Gymnastics Training and Overall Health, Fitness & Longevity

Do you think gymnastics training is the best type of training for overall health, fitness and longevity?

Are elderly former gymnasts still in good physical condition generally? This video really caught my eye:

She's 86.

kje6vKKpK14

Looks like the fountain of youth. That would be a pretty nice way to be at age 86.

And, its already obvious that gymnastic training produces amazing results when you are younger than 86.

My guess is there's something about the particular combination of static holds and body weight movements, flexibility and prehabilitation in gymnastics training that translates particularly well into maintaining youthful agility.

So, if you have no aspirations to compete in gymnastics, or even to learn particular maneuvers, but rather are only interested in achieving the best general, all purpose fitness you can at your current age, that will also keep you agile, mobile and strong into old age - would you choose gymnastic training?

Would you adjust the training to maximize longevity? For example, leave out certain movements in your current training that could have a negative effect in the long run? Perhaps something geared towards perfecting a particular skill in gymnastics that has no real day-to-day living value - or perhaps there aren't any movements that would fall into that category.

I most definitely think gymnastics is best for overall health, fitness & longevity. The thing about gymnastics is that it really emphasizes strengthening weak areas. Coach said (in BtGB, I think) that rings will go anywhere within 360 degrees and they will always move towards your weakest area. So to master the ring strength elements means to strengthen all your weak areas. And that's how you prevent injury.

I doubt that over the long term you will find much a different between gymnastics training and any other comprehensive training program for health and longevity. If gymnastics has any edge it would be more incorporation of balance activities.

If someone just lifts weights, there's no reason they can't work prehab and things like that too. Full range of motion weight training is perfectly sufficient to maintain a good range of motion in the joints.

Do what you enjoy, do it safely and intelligently, and do it for life. The rest will take care of itself.

RatioFitness said:

I doubt that over the long term you will find much a different between gymnastics training and any other comprehensive training program for health and longevity. If gymnastics has any edge it would be more incorporation of balance activities.

If someone just lifts weights, there's no reason they can't work prehab and things like that too. Full range of motion weight training is perfectly sufficient to maintain a good range of motion in the joints.

Do what you enjoy, do it safely and intelligently, and do it for life. The rest will take care of itself.

Weightlifting doesn't do anything in hyperextension (BL, manna).

Rik de Kort said:

RatioFitness said:

I doubt that over the long term you will find much a different between gymnastics training and any other comprehensive training program for health and longevity. If gymnastics has any edge it would be more incorporation of balance activities.

If someone just lifts weights, there's no reason they can't work prehab and things like that too. Full range of motion weight training is perfectly sufficient to maintain a good range of motion in the joints.

Do what you enjoy, do it safely and intelligently, and do it for life. The rest will take care of itself.

Weightlifting doesn't do anything in hyperextension (BL, manna).

Yes it does. Many people using weights in their training don't incorporate work in shoulder extension for a variety of reasons, but it is possible and advisable to work with movements that train shoulder extension.

raja said:

Yes it does. Many people using weights in their training don't incorporate work in shoulder extension for a variety of reasons, but it is possible and advisable to work with movements that train shoulder extension.

The only common movement which puts the shoulder in hyperextension is dipping. None of squat, deadlift, overhead press, chinup/pullup, bench press and row has the shoulder in any significant hyperextension and those are the 6 basic movements.

Rik de Kort said:

RatioFitness said:

I doubt that over the long term you will find much a different between gymnastics training and any other comprehensive training program for health and longevity. If gymnastics has any edge it would be more incorporation of balance activities.

If someone just lifts weights, there's no reason they can't work prehab and things like that too. Full range of motion weight training is perfectly sufficient to maintain a good range of motion in the joints.

Do what you enjoy, do it safely and intelligently, and do it for life. The rest will take care of itself.

Weightlifting doesn't do anything in hyperextension (BL, manna).

So doing hyperextensions are healthy and help you live longer/healthier? Or am I missing something?

Doing things in hyperextension is the main thing which I personally as bad for the joints long term. Aside from that its far from functional in real life.

So doing hyperextensions are healthy and help you live longer/healthier? Or am I missing something?

Actually it is the balance, agility and coordination aspects of GST, and their tremendous impact on the central nervous system, which are primarily responsible for the positive impact of GST on longevity.

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

Jeffrey said:

So doing hyperextensions are healthy and help you live longer/healthier? Or am I missing something?

You don't get injured should you end up in those positions in real life situations, because you've got strength in them. Or at least, that's my reasoning behind it. That's what I think.

But as always Coach knows best.

Rik de Kort said:

RatioFitness said:

I doubt that over the long term you will find much a different between gymnastics training and any other comprehensive training program for health and longevity. If gymnastics has any edge it would be more incorporation of balance activities.

If someone just lifts weights, there's no reason they can't work prehab and things like that too. Full range of motion weight training is perfectly sufficient to maintain a good range of motion in the joints.

Do what you enjoy, do it safely and intelligently, and do it for life. The rest will take care of itself.

Weightlifting doesn't do anything in hyperextension (BL, manna).

That has nothing to do with longevity and health. Dips are all you would ever need for activities of daily living.

Coach Sommer said:

So doing hyperextensions are healthy and help you live longer/healthier? Or am I missing something?

Actually it is the balance, agility and coordination aspects of GST, and their tremendous impact on the central nervous system, which are primarily responsible for the positive impact of GST on longevity.

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

Yes, absolutely true. I would add that the wide variety of ranges of motion that are utilized during a complete GST training program is also a very important factor as well.

An important point I would like to add here:

Hyperextension is not really the right term for what is being discussed. Hyperextension means moving beyond safe ROM for the joint in question (determined by architectural properties), and typically is only an issue in the vertebra and wrist when it comes to practical application. Of course we can, and many have, had acute injuries from hinge joint hyperextension in fingers, elbows, and knees but these are nearly always acute injuries due to a traumatic impact or a missed kick/punch.

Shoulders have virtually unlimited flexion and extension, limited only by the acromion process and soft tissue restrictions such as tight muscles. There is, practically speaking, no such thing as shoulder hyperextension until you get up past 150-160 degrees. What is being discussed is shoulder extension, which is a wonderful thing to perform under control. Most people don't have anywhere near that ROM, but that is a flexibility issue and not a hyperextension issue. There is nothing architecurally limiting the shoulder other than the acromion and the structures impinged between the humerus and the acromion. That's why the shoulder is so mobile and so easily injured, which is why well-rounded shoulder training is essential for longevity and quality of life.

Hyperextension is, pretty much without fail, a word we use for extending the range of motion beyond what is safe. The spine has fairly clear limitations on this due to the discs and the pressure on them once specific ROMs are exceeded. This is especially true in older children (adolescents) and adults. The other joints mentioned are restricted by ligaments, bony structures in the case of the elbow, and muscle/tendon units. They pretty much take care of themselves during strength training.

Thanks for the clarification, Joshua. I wasn't aware of that.

Ratio, there is no such thing as a life without accidents. It doesn't fall in line with the 'normal daily activities', but there are certainly situations in which your strength and awareness in those positions can prevent you from getting hurt should you ever end up in them.