Upper body strength required for tumbling, jumps and flips?

im considering going to a local gymnastics gym in my area to learn basic tumbling,jumping and flips etc. i was wondering if DOMS in my upper body would affect my performance because i train upperbody monday tuesday and plan to go to gymnastics venues on wednesday.

It really shouldn't.

anhkun said:

im considering going to a local gymnastics gym in my area to learn basic tumbling,jumping and flips etc. i was wondering if DOMS in my upper body would affect my performance because i train upperbody monday tuesday and plan to go to gymnastics venues on wednesday.

Good idea, tumbling is fun!

I doubt it will cause problems. If anything, it might help some with muscle in the traps. Now, lower body DOMS... hehehe I'm not so sure about tumbling with that.

I've tried to tumble after heavy barbell days or Olympic lifting. Luckily I survived when I realized I was missing a lot of pizazz mid air.

Don't train for doms.

cool! lower body DOMS would be an obvious no no i suppose? i remember one time 2 days after my heavy squat days i got out of bed and as i put my feet to the ground i instantly collapsed haah

Tumbling does not require *much* upper body strength, but it does utilize a lot of upper-body flexibility, so if you're stiff that will be an impedance. The strength is primarily shoulder stabilizers so you can effectively rebound off of a handspring, as well as your back for generating momentum, but the prime-movers are definitely your legs. If you're sore in your lower body, tumbling will be much less enjoyable.

... Tumbling does not require *much* upper body strength ...

Absolutely wrong.

Dynamic work requires an extremely high level of strength. For example, depending upon the skill involved, tumbling can expose the body to loads of 14 times bodyweight. Let me repeat this again; 14 TIMES BODYWEIGHT!!!

This is why at the GB Seminars, dynamic strength is the last training module presented and the students are very carefully monitored to ensure that they are working with the correct progressions and safely within their own current capabilities.

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

Coach Sommer said:

... Tumbling does not require *much* upper body strength ...

Absolutely wrong.

Dynamic work requires an extremely high level of strength. For example, depending upon the skill involved, tumbling can expose the body to loads of 14 times bodyweight. Let me repeat this again; 14 TIMES BODYWEIGHT!!!

This is why at the GB Seminars, dynamic strength is the last training module presented and the students are very carefully monitored to ensure that they are working with the correct progressions and safely within their own current capabilities.

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

I supposed I was thinking within a gymnastics context when I wrote that comment. You are correct: to the average person, the upper body strength required for tumbling is quite high. However, in comparison to many other gymnastic activities, tumbling is much more dependent on skill and timing than on strength. Otherwise you'd never see female gymnasts performing high-level tumbling skills.

... However, in comparison to many other gymnastic activities, tumbling is much more dependent on skill and timing than on strength ...

Please excuse me for being direct, but this is once again incorrect. And a mistake that I myself made when first beginning to teach the GB Seminar to fitness enthusiasts years ago.

This commonly confused issue arises from confusing contractile muscle strength with connective tissue strength. Gymnasts (whether male or female) have enormous connective tissue strength; strength that a fitness enthusiast simply does not possess unless they have a gymnastics background.

In my experience the stronger the fitness enthusiast the more likely they are to jump into dynamic strength training at a level that is far above what their connective tissues can safely handle. In fact often even the simplest of dynamic strength exercises would quickly exceed their capabilities. Initially this left both myself and my staff stunned at the complete lack of dynamic strength which the adult students displayed; even by students who by all other standards appeared to be quite strong.

Note also that we are not discussing technical skill or timing. In the GB program, the dynamic strength components are taught via progressions and exercises which have been stripped of their technical gymnastics aspects.

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

Coach Sommer said:

... However, in comparison to many other gymnastic activities, tumbling is much more dependent on skill and timing than on strength ...

Please excuse me for being direct, but this is once again incorrect. And a mistake that I myself made when first beginning to teach the GB Seminar to fitness enthusiasts years ago.

This commonly confused issue arises from confusing contractile muscle strength with connective tissue strength. Gymnasts (whether male or female) have enormous connective tissue strength; strength that a fitness enthusiast simply does not possess unless they have a gymnastics background.

Once again I agree completely. Tumbling places a rapid succession of fantastic impulses on your body and your joints. Your connective tissues need to be very durable.

Coach Sommer said:

Please excuse me for being direct, but this is once again incorrect. And a mistake that I myself made when first beginning to teach the GB Seminar to fitness enthusiasts years ago.

This commonly confused issue arises from confusing contractile muscle strength with connective tissue strength. Gymnasts (whether male or female) have enormous connective tissue strength; strength that a fitness enthusiast simply does not possess unless they have a gymnastics background.

In my experience the stronger the fitness enthusiast the more likely they are to jump into dynamic strength training at a level that is far above what their connective tissues can safely handle. In fact often even the simplest of dynamic strength exercises would quickly exceed their capabilities. Initially this left both myself and my staff stunned at the complete lack of dynamic strength which the adult students displayed; even by students who by all other standards appeared to be quite strong.

Note also that we are not discussing technical skill or timing. In the GB program, the dynamic strength components are taught via progressions and exercises which have been stripped of their technical gymnastics aspects.

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

Very, very interesting observation! I like it!!!