GYMNASTICS PROGRAMME

I have always wanted to have crack at gymnastics, you see these amazing athletes with superhuman functional strength, flexibility, awesome power, and great physiques and you can't help but be awed by the fact that most of them have never picked up a dumbell or a barbell or bothered with tedious bodybuilding programmes their whole lives. And whats more than that, they make it look effortless and seem the epitome of health and grace. Have a look at these to see what I mean;

So after putting on about 18kg (almost 3 stone) over the past year (and about 3% bodyfat),

I am finding bodyweight exercises fairly challenging again (you try strapping on a 20kg plate and doing chinups!) so I decided to finally give gymnastics training a go and found a great book on the subject, by USA Juniors Gymnastic Coach Christopher Somner, available here;

http://www.gymnasticbodies.com/store/homepage/building-the-gymnastic-body.html

This book is written with over 30 years of gymnastic coaching experience at national level and contains a lot of progressions for each of the key gymnastic skills, from easy(ish) to advanced.

Heres how my first days' testing went, humbling I have to say! Some of these are brutal. So no free weights for me, just gymnastics (and a few kettlebell swings) for the next 12 weeks, should be fun and a welcome change! Can't wait to get some of these skills nailed. You get a great feeling from acquiring a new skill that you don't necessarily get from getting stronger in the gym. Its' less about ego and more about the confidence and sense of accomplishment that you get from skill mastery. I look forward to working on these and seeing where it takes me!