The pay off… Being able to adopt a hollow position makes everything you do that little bit easier.[/pullquote] Looking back on my early school days, I remember looking forward to PE classes where we would run into the school gym and out would come this monolith of a ‘climbing frame’. It was probably the most fun class I did, were we learned to climb poles, ropes and other gymnastics apparatus. We hung off stall bars and balanced on beams. Sometimes we would graze a knee, burn our shins or slide down the rope by accident.
That was about 24 years ago for me, and I remember how good it felt when you hit the top of the rope and swung around on monkey bars. This is calisthenics, gymnastics or bodyweight training.
I have no idea why, but over time this stuff was just phased out and we didn’t do it anymore. No more vaulting over a pommel, hanging off rings or anything like that. Did we not need it anymore, or was this health and safety gone crazy?
Gymnastics is the king of exercise. You can have all the equipment in the world, the best back squat, biggest bench or heaviest deadlift, but if you can’t hold your body in basic positions you are missing the most important part of training. Here are 4 reasons you need to do Gymnastics training.
BEING BODY AWARE
Gymnastics at it’s base level is being able to hold your body and control it through a range of motion. I would hazard a guess that as those early level gymnastic were phased out of my education, the ability of the population to do these things dropped significantly.
One of the most fundamental positions to learn is the hollow body hold. This position teaches you how to connect yourself from the tips of your fingers to the ends of your toes whilst staying tight and rigid. Hollow holds are boring, they can burn like crazy but boring matters.
The pay off… Being able to adopt a hollow position makes everything you do that little bit easier. Stabilising your midline for squats and sprinting, having a strong enough core to get more out of your surfing, you name it and the hollow body will probably apply.
ZERO EQUIPMENT
Gymnastics doesn’t need much or any equipment for that matter. All you need to get in a good workout is some flat ground and you’re good to go. Things like rings, bars and all that stuff can add variance to your training but they aren’t essential for getting crazy strong.
IT’S FUN
One of the best things about gymnastics is that regardless of ability, it can be a lot of fun. Some of our best sessions are where our members learn to climb ropes and do handstands. Challenging yourself is rewarding especially when you get things for the first time.
EASY TO START
The best thing about gymnastics is it’s easy to start. Throw some push ups after bench press or some pull ups after deadlifts and you are using your bodyweight to develop your strength. How about giving this circuit a go?
3-4 Rounds
25 Dips
Rest 45 sec
20 Hanging Leg Raise
Rest 45 sec
15 Strict Pull Ups/Ring Rows
Rest 45 sec
25 air squats
Rest 45 sec
15 HSPU/Pike Push Up
Rest 45 sec
15 strict Close grip chin ups (band)
Rest 2 min
BEGINNER STANDARDS
Any beginner should work towards the following standards before attempting to progress to more advanced movements, and these could be achieved after 6-12 months of solid work:
50 air squats
8 push ups
3 assisted pull ups and 45 second hang from the bar
30 sit ups
30 second plank
15 second tuck hold
PLAY AROUND
Gymnastics is fun. Remember learning to climb ropes in school? Get yourself back to those days and allow your body to move freely, learn to fail. Start by incorporating basic gymnastics such as push ups, sit ups, pull ups and squats into your program before advancing to party trick movements.
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