If you heard how much gymnasts can deadlift without ever touching a barbell, you’d likely cancel your gym membership and buy a set of rings! In fact, that’s exactly what we’re about to inspire you to do because before you can safely and successfully deadlift heavy weight, you need to prepare your body to handle the load.

This means you need to be able to move through full ranges of motion, have tough connective tissue, and the patience to allow for adaptations to be made. In the words of Coach Sommer, “champions do not take unnecessary risks with their most precious training tool: their body.”

With some joint prehab here and a little mobility work there, you can create a body that’s ready to handle the demands of deadlifting. Oh, and the answer to how much gymnasts deadlift is double, sometimes triple bodyweight deadlifts and that’s with ZERO history of barbell training. Pretty impressive, right?! And now, thanks to Gymnastic Strength Training^TM, anyone can build this type of strength and lay the ultimate base for barbell strength.

Legs: Functional, Strong, Fully Mobile

When it comes to physical preparation, attention to detail is key. That’s why nothing is overlooked in the GB Curriculum. There are preparatory, prehab, and mobility drills for every joint and muscle. The well known GB knee series from the Foundation Courses will make knees issues non-existent. Foot and ankle health is fully addressed, from toes to achilles. Hips are mobilized AND strengthened, allowing them to grow stronger through more range of motion.

When it comes to lower body joint and connective tissue resilience, gymnasts have to be on their game. They are, after all, absorbing multiples of body weight during training and competition, day in and day out. Take advantage of their secrets and start bulletproofing your joints to handle highly demanding movements like the deadlift.

Ring Strength and Deadlifts are Closely Related

Straight arm strength is another area that gymnasts have completely mastered. We’ve all marveled at it: those impossible looking olympic ring routines where godly looking beasts control their body through space and hold some freakish positions. All of these amazing, straight arm holds, like handstand and iron crosses, are the source of gymnasts incredible upper body strength. And guess what else is a straight arm movement? You guessed it: deadlifts!

The GB Online Courses have direct carryover to your deadlifting strength.  

These ring strength positions have more in common with deadlifts than most realize. The muscle activation, shoulder positions, and pure strength involved closely mimic deadlifting. This is why when gymnasts venture into the weight room, engaging with the barbell feels completely natural. Their body already recognizes the position! Their lats are primed. Their grip is over prepared thanks to the demands of holding the rings in false grips. Oh, and gymnasts’ traps look like a second set of lats in the middle of their backs, so those are more than ready as well. You get the point. In many ways, picking up a heavy barbell is easier than gripping rings and controlling a body through space.

Heavy deadlifts and ring strength routines are both maximal strength efforts, and much of the body positioning, tension, etc., is the exact same, so it’s no wonder gymnasts are weight room naturals!

GymnasticBodies strength training programs don’t just increase bodyweight strength; gymnastic strength seamlessly transfers to deadlifts and other weight training exercises.