weight lifting and gymnastics

[misssunshine]

I have a pretty interesting question.

I have a few female gymnast friends, all are very strong, can climb rope without legs etc but do not look very muscular (including me! about 1ß pull ups, dips, leg lifts etc) We look fit, but not ripped or anything and could actually also be a regular young woman with a normal body. Then I have 2 friends who are female body builders, they look amazing, although I think it is already a little too much. They are very strong, but not flexible at all and have no gymnastics skills as they have never done it.

And then I know girl (she is not a friend but sometimes goes to open gym) who has been a gymnast, she still comes to open gym and does some basic tumbling and press handstands, but I know she works out in our local weight lifting gym for body styling. And she has an AMAZING body.

Why is that? Why do female gymnasts often not look muscular at all?

Can I start weight lifting for looking ripped and still keep my gymnastics like strength?

Thank You

[Katharina Huemer]

Don't know, but personally think those overly muscular women don't look too good. However, slim and lean is great and can easily be achievable with gymnastics training if you eat right!

[Katharina Huemer]

I want to know where you are looking because the ones i've seen...dear god they are packed. They might not have the "perfect" aesthetic look, but then again, their bodies are reflections of their training and not trying to be models. 

 

There would be nothing wrong to add some sculpting work AFTER your gymnastics work. 

When I do gymnastics I strength, at least after the Single Leg Squats I am dead. I sometimes even feel a little sick. So I personally could not add weights after it.

[Kevin Herring]

I'm wondering if the differences between the bodybuilders and the gymnasts is diet. 

Macro-nutirents, meal timing, and so forth.

The bodybuilders I knew were very exacting with their food intake.

Never asked a gymnast what they ate.

That being said...compare the physical differences between the top bodybuilders, cross-fitters, fitness models, and gymnasts.

[Blairbob]

*Cough*Cough* WeightTraining not Weightlifting. I got so excited to see this thread and then it's just about looking more SWOLE and cut.

MissSunshine, you can pretty much do whatever you please. So long as you maintain your flexibility, you can probably maintain most of your skills. Strength and Power skills may become more difficult with added size/mass. Moreso the more advanced the skill. That's just physics. 

"Why do female gymnasts often not look muscular at all?"

A lot of this depends on body types and genetics. Athletes that are leaner tend to look more muscular (definition).

In regards to strength athletes, this may include AAS/PED's which modifies cellular structure.

Take for instance a WAG gymnast like Nastia Liukin or the typical Romanian/Russian/Chinese. Lightly built. Gabby Douglas, etc.

Compare to that to a gymnast like Dominique Dawes, Simone Biles, Alicia Sacramone, Kim Zmeskal, etc.

TLDR Genetics. Bodyfat level has something to do with it (compare Collegiate Gymnasts to Elite Gymnasts).

Also, if someone is very lean, they will not look very chiseled (typical bodybuilder and that's why many actors in action movies look more muscular yet don't weigh very much due to their low body fast).




Kaitlin, you probably need to eat some more food then if you are feeling sick after since that's often a symptom of running on empty.

It's pretty feasible to add in some hypertrophy work in a split session format but juggling the balance of strength development vs SWOLEDOM is a programming thing. This or that or both?