Leg training for rings?

Hi guys! Once again a topic on rings

I was wondering if some basic leg training in order to increase testosterone would eventually help to gain more strength on the rings. I know that heavy legs drag you down in the levers, planche and maltese work, but would bodyweight exercises for legs be beneficial? I've seen that, for example, Yuri van Gelder (one of the strongest rings gymnasts) has quite defined legs and they dont seem to disadvantage him. Legs trained with weights and low repetitions would make me just heavier, but what kind of impact would have a bodyweight leg workout in my ring performance?? 

thank you in advance  

Oscar

Hi Oscar, 

Lower body strength and mobility is an important component of GB training. Too much mass there would surely weigh you down, but a degree of leg training is necessary for a balanced physique, dismounts, keeping body tension, and maintaining L and straddle positions. 

18 hours ago, Everett Carroll said:

Hi Oscar, 

Lower body strength and mobility is an important component of GB training. Too much mass there would surely weigh you down, but a degree of leg training is necessary for a balanced physique, dismounts, keeping body tension, and maintaining L and straddle positions. 

What about in terms of strength positions such as Maltese, Planche... etc (No straddle). Is a leg training with low intense exercises and many repetitions advisable? Or is it better to have the weakest and less muscular legs possible? (without regarding at dismounts, etc...)

While Gymnasts do not have the most muscular legs on the planet due to the impracticalities of carrying too much lower body weight. I certainly wouldn't call a gymnast's legs weak. Gymnasts need to have a combination of strength, power, and flexibility in their lower bodies. It is not a matter of disregarding your legs it is a matter of following correctly structured programming that will allow you to develop these things without excessive amounts of hypertrophy.

The Foundation series leg training balances these attributes perfectly.

Interesting. Speaking of gymnasts legs I used to think the same way. They don't look big at all compared to their upper body. Now I understand that their legs may not look big only because of their super human upper body. I bet their legs are stronger than 99.99% of the population. Can your legs propel you to complete two circles and a twist in the air, and land perfectly straight? Legs have the potential to generate way more power than your upper body ever could. Neglecting them just doesn't sound very smart. Sorry for wandering off the topic. If you ask me, train balanced, and add an emphasis on the upper body to achieve your goals.

Do not worry too much about legs weight, if you weight less than 65-70 kg they do not represent a problem. One of my client it is an ex 13 years hockey players with more mass in the legs than in the upperbody, he can do straddle planche on both floor and rings, he weights 69 kg. 

the general total weight it is by far more important.

Thank you everyone for your answers! I guess the best option is to be athletic throughout all the body and emphasize in the upper body for bigger amounts of ring strength.

I have another question. Since I was only training for strength until now, I would like to introduce myself into swing elements on rings. Are they more difficult than strength elements? A swing to handstand is a C element, is it proper to compare it to (for example) an inverted cross?

They are different, developing a strength element it is quite easier because you simply need progression and periodization which basically does not need technical refinement if the element it is learned with the proper progression, for technical work, there is the physical ability plus the technical ability and this makes a huge differents because you need to repeat the skill thousands time. every skill where there is a technical component you have more difficulty.