Gymnastic longevity

The site FAQ says, "The commercial emphasis in recent years of Olympic Level competition has led to the belief that gymnastics is only for the young rather than of benefit for all." Another belief that I've heard (and I know little about gymnastics yet) is that gymnastic training breaks the body down, that all gymnasts have back and other problems, and basically wear themselves out rapidly.

I'm looking forward to adding gymnastic training to my current fitness program. I want to beat gravity. Learn how to fly. At 46, though, my concern is to have a program that I can do forever, that makes me stronger and robust.

Perhaps this is covered in the book (which I'm anxiously awaiting), but it would be helpful to have this myth (if it is a myth) taken apart at the seams, clear away the doubts.

-Ed

http://gymnasticbodies.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=1531

Check out the video in this thread of a 63 year old gymnast. It looks like he is fine to me. I think most of the athletes who injure themselves out of competition have something fundamentally wrong with their training regime (unless its an accident of course). Just look at Coach Sommer's kids, he stated in a previous post or article, and if I recall correctly, that his athletes rarely have chronic aches and pains. More particularly I recall him saying something along the lines of: His athletes were standing around talking with some other athletes at a meet (or some other event) and all the kids were complaining about chronic wrist, back etc pain and when they asked Coach Sommer's kids they didnt really have any pains that bugged them.

Just found what I was talking about above, just scroll down a few posts, its the really long one.

http://gymnasticbodies.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=148&p=548&hilit=pain#p548

Here is another good discussion.

http://gymnasticbodies.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=679&p=2593&hilit=pain#p2593

In short if you do correct prehab and work smart you shouldn't have any problems. I know for my my overuse tendonitus in my right shoulder caused from years and years and years of baseball pitching/playing has all but gone away since I started gymnastics training seriously in August. I live an active lifestyle and even after 4 years off from baseball my shoulder would still flair up every once and a while.

Good luck and have fun!

Another example is a man in his 70's that was instructing in my gym for a coaching course. Even though he was that old he could still do handstands, elbow levers, frog stands (im pretty sure a tuck planche aswell but thats an estimate). And he told me that back home in his gym he still trains with a 50% bw reduction pully system on the rings where he does press handstands and iron crosses :shock: .. That man was always smiling, didnt see him touching himself in pain or complaining about one painful spot or joint pain or whatever.. and he was a gymnast in his 70's.