Gymnastics Core Conditioning

Upper Body Conditioning

Gymnastics requires a tremendous amount of upper body strength. Strength to

weight ratio of elite gymnasts is unrivaled. These exercises cover arms,
shoulders, chest and back. The conditioning on this page is geared towards
developing the upper body strength required for this sport.

Push-Ups - We all know what they are, yet there is a huge variety on how they
can be done. Here are some varieties to try. Any of the push-ups can be done on
the floor, parallel bars, or parallettes. ( low Parallel Bars )
Yes Basic Push-up - Prone position, body tight and slightly hollow. Toes on
the floor, hands below your shoulders. Lower yourself to the floor and
push back to the prone position. No arching, bending, or pike allowed.
Keep your elbows close to your sides as this is a more functional
movement.
Decline Push-up - Starting with feet on the ground and hands against a
wall, or other stable surface push ups can be performed with little to no
resistance. These push ups can be scaled to beginning fitness levels and
those who are rehabilitating injuries. With the body almost completely
vertical these can be used to restore and build mobility in the arms and
shoulders, and can gradually progress to a horizontal push up.
Knee Push-ups - Fairly self explanatory. Like a basic push-up, but your
knees are your anchor point rather than your feet. This makes the motion
easier.
Ball-Planche Push-up - This is a difficult type of push-up. The starting
position is a ball planche. Dip down as close to the floor as you can
keeping your body horizontal and without touching your knees to the floor
and push back up to a ball-planche.
Hollow back press to handstand - Sort of a push-up, sort of a press. Start
lying on your stomach with your hands near your hips. Lift your heels and
push up to handstand, reverse the motion. If you start in a seal stretch and
rock forward it makes the move significantly easier.
Pseudo-Planche Push-up - For those of us who can not do true planche
push ups, this is a method of working towards that goal. Lying flat on your
stomach with pointed toes place your hands near your waist and push up.
Try to lean forward as much as possible. Your feet will slide as you do this
so wear socks or it can be rough on the feet. As you get stronger doing
this eventually you feet will lift off the floor and you will end up in a
planche. See it.
Planche Push-up - To those that can do them, the only true push-up, to
the other 99.9% of the world, something that looks physically impossible.
The name basically explains it. Doing push-ups in a planche position. If
you can do them you know what they are.

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 Handstand Push-up - In a handstand lower as far as you can go and push
back to handstand. This can be done against a wall either with your back
to the wall or facing the wall. Facing the wall in the handstand will force
better technique.
Tricep Pushups - Place your hands on a bar, or block about waist high.
Feet in front arms back. Lower down till you are almost sitting on the floor,
push back up.

Pull-Ups/Chin-Ups - This is a list and explanation of various kinds of pull ups.

Basic Pull-up - Hang from a bar with your hands about shoulder width
apart. They can be done in an over-grip or an under-grip. The change in
grip will change what muscle groups are used and how they are worked.
Both kinds should be done for conditioning. The pull up should be done so
that your chest is touching or close to the bar.
Inverted Pull-ups - Works best on parallel bars or rings. Get in an inverted
hang and pull as high as you can. This can be done both pike or straight
body. Work both as it changes how the muscles are worked, and affects
stability.
Inverted Pull-ups (inclined) - Start hanging below rings or a bar with your
feet supported at about the same height as the bar or rings. Keeping your
body straight and tight pull up to the bar or rings.
Wide Arm Pull-up - Hang with your arms wide in an over-grip. Pull up so
that either your chest touches the bar or the back of your neck touches the
bar.
L-hang Pull-up - Hang in an L in either an under-grip or over-grip. Do a
pull-up maintaining the L position.
Pull-up to Lever - Starting from a bent arm hang with your chest to the bar,
straighten your arms while dropping your shoulders back and lifting your
toes to a front lever, then pull back to a bent arm hang.
Muscle Up - Starting from a hang on rings pull up high, shift your
shoulders over your hands and push up to support.
Hang to Handstand - Start in a hang on rings, do a muscle up, then a
press to handstand. Greatly helps with stability on rings, and will wear you
out quick.
One arm pull-up - Hanging freely by one arm perform a pull-up. This feat
is accomplished by few. Working one arm lock offs, and one arm
negatives will help you obtain this.
Rope climb - Climbing a rope is an excellent conditioning tool. Start using
your legs and whatever method you can to get to the top, gradually reduce
your reliance on your legs. Eventually climb with only your arms with your
legs in a straddle L.
One arm rope climb - Yeah, it's possible. Just watch.
Front lever pull-ups - Start in a front lever and pull your stomach to the
rings/bar.

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 Others - These are just a bunch of random exercises that I didn't categorize
above.

Dips - On a set of parallel bars or rings start in a support, lower till your
shoulders are almost level with your hands, and push back to support.
Dip Hops - On parallel bars start in a support at one end of the bars, dip
deep then push explosively upwards and hop down the bars. Repeat in
quick succession to travel the length of the bars. Can be done forwards
and backward.
Dip Swings - On parallel bars or rings do dips while swinging. The dip can
be done on the forward swing, rearward swing or both.
Dip Walks - On parallel bars start in a support at one end of the bars, do a
dip and walk to the other end of the bars, do another dip and walk back to
the start, do a final dip. This is 1 dip walk. 2 dip walks would involve 2 dips
at each and, and traverse the bar there and back 2 times for a total of 10
dips. 3 dip walks is a total of 21 dips traversing the bars there and back 3
times. Each addition is exponentially harder.
Cross Pull-outs - From a support on rings, lower slowly towards a cross as
low as you can and pull out back to support. (Doing this improperly can
lead to injury, please consult your coach before doing these exercises)
Handstand shoulder shrugs - Do a handstand against a wall. Preferably
facing the wall in the handstand. Shrug your shoulders up and down
without bending your arms. This will help to improve your block.
Handstand Walking - The name says it all. Just walk around on your
hands. Forwards, backwards, sideways, hopping around. This will develop
strength and a very solid handstand. Remember to keep good form.
Maltese/Planche/Back-Lever conditioning - Lie on a bench with 2 dumb
-bells of equal weight. Hold the dumb-bells above you with straight arms in
a planche position (this will be an upside down planche, it will look like a
front lever this palms turned up, but the load will be on the same muscles
as a planche), next lower the dumb-bells down to the position of a
Maltese, next lower the dumb--bells to a Back Lever position. Hold each
for 3 seconds. Weight so that 3-7 reps of this cycle can be completed. Be
aggressive about increasing the weight
Noodle Rolls - Take a pool noodle cut into 12 in sections. Start with hands
on the floor, knees on a section of noodle. Pull shoulders forward while
rolling the knees forward keeping toes pointed. Roll back out & repeat. A
push up can be added, or the noodle can be placed on top of a block to
vary the conditioning.
Planche Crawls - Start lying on the floor with a partner holding your feet.
Push up so you are now in a wheel barrow position with a hollow body.
Then lean forward and slowly lower straight arm to lying on your chest on
the floor. It is your partners job to keep you from landing on your face
hard. The partner will do just enough to prevent this by pulling back on the
other person's feet. Again as you get stronger your partner will have to do

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 less and less. Eventually this drill can be done solo. Most people will need
to turn their fingertips back in the top position to not overstretch their
wrists.
Planche Drills - The position is a push up position with your feet on a
surface level with or above your shoulders. The closer your feet are to
being level with your shoulders the more difficult this drill is. Lean as far as
you can without falling forward. The goal is to lean enough so that your
feet rise slightly off of the surface they are on. Small bounces of your feet
can be done as well to make the conditioning more dynamic.
Skin the cat pull outs - This can be done either on rings or bars (high or
parallel). Start in a hang. Starts like a leg lift, bent or straight, but
continues through a basket position to a skin the cat. If you have flexible
shoulders continue to roll through to eagle grip. Then, reverse the process
(rotate forward) until you return to the position u started. This works to
shoulders (both back and front), the abs, lower back and serratus.
Swing handstand on P-bars - great shoulder work. Even for women it is
useful. Will help with that pesky cast handstand. Be sure not to swing to
the handstand arched.
Upper arm shrugs - Get in an upper arm support on P-bars. (a support
with the bar resting across the back of your bicep and tricep, arms bent to
about a 110 degree angle, and your hands on the bar). Then shrug up and
down. Kind of doing the funky chicken.

In order to stay tight and control ones body during difficult skills you must
have a strong core. Abdominals and lower back must be able to hold rigid
with ease, as well as contract quickly to generate momentum for skills.

Sit-Ups - The abdominals are some of the most important muscles in

the body for gymnastics and many other sports. Having strong abs is
crucial to being successful in many skills, or just maintaining form in
most skills.
Advanced leg lift - Lie on your back with your legs straight. Place each
hand palm down, just under each respective glute. Keeping your head in,
and body hollow, lift your toes towards the ceiling. Just before your legs
reach vertical extend your torso to lift your lower back off the floor. The top
point is a candlestick.
Basic sit-up - Lie down on the floor on your back with your knees bent or
straight, and someone or something holding your legs or not. Sit up to an
upright position.

Crunches - Lie down on the floor on your back, knees bent or straight,
legs elevated or not. Bring your head up and in and lift your shoulders off
the floor by rounding your back as much as possible. Holding your arms
above your head will add to the resistance.

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 Hanging Sit-ups - Using gravity boots or simply hanging by your knees do
sit ups. Compress as much as possible at the top..
N-ups - Yet again, on your back. This time lying flat and completely
stretched out. Bring your arms in and shoulders forward while
simultaneously bringing your legs up and in so that the top position is a
tuck balanced on your seat ( buttocks. )
Side conditioning - Lie on your side using your hand to balance. Lift your
legs and shoulders and return to the start position.
V-ups - Begin like N-ups. Bring your arms and shoulders up while lifting
your legs keeping them straight to finish in a V position.
V-ups variation - This exercise is a v-up except you use a gymnastics ball.
Place the ball between your legs, lift legs and pass ball to hands, then lifts
hands and pass ball to feet. (DAS note: This can be done with a medicine
ball for additional load)
Medicine Ball Work - Medicine balls are a great way to help build power.
Also many of the other exercises can be done holding a medicine ball. eg.
try the squat jumps holding a 10 pound medicine ball. Do pull ups holding
a ball between your knees.

Hollow rock tossing - This exercise requires 3 medicine balls. You and a
partner each hold a medicine ball between your feet. Lie on your backs
with your feet facing each other about. (distance depends on how far you
can throw the ball) Take the third ball and throw it to your partner. As you
catch the ball rock back in a tight hollow then rock forward and throw the
ball.
Lower Torso Conditioning - Sit in a pike. Hold the ball out in front of you
with straight arms. Twist side to side fairly slowly, but with a wide range of
motion. (If you do this too fast you can hurt your back)
Rear Overhead Throws - Go get your partner again. Stand 10 feet apart.
Whoever has the ball turn around. Throw the ball backwards over your
head to your partner. Turn around to receive their throw.
Reclined Throws - Get a partner. Lie on your backs with your feet towards
each other, knees bent, about 10 feet apart. (increase the distance to
increase difficulty) Throw the ball to your partner. Use an overhead throw
similar to an overhead soccer throw, except you are lying down.
Russian Twist - Lie on your back with bent knees, feet flat on floor. Have a
partner hold your feet. Hold a medicine ball with straight arms directly in
front of you. Sit up so that your lower back is slightly off the floor. Twist
back and forth as far as you can.

Others

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 Arch Rocks - Lie on your stomach in an arch with your heels squeezed
together and arms by your ears. Rock back and forth.
Candlestick extensions - Roll back into a candlestick with your arms by
your ears. Lower your toes to the floor, then extend your toes to the
ceiling. This also has the advantage of stretching your glutes, hamstrings
and lower back in the process.
Hip abduction - Start lying on your right side then lift your left leg as high
as possible and return to start position. Repeat on left side.
Hip adduction - Start lying on your right side with your left leg bent and left
foot on the floor in front of your hips and your right leg still extended. Then,
should lift your right leg as high as possible and return to start position.
Hollow Rocks - Lie on your back in a hollow position with your arms by
your ears. Rock back and forth. Your lower back should be curved so that
the rocking motion is smooth.
Hollow Rock to Arch Rock - Start in a hollow, do three hollow rocks, then
roll onto your stomach without touching the ground with either your hands
or your feet. Then perform three arch rocks and roll in the same direction
back onto your back. Traverse the floor repeating this pattern, then be
sure to go back the other way as the roll is not symmetric.
Hug a Twinky/Gag a Giant - Yes, it's an odd name. This is for lower back,
hamstrings, and glutes. On a vaulting horse lie down so that your legs are
dangling and the edge of the vault is at your lower abs. Lift your heels as
high as you can, so that you are essentially standing on your chest, lower
slowly. Some other object can be substituted for the vault. (The gag a
giant term comes from the new vault).
Leg Lifts - Hanging from a bar, bring your toes to the bar keeping your legs
straight and breaking your shoulder angle as little as possible. This can
also be done by bending your knees and lifting your knees to your elbows.
It can also be done straddled lifting to a stalder position. (This is one of the
best ab exercises around for strength.)
Leg lift straddle down - Start lying on your back in a hollow and lift your
legs to vertical, then straddle both legs out to the side to swing them down
to the start position. Then the motion should be reversed, straddling and
bringing your legs around to vertical, and lowering your legs together to
the start position.
Rear leg lifts - Start lying on your stomach. Then, lift one leg as high as
you can and return to start position. Legs should be kept straight
throughout. Repeat with opposite leg.
Seated Straddle Leg Lifts. - Sit in a straddle position, lean forward slightly
and place your hands on the floor. Lift your legs up and back as far as
possible. The farther forward your hands are placed, the more difficult the
exercise will be.
Seated Pike Leg Lifts - Sit in a pike, reach forward so that your fingers are
past your knees. Lift your legs. Again the farther forward your hands are
placed, the more difficult the exercise will be.

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 Standing leg lifts - Stand and lift one leg as high as you can. Try to
minimize the kick involved and lift your leg. This should be done with both
legs and in all directions, forward, backward and to the side. The standing
leg should be kept straight throughout, and the torso should be kept
aligned. Leaning is to be discouraged. This should also be practiced
holding onto a stable object, and free standing..
Straight Body Lifts - Lie on your back with a sturdy support within arms
reach above your head. Hold onto the support and lift your body straight to
a candlestick position. Try and stay as open as possible with no arch.
Lower back to the floor slowly.
Tuck Ups - Lie on your back lift your knees towards your chest
aggressively so you roll back into a tuck with your lower back off the floor.
Windshield Wipers - Hang on a bar. Lift your toes to the bar. Then rotate
your body back and forth so that your legs behave like windshield wipers.
Your hips will rise a little as your toes go to the side and down.

Gymnastics Lower Body Conditioning

The need to develop explosive powerful legs is essential for gymnastics. The
more height you can generate, the bigger skills you can do. These exercises will
help develop that spring.

Mountain Climbers - Start in a push up position. Bring one leg forward to a

tuck position, then in quick succession switch which leg is tucked. (This
will work your shoulders a bit as well.)
Calve Raises - Standing on a step, block, chair or other firm stable object.
Stand so that the ball of your feet is supported and your heels are
suspended. Lower down so that your calves are in a stretch position, then
extend your feet to stand on toe. This can be done with your feet turned in,
out or neutral.
Running Stairs - Fairly self explanatory. Run up stairs. This is one of the
best ways to develop strength and power in your legs.
Block Jumps (fast) - Stand on the edge of a mid-thigh height block, heels
out. Jump backwards off the block rebound back to the top of the block.
Done in quick succession this helps develop explosive power for floor and
vault.
Block Jumps (slow) - As above, but instead of rebounding, stick at the
bottom and jump to the top of the block. This will help develop strength.
Pit Jumps - Just jump up and down in a pit, on a worn resi-pit, or other
very soft non-rebounding surface.
Sprints - Run as fast as you can. Should be done in intervals. eg sprint a
certain distance, jog back to the start point, sprint again. Repeat.
Squat Jumps - Keeping your back as vertical as possible, bend down
deep touch the floor with your fingers and spring in a stretched position.
During the squat phase your heels should remain on the floor.

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 Squat Jumps Across the Floor - Start on one side of the floor/room. Bend
down and leap as far forward as you can. Be sure to fully extend your
body into a slight arch as you leave the ground. Challenge yourself to
cross the floor/room in as few jumps as possible.
Wall Sits - Sit against a wall. Legs will be bent at about 90 degrees. This
isometric exercise helps build primarily quads and glutes.

Full Body Conditioning

Burpees - Start from a stand, drop down to a pushup position. Bring your
legs up under you and jump as high as you can. We recommend doing
these with a pushup each time you are in the pushup position.
Burpees Pull-ups - Perform a burpee under a bar, when you jump grab the
bar and do a pull-up.
Jack knives - Start in a standing pike with your hands supported on a
rolling device, or low rings. Extend out until you are in an open hollow
position as open as possible, pull back to a standing pike.
Jumping Jacks - Most people have performed these in a PE class at some
point. They are an excellent way to warm up, and can be included in a
conditioning set either as a station where fatigued muscles are allowed to
recover while metabolic demands are kept high, or if modified as a
significant component of a met-con circuit. Jumping jacks should be
practiced both with arms and legs in concert (legs straddling while arms
are swung upward) or in opposition (legs straddling while arms are
brought down). You can challenge yourself by seeing how high you can
jump on each repetition. At the point that the legs are brought together you
can perform a squat.
Manna Swings - From a support on Parallel bars swing slowly to a manna,
or as close as you can get, then lower back to support. This should be
done as slowly and controlled as possible with the back swing being
minimal, non-existent if possible.
Support Leg Lifts on Rings - Hold a support on rings and lift your toes with
straight legs as high as you can. Return to straight support.

Conditioning For Injury Prevention

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Preventative maintenance - Injuries in gymnastics do occur, but they
can be minimized by conditioning specific muscle groups.

Wrists - Our wrists were not designed to do what we gymnasts use them for.
Some strengthening is called for to prepare them for the abuse. All exercises
should be worked with both arms.

Find a racket ball, tennis ball, or one of those stress ball things and
squeeze repeatedly until your forearm is tired.
Set a newspaper on a table. Place your hand palm down near one corner
and crumple it page by page with your fingers.
With a dumb bell in each hand "nod" your hand both palm up and palm
down.
In a push up position push down with your fingertips so your palms come
off the ground.
Tie one end of a reasonably strong string to a 3/4" to 1 1/2" rod. Tie the
other end to a 2-5 pound weight. Hold the dowel in both hands with your
arms straight in front of you. Roll the dowel till the weight is against it, then
roll it back down slowly. Do this both palms up and down.

Ankles/lower leg - Yet another joint we push beyond design specs.

Walk around on your heels with straight legs. Tighten your quads. You will
feel a burn on the outside of your shins. This helps prevent shin splints.
DON'T do this if you already have bad shin splints. Let them heal first.
Every time you do toe raises, turn around and place your heel on the step,
then lift your toes and go back down. This will strengthen the anterior
tibialis which will help prevent shin splints.
Similar to the above. Repeatedly lift your toes off the ground.
Get surgical tubing or a theraband. Attach one end to a fixed object the
other end to your foot. Work all four directions of flex. In, out, up and
down.

Shoulders - Rotator cuff injuries are reasonably common, especially among

male gymnasts.

Get out your stretch tubing, or theraband. Work all for flex directions(in,
out, up, down) with straight arms. Use low resistance high reps.
Hold your arm at your side bent at a 90 degree angle so your hand sticks
straight out. Work rotations in and out with the tubing.

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