Starting out with weight

Hi, I'm new so I hope I don't write a too boring post

Recently I brought the Building The Gymnastic Body book which is great, and I also started gymnastics again about two months ago which after stopping nine years ago proved very challenging (luckily I could still manage handstands and basic moves - I'm now 17).

I have seen improvements in the amount of work load I am able to do, for example: After an intense training session on Tuesday I walked into my Science class the next day to be met by my teacher wearing upper body bullet resistant armor - an amusing sight.

As there are only a few students in my class we all tried wearing the armor which weighs a hefty 2 1/2 stone (not sure what that is in kg or lb sorry), anyway we all had a go at push-ups and I managed to get the highest score of 40 or so - I was pleased to say the least because for me it felt like a small milestone.

This brings me to my question: When is the best time to train with weight attached - say using a weighted vest for such exercises as an L-sit or when training jumping height?

Thanks

BourneAaway

Welcome,

To answer your question look at the progressions of HLL in the book, they get harder and harder until you have reached the limit of how much the exercise challenges you with your own bodyweight. After that point weight is added to pose a greater challenge. So in bodyweight exercise terms, weight is added when you have surpassed all previous progressions and even the hardest of those is no longer challenging to you. The thing I find with gymnastic style training is that there always seems to be something harder to work towards and so I don't feel the need for weighted exercises unless it is for a certain goal I wish to achieve. Someone else may be able to give you a better explaination than I can with regards to plyometrics, it seems to be a different case because if you are jumping while holding weights, you are strengthening the muscles used in the jump and so you can produce more power to jump higher by utilising weights as opposed to bodyweight only.

I have either answered your question or confused you there, full day of work so my brain is not exactly working well.

I agree with mic_skelly about increasing the difficulty of an exercise is the way to go to get stronger, I also find that using weights as auxiliary work helps out a lot. Keeping in mind that the exercises that are weighted are the basic ones, used to break through plateaus and supplement other work.

Of course that's just what I've found. There should be a thread about weighted pushups that has been going back and forth recently.

Ahh, thanks it's clearer now, I will stick with the progressions until I find that weight will be more beneficial.

Thanks.