How Gymnasts Get So Freaking Strong!
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Date: 2022-04-22
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Comments and reviews: 10
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I was a gymnast and I currently do calisthenics as my main training system. The most important tip I can give someone who is focusing on pseudo-gymnastics calisthenics skills is to always, ALWAYS skip leg day. Please, for your own benefit, don't work your legs. It makes them heavier, and you'll never be able to front lever again because those extra couple pounds of muscle will lead to your collapse. Your arms just can't handle anything heavier than the bodyweight you started out with. Make sure you never work with anything over your bodyweight, it's scary.
I joke, but, seriously, there's a bizarre superstition in calisthenics skill people that legs shouldn't be worked because they are terrified of gaining -heavy- legs. We weren't allowed to ignore our legs in gymnastics because their strength was important even to upper body movements, yet it seems almost natural to ignore legs for many now doing calisthenics. If you're not doing calisthenics with weights, you're leaving your maximum hypertrophy and strength potential on the table. If you believe that pull-ups and dips with 30-50lbs hanging off of you won't make you strong enough to handle an extra 10-15lbs of muscle on your legs for bar skills done at bodyweight, you're crazy. Don't skip your legs, and don't think that just doing tens of thousands of reps at basic bodyweight will somehow make you stronger than just basic bodyweight. The majority of calisthenics people seem to focus 90% of their attention on their upper bodies, maintaining their chicken legs in hopes of a better muscle-up or lever or something. Just add a weighted belt, backpack, vest, etc, to the routine, and work your legs more too. Try to be the best you can be from head to toe, not just head to hips.
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I was a gymnast and I currently do calisthenics as my main training system. The most important tip I can give someone who is focusing on pseudo-gymnastics calisthenics skills is to always, ALWAYS skip leg day. Please, for your own benefit, don't work your legs. It makes them heavier, and you'll never be able to front lever again because those extra couple pounds of muscle will lead to your collapse. Your arms just can't handle anything heavier than the bodyweight you started out with. Make sure you never work with anything over your bodyweight, it's scary.
I joke, but, seriously, there's a bizarre superstition in calisthenics skill people that legs shouldn't be worked because they are terrified of gaining -heavy- legs. We weren't allowed to ignore our legs in gymnastics because their strength was important even to upper body movements, yet it seems almost natural to ignore legs for many now doing calisthenics. If you're not doing calisthenics with weights, you're leaving your maximum hypertrophy and strength potential on the table. If you believe that pull-ups and dips with 30-50lbs hanging off of you won't make you strong enough to handle an extra 10-15lbs of muscle on your legs for bar skills done at bodyweight, you're crazy. Don't skip your legs, and don't think that just doing tens of thousands of reps at basic bodyweight will somehow make you stronger than just basic bodyweight. The majority of calisthenics people seem to focus 90% of their attention on their upper bodies, maintaining their chicken legs in hopes of a better muscle-up or lever or something. Just add a weighted belt, backpack, vest, etc, to the routine, and work your legs more too. Try to be the best you can be from head to toe, not just head to hips.
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a8lg6p
Been doing Gymnastic Bodies for almost a year now. I don't think I look huge or anything, but people are always commenting on how I've obviously been working out. (And I was working out a lot for years before! But not with consistent progressive strength training) And it's really transformed my body. Great for physique and overall strength, and for doing cool party tricks. But the best part by far is what it does for your joints. It's the most important thing, and it's astonishing how overlooked it is. I had mild but chronic pain in my left wrist and rotator cuff for at least a year, now it's totally gone. I'm almost 40, and I'm more spry and have better mobility and more resilient joints than I did when I 20. Can do shoulder dislocates, skin the can, wrist pushups, walk on the blades of my feet, pistol squats, etc, no problem. When I see people who are like, oh my back, my knees! Bending over/getting off the floor is hard! I'm like, dear god, how can you bear being trapped in such an impotent and rigid prison of a body? You're practically crippled, and you did it to yourself. Don't do that!
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Been doing Gymnastic Bodies for almost a year now. I don't think I look huge or anything, but people are always commenting on how I've obviously been working out. (And I was working out a lot for years before! But not with consistent progressive strength training) And it's really transformed my body. Great for physique and overall strength, and for doing cool party tricks. But the best part by far is what it does for your joints. It's the most important thing, and it's astonishing how overlooked it is. I had mild but chronic pain in my left wrist and rotator cuff for at least a year, now it's totally gone. I'm almost 40, and I'm more spry and have better mobility and more resilient joints than I did when I 20. Can do shoulder dislocates, skin the can, wrist pushups, walk on the blades of my feet, pistol squats, etc, no problem. When I see people who are like, oh my back, my knees! Bending over/getting off the floor is hard! I'm like, dear god, how can you bear being trapped in such an impotent and rigid prison of a body? You're practically crippled, and you did it to yourself. Don't do that!
reply
Dagoth
When I was an aerial/satellite engineer (I didn't have much muscle) but from climbing ladders and roofs etc you do get stronger. And we'd have to carry industrial C-section ladders that people shouldn't be using anymore, 34kg things, not fun! But it's not necessarily about strength, it's technique, holding it at the right angle and pulling inwards at the bottom so all the weight isn't trying to go back over the shoulder (and also the mental realization you'll kill someone if you drop these ladders)
With gymnast/calisthenics, it seems lighter slender people will also have a better time moving their lighter bodyweight. And with enough practice, even smaller muscles can get strong enough, they'll get big enough to handle the body weight then stay at that size unless there's progressive overload. But definitely the technique is important too.
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When I was an aerial/satellite engineer (I didn't have much muscle) but from climbing ladders and roofs etc you do get stronger. And we'd have to carry industrial C-section ladders that people shouldn't be using anymore, 34kg things, not fun! But it's not necessarily about strength, it's technique, holding it at the right angle and pulling inwards at the bottom so all the weight isn't trying to go back over the shoulder (and also the mental realization you'll kill someone if you drop these ladders)
With gymnast/calisthenics, it seems lighter slender people will also have a better time moving their lighter bodyweight. And with enough practice, even smaller muscles can get strong enough, they'll get big enough to handle the body weight then stay at that size unless there's progressive overload. But definitely the technique is important too.
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Mark
-athlean-x hey Jeff I-ve been watching your videos and recommending them to anyone I can tell about them for a while now. I really appreciate all your science based and professional advice for clueless guys like me. I have a family and a pretty busy schedule so I was doing three full body workouts a week. Recently though I-ve started doing bjj 5 mornings a week. It-s just easier for me to get up and go somewhere at 5am then do a home workout. My question is, if I want to add a strength training routine in on the weekends, say to get stronger and not necessarily grow, what lifts should I do, should it be full body and how much rest and weight should be involved? Or should I just take the weekend to rest? I guess I-m asking, what would you recommend as a supplemental strength training routine for bjj? Thanks again for everything
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-athlean-x hey Jeff I-ve been watching your videos and recommending them to anyone I can tell about them for a while now. I really appreciate all your science based and professional advice for clueless guys like me. I have a family and a pretty busy schedule so I was doing three full body workouts a week. Recently though I-ve started doing bjj 5 mornings a week. It-s just easier for me to get up and go somewhere at 5am then do a home workout. My question is, if I want to add a strength training routine in on the weekends, say to get stronger and not necessarily grow, what lifts should I do, should it be full body and how much rest and weight should be involved? Or should I just take the weekend to rest? I guess I-m asking, what would you recommend as a supplemental strength training routine for bjj? Thanks again for everything
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charles
What you said about leverages was mostly true but while it does make it easier it does not effectively reduce your body weight, what it does is when your in the right position it makes your center of gravity be over you hands which makes it easier because it-s more stable (think of doing a bench press but you hands are both to one side compared to normal) you still have to push the same weight but since it-s balanced the weight/your body won-t tip to one side. I hope that made sense and I-m glad you are bringing more awareness to gymnastics and what it-s like. (I-ve been a gymnast for 7 years so far)
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What you said about leverages was mostly true but while it does make it easier it does not effectively reduce your body weight, what it does is when your in the right position it makes your center of gravity be over you hands which makes it easier because it-s more stable (think of doing a bench press but you hands are both to one side compared to normal) you still have to push the same weight but since it-s balanced the weight/your body won-t tip to one side. I hope that made sense and I-m glad you are bringing more awareness to gymnastics and what it-s like. (I-ve been a gymnast for 7 years so far)
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Majin
when you train your muscles hard for a long period of time, your muscles will break down and look like sh1t3s and weaken greatly. however, steroid users can easily be detected if they still maintain their peak muscles definition a. k. a their -looks-. most gymnasts who already reached age 20 and above takes steroids to boost their performance so they can train longer, less fatigue, while still maintaining their -looks- and still focus on daily activities after that. the same can be said to powerlifters as well as bodybuilders, they deny it because they are afraid, they are ez and noobs.
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when you train your muscles hard for a long period of time, your muscles will break down and look like sh1t3s and weaken greatly. however, steroid users can easily be detected if they still maintain their peak muscles definition a. k. a their -looks-. most gymnasts who already reached age 20 and above takes steroids to boost their performance so they can train longer, less fatigue, while still maintaining their -looks- and still focus on daily activities after that. the same can be said to powerlifters as well as bodybuilders, they deny it because they are afraid, they are ez and noobs.
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DeepState
Ah not gymnasts still trying and failing to answer this question. Jeff isn't wrong but he doesn't understand a lot still, like the way the joints and tendons are painstakingly prepared, or the -secret- and elaborate ways they have to deload and work up to exercises with pulleys and sliding boards. Those ranges of motion and end range strength are impossible to get if you don't specifically train into them.
Anyone could do it, it's just so tedious and takes so many hours per day of training minutia that most adults won't be able to get there.
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Ah not gymnasts still trying and failing to answer this question. Jeff isn't wrong but he doesn't understand a lot still, like the way the joints and tendons are painstakingly prepared, or the -secret- and elaborate ways they have to deload and work up to exercises with pulleys and sliding boards. Those ranges of motion and end range strength are impossible to get if you don't specifically train into them.
Anyone could do it, it's just so tedious and takes so many hours per day of training minutia that most adults won't be able to get there.
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BD
I just got back to the gym about a month and a half ago, I-m fairly lean and I-ve always been committed to pushups and home ab workouts, but I-ve been genuinely shocked by my sudden weakness heading back to the gym as I realized I can-t even do one clean pull up. Not one.
I don-t understand why, and I-ve been trying to improve, but I can-t do it. It-s confusing the hell out of me and depressing me.
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I just got back to the gym about a month and a half ago, I-m fairly lean and I-ve always been committed to pushups and home ab workouts, but I-ve been genuinely shocked by my sudden weakness heading back to the gym as I realized I can-t even do one clean pull up. Not one.
I don-t understand why, and I-ve been trying to improve, but I can-t do it. It-s confusing the hell out of me and depressing me.
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Go9ro3
Age 58 and I find calisthenics so much more enjoyable than weight training. I recently got my first clean muscle up and I can hold my straight line handstand for nearly a minute. The young folks in the gym marvel at what I can do as an old man. I will never outlift them, but I don-t care about absolute strength. I seek functional mobility, masterful bodily control, and relative strength.
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Age 58 and I find calisthenics so much more enjoyable than weight training. I recently got my first clean muscle up and I can hold my straight line handstand for nearly a minute. The young folks in the gym marvel at what I can do as an old man. I will never outlift them, but I don-t care about absolute strength. I seek functional mobility, masterful bodily control, and relative strength.
reply
SirElspeth
There's a reason pole and aerial athletes do seperat strength conditioning and flexibility training. If anything, most professional gymnasts, aerialists, and dancers are attempting for the least exertion possible in the target move. This leaves lots of energy in the tank during the performance or possibly multiple performances over a series of nights.
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There's a reason pole and aerial athletes do seperat strength conditioning and flexibility training. If anything, most professional gymnasts, aerialists, and dancers are attempting for the least exertion possible in the target move. This leaves lots of energy in the tank during the performance or possibly multiple performances over a series of nights.
reply
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