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Advice for Adult Gymnastics class


Jeremy Huston
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Jeremy Huston

I am considering signing up for an adult gymnastics class at the local facility.  It's at the same time as my daughter's class, so I'll be there anyway.  The class is pretty much self-directed, so I need to decide what I want to work on and learn.  Besides using the facility just for the equipment to do strength/mobility work, what movements would you recommend?  I can already do cartwheels, roundoffs, back bends/bridge, handstand without paying money for the facility.  Any other tumbling beginning P-Bar / High Bar / Horse / Rings that I could get started on?  

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If I had like opportunity, I would work on a back tuck jump/flip.  And handsprings.  But basic techniques on any apparatus would be good, and I would enjoy some high bar easy level work.

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 You should start off working only Pommel Horse every day for the entire session until you either start getting good at or get completely frustrated with it and swear it off, going back to sitting in the stands and watching your daughter.


Ok, in all seriousness, I'd definitely work on the apparatus.

Basic hangs and swings on HB and Rings and PB.

Casts and rolls on a single rail. Back hip circles if you dare.

Basic support swings on PB besides shrugs, and straddle travels and walks.

Basic walks on the PH, stride swings, straddle swings. Maybe bucket work or mushroom positions.

 

Basic bounces on trampoline such as straight, tuck, straddle jump, 1/4, 1/2, full turns. Seat drops, table drops, stomach drops and back drops progressing from seat and table into cradles and cruises.

Use the biggest barrel they have and do handsprings over it. If it's too small, unfold two 6 layer panel mats into 3 layers each and place the mats on top of each other. Place the barrel on one side of the mats.

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Hi tex0413,

 

I totally agree with Blairbob you should definitely work on the apparatus…

 

Regards,

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Jeremy Huston

Thanks for the advice.  That should definitely be enough to keep me busy!  And besides handsprings, it doesn't seem too intense to jeopardize my Foundation work or injure myself.

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 If your shoulders are tight, be cautious about the swings.

Your palms will probably hurt for awhile on PH and PB, most adults starting adult gymnastics seem to have to deal with this.

 

Casting can be sore on the hips just like upper arm hang stuff can be on PB.

Learn how to fall. Because you're going to. A lot.

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Graham Smith

First of all, great roll modelling for your daughter, too many parents just sit on the sidelines and give the impression that physical play is something just for kids.

I'd practice basic tumbling if there is a coach to offer advice on form. Even confidence with forward rolls can help a LOT with confidence for handstand work. Swings on rings, bar and pbars will give you a surprising amount of strength. Backward jumps onto stacked mats are good to build confidence for backward rotations.

Have fun, and work on what you like least because it's probably going to do you the most good ;)

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  • 3 weeks later...
Ashok Raju Kothapalli

 You should start off working only Pommel Horse every day for the entire session until you either start getting good at or get completely frustrated with it and swear it off, going back to sitting in the stands and watching your daughter.

Ok, in all seriousness, I'd definitely work on the apparatus.

Basic hangs and swings on HB and Rings and PB.

Casts and rolls on a single rail. Back hip circles if you dare.

Basic support swings on PB besides shrugs, and straddle travels and walks.

Basic walks on the PH, stride swings, straddle swings. Maybe bucket work or mushroom positions.

 

Basic bounces on trampoline such as straight, tuck, straddle jump, 1/4, 1/2, full turns. Seat drops, table drops, stomach drops and back drops progressing from seat and table into cradles and cruises.

Use the biggest barrel they have and do handsprings over it. If it's too small, unfold two 6 layer panel mats into 3 layers each and place the mats on top of each other. Place the barrel on one side of the mats.

I am interested in doing those workouts as well and I am curious to know if there are any videos showing the correct form for doing those drills??? Also can they be done with the apparatus available at a conventional gym coz I dont have access to a gymnastics gym or coach.

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 You are pretty much not going to be able to train any of that stuff in a conventional gym. It's not a good idea to work swings if you can peel and hit solid floor. Fitness rings aren't designed to be able to handle swinging forces (except maybe swinging supports) in long hang.

 

 You can build a bucket and work floor circle drills.

 

 About the only thing I could think of at a gym would be hang turns on a pullup bar if the bar was actually straight. And most bars at the gym are too slick anyways unless you can tape them.

 

 I'm sure there are some basic tumbling drills you can work at a conventional gym but even then, hard floors suck. Handstand walk-ups, etc. You'll look different but then again most conventional gyms are such shitshows anyways so what does it matter.

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I too have joined a class for adults. And am wondering how to get into the swings on the rings/hb and pb.
Last week i've been doing a lot of support swings on PB which was great fun. But also want to get into some sort of swinging stuff.

 

Also what would be the first elements to learn on the apparatus? What to work up towards? (so i'll have some idea of the movements to train for)

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Coach Sommer has mentioned in the past that ring swings are not recommended for beginners due to the enormous load they place on the shoulders.

 

PB and HB swings are the place to start.

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Coach Sommer has mentioned in the past that ring swings are not recommended for beginners due to the enormous load they place on the shoulders.

 

PB and HB swings are the place to start.

Yeah that's why i'm so cautious with them. So start with PB and HB swings, got it.

Why is it that ring swings are tougher on the elbows and when will I be ready for the ring swings?

 

Also any easy elements I can slowly work towards?

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Rings swings are tougher on the shoulders because the rings load the shoulders more because of the nature of the rings compared to HB/PB swings.
 

Start off with hangs. No idea when you'll be ready for swings without an idea where you are strength wise and with Coach Sommer chiming in. Maybe when you can do a strict skin the cat as an adult.

I did a write a few years ago but it doesn't look like it survived the forum transfer as my posts only go back to 2012. It's floating somewhere over on the crossfit board but good luck with that search engine.

 

I'm gonna post them from what we would do from L1. So super basic stuff. But probably not in depth as I once did.

HB:

Hangs in different grips. One of the drills I used to do as a warmup was hang 1/2 turns forwards and backwards. 1/2 turn forward to mixed, 1/2 turn backward to Eagle grip. Besides just commando hangs across the HB for the little guys (hand over hand). First thing up is side to side walking hangs or basic regrasping (and eventually hopping down the road).

Hollow and arch hangs and hollow<arch pumping in hang. Sometimes this is called a beat swing or mini-taps.

Low bar: Support shimmy side to side. Casts (youtube it). Pullovers and fwd rolls. Jump to support with straight arm. Basket position, candle position

PB: Straddle travels, holds, shrugs, and support walks. Chicken dips in upper arm support after mastering the upper arm support. Swings in Long Hang which is pretty similar to High Bar except you grip from the inside of the rails and often bend your knees to clear your feet. Practising the basket position and figuring out how to swing in a basket position.

 

You can look up the L4 routines of the USAG JO system and that pretty much shows the rudimentary basics of each apparatus. Obvious even the skills in L4 have their progressions but it will give you an idea.

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  • 4 months later...

As someone who was injured in a "do whatever you want to do" adult gymnastics class, these are the questions I'd be asking the coach(es:

 

1.  How long have you been coaching?

2. Have you trained/coached adults before?

3. What progressions do you get your students to go through before any dynamic movements? Before tumbling?

4. How do you modify these progressions for people who are older/have less flexibility/less strength?

 

Since you're on this forum, you're probably aware that you should progress as quickly as you are conditioned to/adapted to, not as quickly as you *want to*.

 

Blairbob's advice is gold.

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