17 Year Old Beginner's Gymnastics Training Routine

I joined my high school gymnastics team last year, and before that I had never done anything gymnastics related before. So, in preparation for next year, I created a new workout routine to build my strength on rings (my favorite event). Please let me know what you think!

I do 3 sets of each exercise (except for static holds), doing as much reps as I can while keeping enough energy to finish all 3 sets. ( In other words, I don't go for a set number of reps, instead I keep going until I feel very close to failure.)

Monday and Thursday (Push)

1. Handstand Push Ups (against wall)

2. Dips (rings, alternating hand position)

3. Cross Pulls (rings)

4. L-Holds (rings)

5. One Handed Push ups (each side, on floor)

6. Pseudo Planche Push ups (rings)

7. Dive Bombers (rings)

8. Push Ups (rings, alternating hand positions)

9. Tuck Planche Holds (rings or floor, total of 60 seconds)

Tuesday and Friday (Pull)

1. Ice Cream Makers (rings)

2. Pull Ups (rings, alternating grip)

3. Skin The Cat Pulls (rings)

4. Tucked Front Lever Holds (rings, total of 60 seconds)

5. Rows (rings)

6. Ring Flies (rings...)

7. Jackknife Push Ups (rings)

Wednesday (Legs and Core)

*Note: This is a basic set up of what a leg routine would look like, but I have never followed it exactly due to unexpected circumstances, instead replacing some exercises with others... So not much consistency here yet.

1. Squats

2. Lunges

3. Step Ups

4. Leg Extensions (machine)

5. Leg Curls (machine)

6. Calf Raises (machine)

7. Hanging Leg and/or Knee Raises (bar)

8. Sit ups

9. Back Extensions

10. Side Plank Raises

Static holds (after every workout, 2 sets of 60 seconds for now)

1. Planks

2. Side planks

3. Hollow Holds

4. Face Up Arch Holds

5. Wall Handstand Holds (every day except for Wednesday, as much time as possible)

** I have also tried to include tuck planche and tuck front lever holds, but with little success. If I do them at the beginning, my muscles are too fatigued for the rest of the work, and if placed towards the end, I just can't get into the positions at all. To make up for this, I just do the holds at random times during my day apart from my workout (tuck planches on push days, tuck levers on pull day).

I prefer them at the beginning. Sometimes I want to be strong for the FBE or mutiplane pressing/pulling/etc, but it's probably better if I scale those down instead. Or you could scale down the static planche/lever positions. However, I really hate frogstands and if I do the FBE before FSP I could be done.

Possibly too much volume or you will end having to do easier progressions. Whatever is your prerogative.

Leg curls and leg extensions, why? Lame. Why no plyometic stuff like floor punches/bounding, block jumps/depth jumps, etc.

If you're only gonna do rings, ok. But I guess it depends on events.

Thanks for your comments! I'm probably only keeping this routine for another week while I work on one based off of Coach Sommer's book. I'm definitely adding plyometric leg exercises, and I will put the static holds somewhere before the basic strength moves. Some of the moves in my current routine I find to be too easy and have not been too effective (dive bombers). The new routine will also be full-body everyday, only changing up between different types of pulling/pressing/core/ and leg exercises. I'm still working on the specifics though. It's pretty tough to fit everything I want to work on into a comprehensive routine, but I'll come up with something.

By the way, would you recommend putting the statics before each type of exercise (eg. back lever before my pulling exercise, tuck planche before pressing), or just do every static before the basic strength segment? I'll probably have to experiment with this anyway to see what works.

And yeah, this routine was centered almost exclusively around rings. It gives me a pretty good work out and I've seen plenty of gains, despite being mostly isolation work (all push one day, all pull another day, etc). After starting this routine I saw my first back lever on a bar and my first muscle up on rings.

By the way, would you recommend putting the statics before each type of exercise (eg. back lever before my pulling exercise, tuck planche before pressing), or just do every static before the basic strength segment? I'll probably have to experiment with this anyway to see what works.

In the famous killroy70-program (viewtopic.php?f=14&t=1957&start=0)

all the static positions are done at the beginning (each position for a total of about 60 seconds) and finishes with pulling and pressing.

I'm doing it the way Coach Sommer puts them together in some of the WOD's (BL+pulling, PL+pressing, FL+abs or legs) and it works, too.

So just experiment and do what you like best. Maybe first Steady State Cycle (if you are doing Steady State) routine a) and second cycle routine b).

Thanks Heinrich, that link is exactly what I needed! I'll probably do all the statics first until I get better at them, since after I'm fatigued I can't even get into some of the positions (especially tuck planche).