Other Sports?

Coach Sommer,

I've started doing the basic two movements as you outlined in your article. I'm still lifting weights and the two static movements seem to have made a difference in the rate of progress I'm making in the weight room. I'm going up in either weight or reps every workout. I've started my 11 year old son on the movements as well and he's been making progress too.

When I saw the videos and read your articles I couldn't help but think that your training would be perfect as part of a feeder system for just about any sport. How do you keep the other coaches in the area from stealing your kids away for football and the other team sports. It seems like the kids who get a little too lanky or bulky for gymnastics would still be way ahead when it comes to upper body strength. Do you have any examples or success stories you'd care to tell us about?

Thanks,

David

A Football Success Story

Years ago, my assistant coach at the time moved to Colorado. One thing led to another and he ended being the head football coach at a small high school up there. And not just any high school, but this had school had been dead last in their league for a number of years - dead last for so long in fact that it had just become a given to everyone, both in and out of the community, that this team would always be last.

That first summer, my old assistant completely changed how this team was strength training. He implemented what parts of my conditioning program that he could given the circumstances. Gymnastics strength training only, with no weights whatsoever allowed, and several weekly running sessions up this unbelievably steep hill (Red Rock). And this was all implemented against no small amount of resistance from the other team coaches who all thought this guy had lost his mind.

The kids however enjoyed the training, and after some initial balking, began to embrace this new style of conditioning.

At the beginning of that year's season, the team for the first time ever was not dead last at the annual strength competition - they were second. Despite not having lifted a single weight all summer. People were shocked to say the least.

Their season continued to unfold in a similar manner. The team not only failed to be last that year, but actually made it to the state championship playoffs. The fact that they lost somewhere in the early rounds paled in comparison to the new found pride that they felt in both themselves and their newfound success as a program.

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

Yea, some of my younger friends I told to stick with gymnastics and wrestling became meat heads and just go to the gym and only talk about bench and squat now, but they have a small gymnastics background and all my friends that followed in some of my footsteps have the largest bench . But yes, many friends I know went to gymnastics a few times but they want to be big rather than be strong and lean.

Very cool story.

I still like lifting and throwing iron. It does make me bottom heavy for gymnastics though. Even when I can get down to 7-9% BF, I'd have to lose a lot of muscle down low to get gymnast light at around 125-145. Before I got into weights in HS, I was in the 120's. However that was a few years before gymnastics and after I had my dreams crushed of HS gymnastics when the rumor of gymnastics at the HS was nil.

Fortunately, I'm only 5'+ with long limbs so I will still have a chance at a lot of strength elements on rings.

Yea I didn't start lifting a lot until Junior so my gains are great, all my lifts are up there with people that have been lifting awhile, so I guess I'm lucky, when I started hitting the weights I hit them hard and with a gymnastics background that helped so much, and when I go parkour with some guys downtown chicago they are always asking me about strength skills cause most of them see my popping off handstands, tuck planches.