WAG Cardio training question

[cbifoja]

My L8 daughter recently switched to a new gym and while she is great physical condition, she is really struggling with their cardiovascular workout. Her old gym used running as part of their warm up but sustained cardiovascular activity wasn't a big part of their workout. At the new gym, it is. And DD is struggling to keep up. She is far enough behind that while completing the circuit, she has had to leave the gym to toss her cookies before she could keep going.

It isn't just the running. The running is only a small part of it. As they run laps around their fairly large gym (22000 sq ft), they also have to do beam laps over 7 high beams (hands only, no touching the beams with your legs or feet), and sets of 15 jumps up to blocks during each lap. I have no idea how many laps they run but it usually takes the girls about 20 minutes to complete all this cardio.

Personally, I would absolutely DIE (literally die from heart failure!) if I had to do this cardio. But DD isn't used to being behind the curve when it comes to physical fitness and it is really discouraging to her. She participates in 3 and 5Ks a couple times a year for fun, but she doesn't do serious training for them.

I'm not really questioning whether or not it is worth her time to do it or not. Regardless of different opinions about how much cardio gymnasts need, it is part of her gym's training for better or worse. What I am wondering is if on top of the 2o hours of week she will be in the gym this summer, she should be training during her off days. And if so, what should she be doing? If she shouldn't be adding more training, how long would you guess it would take a healthy kid to get up to speed to this level of cardio?

 

[duyetanh]

Well I sure wouldn't have her doing anything extra, because it sounds like she is getting plenty over there. She will gain strength. It will get better. Doing more on the side has potential for serious body breakdown. Now if she was going 20 hours with lame cardiovascular stuff, then heck yes I would have her do stuff outside of gym.

 

[LizzieLac]

I don't think she really needs to train in her off days. Her level of cardio fitness will improve as she does their workout. However, if you and she feel like extra cardio training will help her, I would suggest swimming laps vs. running, as it involves the whole body and won't add high impact to knees, ankles, hips, back...you get the point. ;-)

 

[Muddlethru]

The body gets stronger during rest periods. That is when the body mends the tiny tears brought about by strenous workouts. From what I've learned in the years my daughter has been doing gymnastics, I would leave ALL training at the gym. Burn out is real and has a high incidence rate. Once your daughter gets to Level 10, the incidence of injury is magnified. Every competitive athlete can get discouraged if they feel they are lagging behind. It takes about 3 weeks to build a muscle group and about 2 weeks to improve cardiovascular endurance and strength. You'd be surprised at how quickly her body will adapt to the new workout. Given a month's time, she will see a drastic improvement. Best you can do is continue to provide her with proper nutrition and rest.

 

[cadybearsmommy]

I agree with the others that said her body will probably adjust to the workout. If she did anything at home I would suggest swimming like the pp said or maybe some light stationary biking. If all the cardio is making her sick, I would probably have her eat a little lighter if she is eating right before gym to keep her tummy in check. I'm sure it will get better soon!

 

[ascarter1]

It will improve with time! I would not do anything extra, allow the body recovery time!

 

[l.c.o]

When my DD switched gyms over a year ago, it took her a good 6-8 weeks to both manage to keep up with her teammates and get over the aches and pains from the different training. And that was with decreasing her weekly hours from 16 to 11. And the previous gym even had "TOPS" strength day.

It gradually got easier over those 8 weeks though, and eventually DD became one of the "better" girls in the group when it comes to strength, so there's that.

Anyway, all that to say I'll bet your DD catches up, and that I'd seriously consider letting her rest on her off days to let her muscles and cardiovascular system recover... as much as I know I'd be tempted to do something to help move the process along.

Make sure she's hydrating before/during/after practice. Can she add in some Gatorade/other sugar source even just during the transition? My DD used to need to take in carbs and plenty of fluids to get through long practices, or she'd get nausea and headaches.

 

[dani4]

From personal non-gymnastics experience, if she gets enough rest and nutrients she will catch up. It can be extremely dispiriting though. I have been there. But it will be so great when she catches up with the fitness.