when to train twice a day

[jls1969]

Hi--

I am interested in when some other gymnasts have gone to training twice a day? I have a 10yo daughter who is training 5/6...her gym doesn't push the girls on and I really like her coaches. they have said that in Jan 2009--she will be moving to twice daily. What are some pros and cons?

Thanks so much!!

[gymgramma]

for level 5/6?? those are the last 2 compulsory levels, why would they train twice a day??
the level 10's at our gym don't even train twice a day.........they only train 20 hrs/wk.

Have they said why they are having compulsory gymnasts train twice/day? will that only be 2 days/wk instead of once a day for 3 or 4 days/wk?

[Rainee100]

Our gym has optional open workouts in the morning and regular workouts 3 -4 times per week with compulsory levels. (The level 4's go 3 days) The girls have a chance to work on particular weeknesses with the upper level coaches. They do their strength training at regular practice. It helps a lot when they are having trouble with a particular skill.

[BlairBob]

Next year our gym will be opening up two workouts a day to home schooled team gymnasts. Just about the only way you can do it, besides having to have sleep and nutrition dialed in.

[Granny Smith]

Dd's gym only had 2 sessions during the summer and the 2nd session was an optional session - morning was manditory!

[krazykidzmom]

I would take this sport day to day. No since in worrying about 2009, when you don't know if she will even be in the sport. It is nice when coaches say things, but sometimes we have to be realistic. My dd is 10 and a level 9-we did the two a day practice. Just my vey humble opinion.

[hammy]

The only times my gym ever held twice a day workouts were during the summer and open gym for the 2nd workout. During the summer we would come twice a day two days a week, and those days were usually divided into basics/drills in one work out and strength and conditioning/flexibility in the other workout. The only other time I trained twice a day was on Saturdays when I would choose to go to an extra practice in the afternoon.

Personally, I think twice a day is a little much for any gymnast that is not a 9 or 10--unless it is absouletly necessary. I suggest, as krazykidsmom said, focusing on one day, week, or month at a time; who knows what could happen tomorrow.

The pros of working out twice a day are the fact that you can have more time on each event, go back to a skill during the 2nd workout that was giving you grief during the 1st workout, and have an extra workout for strength/conditioning/flexibility.

The cons of wokring out twice a day--more wear and tear on the body, less individual time/more hours in the gym, added frustration, and the fact of simplying over doing it.

[audra]

The only time I ever did 2 practices a day was in college after coming back from Christmas break, before classes started again. For compulsory levels I would be curious what the point is, it seems like a quick way to burn out gymnasts. As BB said it makes sense to do workouts during the day for homeschool children but as a parent I would be asking a lot of questions before committing to that type of schedule.

[priljune]

Because I clean the gym, my girls hit the gym every weekday morning at 6:30 for a 30 min workout on top of the three weekly classes. The morning routines are strictly to work on muscle strength and endurance, not any of the skills or routines.

[LemonLime]

I trained twice a day as a child and one of my children currently trains twice a day. Training twice a day is supposed to allow for school if the first training session is very, very early, but it also is supposed to minimize injury as the gymnasts have time off in the middle of the day to rest. If the two sessions are 5 hours and 3 hours (LOL), that won't help, but if the sessions are 3 and 3 hours, it is supposed to cut down on repetitive stress injuries. Many 2-a-day gymnasts do train good hours (perhaps starting at 8 or 9 am and finishing at 6 pm) which may also cuts down on injuries.

It's a very personal choice to a family & gymnast and highly dependent on how your gym handles it. There are probably as many different kinds of 2-a-day programs as there are gyms in this country. Find out more about your gym's program and you'll be ready - perhaps one day - to make that choice.