Parents Conditioning...how important?

[kris]

I'm with everyone else. It's hugely important!! My DD changed gyms recently, and while she was doing a lot of conditioning at the old gym, she wasn't doing a lot of variety (aka working the same muscles all the time). The first day at the new gym her new bar coach noted she had weak shoulders, and six weeks later her bars has improved a ton, and I'm hoping she will finally have a season where she feels confident in her bar routine this year. At the new gym, every day she comes home with different sore muscles, though always the sore shoulders poor thing. Her tumbling and vault have improved as have her leaps. Part of why we switched was that I wanted to be sure she could do the higher level skills safely and I believe conditioning is a big part of that.

 

[KipNurse]

Wow! Thank you everyone....confirms what I was thinking. Seems to be the heart and soul of a strong gymnast.
Thanks for the input.
And wonder if I could personally get through a real gymnastics conditioning workout ;-) Nope. And I wouldn't be caught dead in a leo. Nope again.

 

[htimcj]

I know I can't get through the conditioning workout my DD does. It would kill me

 

[wgymmom]

Foundational for sure. Our older optionals had a lackadaisical HC for a few months and got completely out of shape and thus lost skills because they felt they weren't strong enough to do them. My DD managed to be in a group that got a little better training, so she wasn't as bad off, but they got whipped back into shape good. DD already has incredible arm definition and not a speck of body fat.

 

[Amusibus]

Our coaches are always saying if they are strong, the skills come very easily, and there are less injuries. On the occasions when I have stayed to watch, I was surprised that sometimes they seemed to be spending 50% or more of a 3 or 4 hour practice on conditioning!