combining crossfit and gymnastics training

[shaneyboy74]

hello everyone,

I am a beginner gymnast/ athlete looking forward to Coach Sommer's upcoming books and enjoy very much checking out this website. I have come up with a routine and would love some feedback

thanks in advance guys

Shane

Sydney, Australia

Long term Goals:

Build the strength and physique of a gymnast utilizing rings. Once a certain level of strength is acquired, move on to other gymnastic skills such as cartwheels/roundoffs, flips, pommel etc

Increase fitness to an elite level similar to a NAVYSEAL utilizing CrossFit Metcon workouts and improving WOD times.

Hypertrophy calves, bicep/ tricep/ forearms and neck

Fix sway back (hyper-lordosis) in lower back through pilates reformer studio sessions.

Current situation :

Male age 33 years

A little underweight 73kg (164lbs) at 1.85cm (6ft 1)

Unsure of bodyfat% however I have a visible “4-packâ€

[Shani]

Hi shaneyboy74,

Your post caught my eye, so for what it's worth, here is my 10 cents worth! Feel free to ignore it.

I have similar stats (35, 78kg, 6'3"/190cm, bodyfat < 10%), am a paleo eater and am also trying to mix gymnastics with crossfit type exercise.

My schedule is similar, with a five day split routine in the gym at lunch, and in the evening, a session of kickboxing and one of kung fu once a week, and two sessions of climbing.

My time in the gym involves no pull up work outside of muscle ups, as I need to spare my pull-up muscles for climbing and don't want to overtrain. Other than that, each of my sports/activities covers different muscle combinations and energy systems.

Regarding my gym training, I have selected planche progressions and body levers on alternate sessions as I do little isometric work and these movements are complex, working a range of muscles, and highly intense. I also chuck in a weekly dose of muscle ups - as this is a complex movement and some HSPUs (aiming for freestanding). Each session will also feature some leg work, either pistols or sprinting. On occassion some farmers walk or sack lifts might feature instead of sprinting.

Importantly, I am focusing on just two pure gymnastic moves (the plahcne and body lever). With exercise I reckon quality and intensity are key. To maintain quality in an intense session where strength is quickly depleted, it needs to be a short session - especially if you are to do multiple work sessions a day.

Your routine looks like a pretty heavy shedule - possibly too heave - and from a personal observation, I would stress fewer exercises (all the ones you list look to be of a high intensity), if you wish to do crossfit type stuff as well. I would try to focus on just a few gymnastic moves - but by all means, those which target a broad set of muscles.

Ultimately only you can decide. Try to determine your recovery level. Often we are the last to know when we are overtraining, even of the signs are there (perpetual colds, lethargy, lack of motivation etc...).

I come from a bit of an 'iron' background and as such, I felt that something like a minute of planching or levers wouldn't nail me the way lifting weights did - but boy was I wrong. The sheer intensity of bodyweight exercising can be immense and the whole gymnastic exercise protocol seems to necessitate a move away from the traditional 'weight lifter' mentality and appreciate that 'less can be more'.

Cheers,

Chris

[shaneyboy74]

hey Chris,

Thanks for the feedback mate, appreciate it

Cheers