Gymnastics Exercises

Gymnastics is an ancient sport, popular today and operating on many levels from the Olympic Games to kids of all ages in schools and gymnasiums across the country. It’s a sport for males and females and so good are the bodies of finely-tuned gymnasts that sportsmen and women from other sporting codes such as football, use some of the gymnastic exercises performed daily by gymnasts.

While this article is about some of the beginner gymnastic exercises, it’s important to note what is not important. A bodybuilder is not a gymnast and building muscle is not what a gymnast is all about. They require anaerobic energy for short bursts of powerful body strength as well as skill and reflexes. In short you can say that bodybuilders train for their muscles while gymnasts train for their movements. A gymnast needs to exercise so that they can successfully call on every muscle group within their body during their various routines. They also need proper gymnastic warmup exercises to avoid injury. Gymnastic injury can be avoided with proper technique.

A major position for gymnasts is body tension or body tightness. It is much easier to control your body when it is held tight than if it is relaxed. A demonstrator who is being arrested will allow their body to go limp thus making their arrest more difficult. Tension exercises form a major part of gymnastic strength exercises. The most common exercises are based around positions known as the hollow and the arch.

The hollow position occurs by lying flat on your back and lifting your straight legs slightly off the floor. Next you lift your head slightly and extend your arms beside your ears. This position is used in several gymnastic routines. Now to make this hollow position strong, there are certain exercises. Remember body tension is all important.

Lie on your back in the hollow position with your feet together about 6 inches off the floor. Keeping your lower back on the floor, squeeze your feet together and attempt to raise your kneecaps. You’ll gain more benefit by placing a tennis ball between your feet and squeezing it. You can hold weights or attach them to your legs. Or you can have a training partner or coach put downward pressure on your ankles.

Handstands are a common routine in gymnastics and you can train for these by using a wall. Stand against a wall, then bend and place your hands on the floor moving them towards the wall as your feet move up the wall. Keep your body as tight as possible and maintain body tightness throughout. Make yourself tall.

The other common gymnastic training exercise is known as the Arch position which involves the gymnast lying face down with arms and legs extended. Slightly raise your toes, arms head and chest. Hold it. You are in the arch position. Exercises to strengthen the arch position include adopting the arch position with only your lower abs contacting the floor. Now rock back and forward slowly. This is known as the Arch Rocks.

Endurance such as is developed through aerobic exercise is not nearly as important to a gymnast as it is to say a long distance runner. Gymnasts require strength and power and anaerobic exercises will enable them to perform with high amounts of energy for short periods of time.

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