Parents Uneven distribution of muscle mass

[LTmom]

First, getting this out of the way: I never talk about any of this with DD. Or anyone else IRL. I figured an anonymous forum would be best.

DD’s gym doesn’t discriminate against any body types. There are girls at all levels in all shapes and sizes. So coaches will never address the following with her. A concern has popped up in my head regarding DD. Her legs are very strong. She does a lot of lunges and squats on her off days. Wins contests in her gym for holding lowest and longest squat. But she struggles with upper body, namely pull ups. I’m concerned that if she keeps bulking up her legs, she’s going to make bar skills even harder on herself because her strength is lopsided.

Should I have her do more pull ups on her days off, and take the focus off lunges and squats?

 

[duyetanh]

Why is she doing all that leg work on her off days?

 

[LTmom]

Because she wants to. Also does push ups, v ups, beam stuff...

 

[duyetanh]

Because she wants to. Also does push ups, v ups, beam stuff...

Well if you want her more balanced, maybe she shouldn’t? Are the coaches giving her this program?

 

[Deleted member 18037]

Let her do what she wants with input from her coach.

And quite honestly if she is going to train/condition she should work her total body

 

[John]

Let her do what she wants with input from her coach.

And quite honestly if she is going to train/condition she should work her total body

I have agree with this. If she wants to workout she should speak to her coach let the coach have input on the workout and always work her entire body.

 

[GymDadWA]

When she does any exercise she needs to be developing the correct muscles, for pull ups the lats are the primary muscle group with assistance from the shoulder muscles, if she isn't engaging her lats and pulling primarily with her shoulders than the exercise isn't having the intended results. Essentially if she is interested in strength training she should work with a strength coach they should make sure that she develops and engages the muscle groups correctly.

 

[ausnat83]

If she's showing interest in doing extra strength training, perhaps offer to look into some supplementary S&C training over the off season (consult with the coach, obv), so a professional can help create a program and teach appropriate technique, or simply to purchase some dumbbells, resistance bands, or a pull up bar if she's interested. Stay out of it beyond that... don't "assign" her work or start critiquing. Something like "You've been putting in a lot of extra work on strength outside of practices. I'm so impressed with you you for taking the initiative to do extra work on your own. If you'd like to look into/buy (your dad and) I would be happy to help out with that. Just let us know." And if she says no or just acts ambivalent? Leave it to her and her coach. They can spot the problem and address it if it exists. You get to stick to the good part: offer praise & enthusiasm and make the resources available.

 

[Flippin'A]

Being the best at something is fun. If she's getting a lot of praise for winning leg strength competitions at gym then she's probably enjoying making her legs stronger so that can continue. If she's one of the weaker ones in arm conditioning then it probably feels like a chore. I do my own strength workouts at home and my DD likes joining me. Since I was a gymnast a lot of the exercises I do are standard gymnastics stuff, and that way I can make sure she stays safe and her muscle groups stay balanced. She also delights in beating me in pushup contests, etc. But I never maker her condition with me, I just let her know I'm about to workout and she knows she's free to join if she wants to. If you could get something like that going you might be able to steer her toward a more balanced approached to strength.