Strength and Conditioning for Gymnastics

Strength and conditioning is important and helpful for all sports and athletes including
gymnasts. It should be functional, with movements and exercises that emphasize stabilization,
deceleration, and acceleration in a multilane (moving in three directions - front, side, and
turning) environment. Many strength and conditioning programs focus primarily on one plane
of motion as opposed to three, which does little to improve function or prevent injury. Yet, in
all sports, athletes move in all three planes of motion. Therefore it is important to train the
body the way it moves in sport, and the training should be done in a systematic, integrated
fashion. The training for optimum performance should include flexibility, core, balance, ply
metrics, strength, and power.

Arch-ups - are the exact opposite of hollow body. Lie on your stomach with your arms
above your head and your legs straight. Lift your arms and legs so that your stomach is
the only part of your body still on the floor. Lower to the ground and repeat.

V-ups – Lie flat on the floor with your arms and legs extended, and then simultaneously lift your
arms and legs, touching your toes over the midsection of your body to form a “v.” At the height
of the v-up, you should be balanced on your lower back. Extend back to the floor, and repeat.

Sit Ups – Lie down on the floor on your back with your knees bent or straight, and someone or
something holding your legs or not. Sit up to an upright position.

Push-ups -are the simplest way to work your triceps, shoulders, and pectorals. A good push-up
requires a straight or hollow core, with the back flat and shoulders over your hands — the
precise position that you’ll need for great casts on bars and swings on pommel horse.
 Conditioning exercises

1. Press Handstand Drills

If press handstands are a big part of your summer conditioning, but some of your gymnasts
aren’t quite sure how to make one just yet, this drill is very helpful. Keeping the gymnast’s head
on the block will force them to assume the correct body position, making it easier for them to
complete a press handstand on their own. It also helps them focus on form, by taking off some
of the difficulty.

2. Suspension Straps

One creative way to do different strength drills is by using suspension straps. This video shows
one way suspension straps can be used for pushups, but there are many other ways to use
them as well.

3. Changing Up Rope Climbs

Whether you follow this challenge directly or change it a bit, varying traditional rope climbs is a
great way to keep summer conditioning interesting and challenging. Simply climbing the rope
can get boring, but this challenge switches things up.

4. Sliders

Sliders are great to use for strength and conditioning because there are so many different drills
you can do with them! We love the ones in these videos because they work both strength and
flexibility at the same time, but there are tons of drills to do with sliders.

5. Handstand/Plank Variations

While planks are great exercises for anyone looking to gain arm and ab strength, for gymnasts,
this is a great idea that works on both strength and handstand shapes.