This question comes from Kimberly. She asks American Gymnast:
“How often does a gymnastics floor exercise need to be replaced if both team kids and recreation kids are using the same floor? If you don't replace a floor often enough, can team kids end up with more foot, knee and back injuries because of it?”
by Robert Andrews, M.A., LMFT, CSC - founder and director of The Institue of Sports Psychology®
One of our visitors, Justin, submitted this gymnastics training question in our "Ask American Gymnast" section:
This topic comes as answer to an Ask American Gymnast question from one of our readers, Eric. Here is Eric's question:
The Junior Training Bar is our best selling single bar for gymnastics at home. This video illustrates exactly how to assemble this gymnastics bar. You can order this bar in two versions, either in Blue, or in the Nastia Liukin signature Pink color.
| The wrist and shoulders are common places for over-use injuries, especially in the sport of gymnastics. It's important to strengthen these areas before injuries occur to help stay ahead of the game. It seems that too many athletes wait until an injury occurs to begin concentrating on these areas which begins a vicious snowball effect...the area becomes injured, the athlete tries to begin working on it again too soon, never gives the area a chance to fully heal, and then continues to injure the same area over and over. A little preventative strengthening before-hand can go along in helping avoid these potentially frustrating times. Here are some great exercises that can be done every day in a short amount of time. Most athletes just incorporate these exercises into their daily warm-up routine. |
| Exercise 1 Step on a bungee cord or thera-band, keeping your elbow bent and forearm at 90 degrees. Adjust the tightness of the band appropriately and curl the band just using your wrist. Go up and down in as full a range of motion as possible, keeping tension in the band the entire time. |
| Exercise 2 This is the same as Exercise 1, but with the hand turned over. This concentrates on strengthening the muscles in the top of the forearm up to the wrist much more. |
| Exercise 3 The same two exercises as above can be done using a weight instead of a bungee cord or theraband. Try both to see which works best for you. |
| Exercise 4 These are pushups using only your wrists. In a pushup position, press up through the fingertips and then lower back down. In just starting out with this exercise, you may need to begin on your hands and knees until your wrists are strong enough to lift more of your body weight. |
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| Exercise 1 Wrap a bungee cord around a pole, column, or similar item. You will need to "anchor" one end and hold the other end with your closest hand. With your elbow tucked in to your side and elbow bent at 90 degrees, pull the band away from the pole, pivoting your forearm around your elbow. Try and rotate your forearm along the same plane. This is will help to strengthen your rotator cuff area.Wrap a bungee cord around a pole, column, or similar item. You will need to "anchor" one end and hold the other end with your closest hand. With your elbow tucked in to your side and elbow bent at 90 degrees, pull the band away from the pole, pivoting your forearm around your elbow. Try and rotate your forearm along the same plane. This is will help to strengthen your rotator cuff area. |
| Exercise 2 A similar rotator cuff exercise to the previous, but this time hold the band with your outside hand. Again, try and rotate your forearm out along the same plane. |
| Exercise 3 Facing away from the pole, grap both ends of the bungee behind you. Pull the bungee down and forward, bringing your arms right by your legs. Keep tension in the bungee as you return to the starting position as well. This exercise works your biceps tendon, up through the shoulder and into your trap area. |
| Exercise 4 Similar to the previous exercise, but this time your arms will be higher, parallel to the floor. Pull the bungee straight forward until your hands meet in front of you. Then return your arms back the same way, maintaining tension in the bungee. This exercise uses more of your peck muscles.Similar to the previous exercise, but this time your arms will be higher, parallel to the floor. Pull the bungee straight forward until your hands meet in front of you. Then return your arms back the same way, maintaining tension in the bungee. This exercise uses more of your peck muscles. |
| Exercise 5 Stand on the center of the bungee, holding both ends in your hands. Raise your arms arms out to the side and all the way over your head until your hands are about shoulder width apart from each other. Return to the starting position through the same motion, keeping tension in the bungee the entire time. |
Below are some great exercises to increase your stomach strength (and get those 6-pack abs!). The pictures will show us using equipment in the gym, but you can just as easily substitute things around the house (beds, couches, tables, etc) to help you perform a lot of these exercises - be creative! You'll also notice that some of the terminology we use are just slang terms that have evolved over time while doing these in the gym...you may have different names for some of these exercises. |
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| Leg-ups Hang completely still from a bar. Keeping your legs straight, lift your toes to touch the bar. Lower your legs slowly back to a straight hang, being sure not to drop your legs too quickly, causing a swing. Repeat the exercise. If you have a bar that sticks out from the wall, this works well to prevent you from swinging. |
| V-ups Start from laying down straight body on your back with your arms over your head. Lift your lower body and upper body at the same time, piking up and touching your toes with your hands. Lower back down and without touching your feet or shoulders to the ground, repeat the exercise.V-ups |
| Tuck-ups Starting from a lying position, tuck your knees and lift your chest at the same time. Sit all the way up with your knees into your chest and then extend back to the lying down position. You can also return to a hollow position, so that your feet and shoulders never touch the ground while performing the tuck-up. This keeps the stomach muscles contracted the entire time, and is generally our preferred method of performing this exercise. |
| Crunches Feet on the floor and knees bent. Hands can be behind your head or across your chest. Be sure not to pull on your head with your hands. Sit up a little bit more than half of a regular sit-up. As you sit up, breathe out and think about lifting your chin up toward the ceiling. |
| Side Crunches These are performed on both sides. Use your bottom arm for balance, but be sure not to push against the ground with it to assist you during the crunch. Tuck your knees into your chest, while simultaneously lifting your top shoulder and head up toward the top of your hip. |
| Hollow Hold Lay flat on your back with your arms over your head. Round your body to a hollow position so that only your lower back and hips are touching the ground. Your feet should be about 6 to 8 inches off the ground. Keep your arms over your head with your head between them. Your shoulders should be rounded so that your shoulder blades do not stick out. Hold this position. |
| Ice Cream Makers Start from a straight-body hang on a bar. Pull your chin above the bar and then, maintaining a straight body, lift your toes up, lean back and straighten your arms. Your body will act like a teeter-totter. Pull your chin back up above the bar, and then rock back again, straightening your arms and bringing your toes back up with straight body. Repeat the exercise. |
| Hanging Sit-ups Hook your knees over the edge of the vaulting table or a box high off the ground. Your coach or teammate should sit on top of your legs to hold you down. You should be high enough off the ground so that you can hang straight down without your head touching the floor. Sit up, bringing your chest to your knees. Lower back down slowly and repeat the exercise. |
