Gymnastics training Routine

[John Dalton]

Hello people

I am starting over PROPERLY to perform gymnastics only workouts after recovering and learning the hard way from a few elbow and shoulder injuries, caused by my STUPID tendancy to do IC training and full lay back lever training coupled with heavy weighted dips 3 times a week. :oops:

Does core work like L-Sits and hanging leg lifts help front lever progressions? If not, are the straight body levers only gonna help?

Another question is what type of progression am i to use for the usual Pressing, Pulling and Squatting (SSC or linear progression increasing intensity whenever possible or PTTP) when I integrate basic exercises with static holds.

Also what does this mean? "In integrated training the SSC cycle established for the static holds will be set aside in favor for the PTTP/SSC cycle that you will be following for your basic strength work" Does this mean that we should stop doing the SSC cycle for static work and only continue with the progressions for FBEs?

Thanks guys 8)

[D Nowell]

L-sits will carry over to many things. How are your hollow holds, rocks etc currently?

Programming opinions will vary - everything works...for a while. SSC is easy to do and plan for. Just figure out your out your hold times, FBE level etc and do the same thing for 8-12 weeks. You don't have to worry about adding reps/weight/leverage each workout or deloading at the end of a cycle - but that works too. Nothing set in stone, find what works for you and what you enjoy and will keep you consistently coming back for another workout.

Integrated training is a pairing of the static position with a FBE: IE. do your 20s hold of your back lever progression, rest 0-30s, then do 3x5 (5x5, 10x3 or whatever) of Ring rows. Rest and repeat or follow with a circuit of FL paired with some other FBE.

You can still do SSC for both the Static Hold or BW exercise, or you can mix it up - SSC for the static hold then do your wave loading or whatever FBE programming you are using for the BW exercise. For example: You are doing 4x 15s hold BL progression for your SSC and 5x5 ring rows. Just do the BL statics for the first 5 sets of ring rows.

A simple warmup guided by the prereq thread, some mobility work/stretching and following WODs if you want world-class programming is another option :wink:

[Blairbob]

Yeah, without a decent hollow hold and Lsit and HLL, you can kiss off FL. However, HLL will be more difficult for those with tight hamstrings. So I could imagine someone who can do a FL but yet wasn't very good at HLL. I can also imagine someone who can do FL without ever really training L-sit and having a poor L because their quads and hip flexors would limit them.

However, training the FL without a hollow and L would probably take a long time. I don't remember having trained FL much back when I first got it and doing specifically HLL but we used to do a lot of hollowish holds in Karate and L work. And that was 5 years before I started doing gymnastics.

[John Dalton]

Thanks a lot guys.

Yeah I can hold an advanced l-sit for 10s with my tight hamstrings and I've got a pretty good hollow too.

BTW what are rocks and wave loading?

[Blairbob]

I think he means hollow rocks.

Google wave loading. Basically effort will "wave" in intensity and fluctuate over a workout or programming cycle.

[John Dalton]

oh "hollow rocks"! Now I get it. Thanks Blairblob

[John Dalton]

These are the FSPs and FBEs I've chosen for my SSC cycle

Day1

BL tuck - 6x10s (20s is not my max though, but i wanna take this one slow to prevent anymore elbow injuries)

weighted XR pull-up -

RLL - 3x3-5 with a 2s hold at the top

Day2

L-Sit - 6x10s

Weighted PB Dip

HLL - 3x3-5

Day 3

XR Hold - 6x30s

XR PPP - 3x3-5

DB Lunge - 2x8-10 per leg (dont wanna start immediately with SLS variations coz I've got left knee injuries from a football game still rehabbing)

HS work is done on a GTG system 5-6 times a week

So what do you guys think? :wink: Any changes?

[Blairbob]

Why no FL work? Or 360 family progression ( I would not do these on your BL day )?

[John Dalton]

hmmm i thought that adding FL work would be too much for me to handle but if you suggest i'll give it a try

So how about this for day 4 then :?:

FL tuck - 6x10s

DB Single Leg Deadlift - 2x8-10

[John Dalton]

@dannyCE

I only play recreational football so no other physical training, but my friends are bigger than me, so i got injured pretty bad. I actually can and have time to train any day of the week after work. The routine i posted(which probably sucks) is so small because i thought it could be too much work for my left elbow which has just healed after suffering from mild tendinitis. Your template definitely looks better and I'm gonna give it a try. I definitely can do a fourth day. So what do you think day 4 should be then? Maybe I could a seperate FL day?

Thanks a lot for taking your time to help me. Hope your training is going great.

One more thing - is it okay to train HS all 4 days a week?

[Blairbob]

Yes, it's ok to train HS every day. How much will really depend. I'm not saying do the GB HS WOD template every day.

If you are going to work out 4d/week, it would probably just be better for you to employ the Killroy70 series program.

If you are tentative about doing too much, just do one FSP per day to start out. You'll get some progress (more than if you weren't doing any). FL, BL, PL (frogstand), and PB/ring support (start out with just RTO straight arm plank/prone/pushup progressing toward a ring support).

L-sit 2d/week if not every. If you think that's just too much, break it up into a light/heavy L day. Such as Lsit as your heavy and L assistance stuff as your light (sit in pike, lift heels with hands on floor [but your butt still on the floor]).

[John Dalton]

Thanks a lot blairblob

Now i get the proper picture. Thanks again.

[John Dalton]

@Danny

Definitely will try and tell you ASAP.

[John Dalton]

I tried this with a large piece of sponge but I didnt feel anything in my elbow, probably because I dont feel any pain as long as I pump the elbow flexors before any workout. But the way I greatly minimized the pain was by doing a lot of negative HSPUs on parallettes,One Arm DB Push Presses, Weighted Negative Push-ups and assisted One Arm Floor Presses as my pushing exercises when I used to do traditional weight training.