to talk when she is fatigued so that you can enable her to relaxation. This exercising places great stress on your gymnast’s wrists. You need to enable her to rest when she communicates that her wrists are receiving fatigued.

This exercising, when done properly, closely simulates the shoulder motions of the cast handstand and clear hip handstand on uneven bars. You can use a flooring bar as long as the ground bar is stable.

The consistent adjust in shoulder angle brings about a modify in the demand on your gymnast’s upper entire body muscle tissue. Your gymnast need to create energy in a wide assortment of positions soon after performing this drill often and persistently in excess of the training course of time.

As you can see, these exercise routines are so significantly diverse from push ups due to the fact of the straight arm coaching which so intently simulates gymnastics skills. Your gymnast’s complete higher human body will be challenged with this exercise. If carried out usually and constantly this drill should support immensely with general upper human body toughness in addition to certain gymnastics expertise.

Though the push up and bench press are great exercise routines, they do not genuinely simulate the gymnastics abilities of female gymnasts. Gymnastics capabilities must be simulated in a risk-free way in buy to prepare a gymnast’s head and body to perform gymnastics capabilities safely and securely and efficiently.