Old Fashioned Strength

The following is a video clip of a 1938 ring routine demonstrating an inverted cross lowering to an iron cross lowering to a front lever.

Note the crowded outdoor venue; until the 1950s, gymnastics championships were often competed at the track and field facility.

Yours in Fitness,
Coach Sommer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDwRwveYcXM

Very cool clip! But isn't it in slowmotion? Or did they require 5s+ holds back then?

There are bunches of old videos like this floating around and I really like to watch them. Some of the floor stuff is really cool but the swinging rings are what I really like.

The video also looks a little slowed down to me as well. I think its just how they filmed it back in the day.

Coach Sommer said:

The following is a video clip of a 1938 ring routine demonstrating an inverted cross lowering to an iron cross lowering to a front lever.

Note the crowded outdoor venue; until the 1950s, gymnastics championships were often competed at the track and field facility.

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

wDwRwveYcXM

This in a sense also tells me how much our society has changed. In the bodybuilding gyms there used to be gymnastic equipment and Oly lifting stuff. Now we are a "sissy gym set" with machines and gymnastics is only for the Olympics.

Brandon Green

cccp21 said:

This in a sense also tells me how much our society has changed. In the bodybuilding gyms there used to be gymnastic equipment and Oly lifting stuff. Now we are a "sissy gym set" with machines and gymnastics is only for the Olympics.

Brandon Green

TRUE. I strongly agree with you, strength now is not the main argument in the gym, it has been replaced with discussion on mass and tone (unfortunately).

If you scream, you are on the ground, or meditating for preparing the last rep, you seem like a fool. People dont understand what really is training and why it is so beautifully tough.

About the video: why gymnasts dont compete outdoor? They need some sun tanning!

The video is taken from Leni Riefenstahl's 'Olympia'. Here is a longer clip:

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This is full speed, it's not slowed down. if you look in the background, you can see someone walking back to their seat. They are moving at normal speed, they actually seem to be hurrying.

edit: Hmm, on the longer clip, the rings section seems to have a person who is walking too slow, so maybe it is slowed down for that part. I dunno

it's definately in slow motion, look at the vibration of the straps in the long clip during that scene and look at the vibration of the straps in the beginning of the long clip

Yea. True that.