Coaches Leg conditioning sans squatting & home strength

DON'T LURK... Join The Discussion!

Members see FEWER ads

All Chalked Up

Coach
Gymnast
Gymnast hat is on but I wanted coaches' responses.

I need to up my conditioning at home since my coach has decided that we don't have time to do it at practice (4x4hrs) and should be conditioning at home. I was previously just supplementing what we do in the gym, but now have to build all muscle at home.

I'm not really sure what to do now, and I'm not able to do anything with squats (squats, burpees, lunges, mountain climbers, etc.). I'm quite strong everywhere but still looking to increase strength everywhere, particularly quads.

Don't have a chinup bar but I do have a gym membership and I'm willing to buy one anyway.

Any suggestions? Thanks so much.
 
I have before but not right now, starting PT again right after competition season.

I continue the exercises given to me though.

Okay great. I think there are a lot if stability exercises you could focus on with an exercise ball. Is it possible to go into gym early or to open gym to condition?

This YouTube channel has tons of great info and exercises:
 
Gymnast hat is on but I wanted coaches' responses.

I need to up my conditioning at home since my coach has decided that we don't have time to do it at practice (4x4hrs) and should be conditioning at home. I was previously just supplementing what we do in the gym, but now have to build all muscle at home.

I'm not really sure what to do now, and I'm not able to do anything with squats (squats, burpees, lunges, mountain climbers, etc.). I'm quite strong everywhere but still looking to increase strength everywhere, particularly quads.

Don't have a chinup bar but I do have a gym membership and I'm willing to buy one anyway.

Any suggestions? Thanks so much.

YIKES! laziness is the bane of all evil.
 
I have painful knees, particularly in the ACL area (no tears) , so we try to stay away from squatting as much as possible as that's what causes the most pain.

How far down into a squat can you go with no pain. If you were to draw a line on the side of your leg from your hip to your knee, what angle would that line be relative to horizontal at the point you begin to feel discomfort.
 
How far down into a squat can you go with no pain. If you were to draw a line on the side of your leg from your hip to your knee, what angle would that line be relative to horizontal at the point you begin to feel discomfort.

90 degrees is where it begins to be uncomfortable, but I do push it when I have to for gym (bad I know). I brace or tape both knees.
 
Okay great. I think there are a lot if stability exercises you could focus on with an exercise ball. Is it possible to go into gym early or to open gym to condition?

This YouTube channel has tons of great info and exercises:

I am able to get into the gym early or attend open gym. We have an exercise ball, dumbells (10lbs maybe), ankle weights (5lbs each), resistance tube & those strange half exercise ball things.
 
I am able to get into the gym early or attend open gym. We have an exercise ball, dumbells (10lbs maybe), ankle weights (5lbs each), resistance tube & those strange half exercise ball things.

Bosu balls. I think that would be best then. Many rebounding exercises etc are best done on a spring floor.
 
If you've already learned side and front aerials they are probably to the point where you only bend you use less than a 45 degree bend in your front leg for the push off. Those two main stream skills, and any like them, are the only ones that come close to or past a 45 degree knee bend with a need for strength. So there's no reason except for building a perfect muscle that can provide power from one end of the range of motion to the other.

You shouldn't video and analyse ever skill to determine how deep, or shallow, to work a squat type of leg strength because you shouldn't figure you only need 30 degrees and then train just to 30 degrees. The reason is you want to have some strength past the angle you need it to have the best strength where you need it.
 
Low step ups roughly to 30 to 45 degrees above horizontal. Or not so deep lunges.

Deadlifts as in a deadlift your knee angle isnt close to 90.

Leg press, just not to 90.

Leg extension machine.

Would probably be a real good idea to do hamstring curls or stiff leg deadlifts to not become super quad dominant.

Voodoo band your knees. Look it up on google.
 
Single leg squats in sets of 10. Only go as far down as you're able with no pain. Place your free leg in front for a set, a low arabesque for a set, and out to the side for a set. Do the first position on your left leg and then your right leg. Proceed through all three positions remembering to do 10 on one leg, 10 on the other leg, and then to the next position, and repeat if that's not enough for you.

If that's not enough you can accelerate from the lowest point of the squat and jump then land and smoothly lower into the second squat, and keep going until you're too tired or up to 10.
 
Low step ups roughly to 30 to 45 degrees above horizontal. Or not so deep lunges.

Deadlifts as in a deadlift your knee angle isnt close to 90.

Leg press, just not to 90.

Leg extension machine.

Would probably be a real good idea to do hamstring curls or stiff leg deadlifts to not become super quad dominant.


Voodoo band your knees. Look it up on google.

All good things to do, and definitely the work in bold for the same reason given by BlairBob.
 

DON'T LURK... Join The Discussion!

Members see FEWER ads

Gymnaverse :: Recent Activity

College Gym News

Back