Excellence is Achieved One Day at a Time

The following is an excellent video montage of many of the world's strongest ring men doing what they do best.

As with all other worthwhile goals in life, it is important to note that none of these gentlemen began life with this level of strength. The video clips above are the result of careful progressive training. Note the perfect torso positions and the completely locked arms. The level of biceps strength being exhibited is phenomenal.

Contrary to popular opinion, reaching high levels of ring strength does not take a lifetime to achieve nor is it necessary to have begun training at birth. One of the strongest athletes on my team did not begin training until he was 16 and now just four years later has all variations of ring press handstand, planche, cross, his maltese is nearly there and he is working on his inverted cross.

The following essay, Preparing the Elbows and Biceps for Iron Cross Training, will help your own ring strength journey begin appropriately.

Yours in Fitness,
Coach Sommer

No doubt it takes many years of training, but, what about height and weight issues? Has there been a physical height and weight cutoff established where you are just simply biomechanically disadvantaged to ever engage in the advanced stuff?

Inspiring as always coach sommer....Hope I'll be committed enough to achieve such goals 8)

No doubt it takes many years of training, but, what about height and weight issues? Has there been a physical height and weight cutoff established where you are just simply biomechanically disadvantaged to ever engage in the advanced stuff?

There are far too many uncontrolled variables involved (work ethic, consistency, patience etc etc) to be able to accurately predict your future development. And for that matter, does it really matter?

As I teach the GB Seminar attendees and my own personal competitive athletes, I cannot guarantee how far you will eventually progress with your training; however I can with certainty say exactly where you are now.

Start taking care of business today and tomorrow will take care of itself.

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

No doubt it takes many years of training, but, what about height and weight issues? Has there been a physical height and weight cutoff established where you are just simply biomechanically disadvantaged to ever engage in the advanced stuff?

Watch the 2008 Olympics, there are some athletes over 6 feet competing seriously in the various events. Rock climbers who meet your term "disadvantaged" have also done some amazing strength feats. If you dig under the community section, there are several threads about people who are not the supposed ideal body type (height, weight, proportions, etc) yet are pretty dang impressive.

Don't give up because you don't think you are getting results--strength gains will sneak up on you. It's easy to take something for granted that you can do now, or think something impossible that you can not. Keep an accurate log of what you are capable of month to month, and you will be surprised by what you've gained over time.

No doubt it takes many years of training, but, what about height and weight issues? Has there been a physical height and weight cutoff established where you are just simply biomechanically disadvantaged to ever engage in the advanced stuff?

Watch the 2008 Olympics, there are some athletes over 6 feet competing seriously in the various events. Rock climbers who meet your term "disadvantaged" have also done some amazing strength feats. If you dig under the community section, there are several threads about people who are not the supposed ideal body type (height, weight, proportions, etc) yet are pretty dang impressive.

Don't give up because you don't think you are getting results--strength gains will sneak up on you. It's easy to take something for granted that you can do now, or think something impossible that you can not. Keep an accurate log of what you are capable of month to month, and you will be surprised by what you've gained over time.

I don't mean to sound pessimistic, just practical. You can't deny natural selection, but what you just disclosed is inspiring.

Excellent collection of inspirational videos thanks Coach.

I don't mean to sound pessimistic, just practical. You can't deny natural selection, but what you just disclosed is inspiring.

"Practical" is an ugly word. You can't use it in a context without assuming limitations. Coach's advice is sound: worry about doing your best each moment. You gain more by correctly applied effort than wasted mental energy on what you can or can't do.

Excellent video and better advice!

Start taking care of business today and tomorrow will take care of itself.

This is one of my new favorite quotes.

I don't mean to sound pessimistic, just practical. You can't deny natural selection, but what you just disclosed is inspiring.

"Practical" is an ugly word. You can't use it in a context without assuming limitations. Coach's advice is sound: worry about doing your best each moment. You gain more by correctly applied effort than wasted mental energy on what you can or can't do.

Yah bro I hear what you're saying.

Tell a 5' 6" athlete he can't go far in his sport or he's better off doing something else... pessimistic. Tell that same athlete

he can be the next Payton Manning, Michael Phelps, or Michael Jordan...not practical. I'm also pretty sure that the best guys who are at the top on rings are not there without the help of their parent's DNA. And of course... effort, motivation, hard work, etc, etc, are always a given.

Just saying bro.

I'm the only one ring specialist on competitions who can jump easly on ring without any help or with run. So because I'm aprox. 15 - 20 cm taller then the best ones, I must stop trying to reach them or at least to be near them?

And nowbody said anybody must or can reach olympic level (it is impossible), but they can achieve basic ring strength like as iron cross for example.

Excuses are always there to lean on them.

I always say no limits to the guys approaching gymnastics or to actual gymnasts. It makes no sense saying: 5'11" = forget about strength elements or anything whatever. I personally am that height and have cross from swing and a somewhat decent maltese. So guys never give up and train hard. Look at Shatilov, he is an absolutely great example. Gymnastics offers us a tremendous variety of elements that nearly everybody could build up a great routine according to his/her anthropometric characteristics.

Great video BTW!

Contrary to popular opinion, reaching high levels of ring strength does not take a lifetime to achieve nor is it necessary to have begun training at birth. One of the strongest athletes on my team did not begin training until he was 16 and now just four years later has all variations of ring press handstand, planche, cross, his maltese is nearly there and he is working on his inverted cross.

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

I started following this site at age of 46 and I now turning 48 this summer and I have had some amazing results. My goal before I turn 50 is Iron Cross.

Thanks Coach for a very inspirational post. Reading this stuff is what keeps me going!

Thanks Coach Sommer for more inspiration!!

The cool thing for me about this video is that Arthur Zaneti from my country is shown. I watched that competition LIVE on tv, London 2009, with Jovchev, Yan Mingyong, Alexander Vorobiov, Danny Rodrigues and others. That competition is the reason I started it all. I was lifting weights that time, and was tired from the same thing over and over, and I watched that competition, seeing Jovchev, 36 years old on the moment, performing amazing inverted crosses and malteses. The comentarist called him granddaddy of gymnastics. I though man if he has 36 and can do this I who had 29 that day, can at least do some cool things. I had done recreational gymnastics long time ago as child and 18s, and remembered how hard the training can be, and decided to use that as conditioning. Later I found this site and Coach Sommer. That competition lead me to this site.

As for Arthur Zaneti, for people who dont know much about Brazil, this is a country where you get almost no support if you are in sports. Soccer is the only exception. All the other athletes from other sports have a lot to go through if they want to get there. That makes me admire Arhhur Zaneti, and also Diego Hypolito even more.

Very cool to watch the video!