Gaining Strength

[drivingmom]

My DD is 11 (L7) and the coach told me she needs to gain strength for the bars. Does any have an recommendations other than push ups and pull ups etc at home? Would it be crazy to consider an athletic trainer?

 

[my4buffaloes]

Do you have a conditioning coach at the gym? Maybe they could give you some ideas of things to work on at home. If not and the coaches can't either, then maybe seeing an athletic trainer once or twice for ideas wouldn't be a bad idea.

 

[coachmolly]

Gymnastics strength, especially for bars, tends to be a little bit different than typical strength- largely because in gymnastics you need strength with correct body positions and technique. So if you were to explore the trainer route, I think I would want it to be with a trainer experienced in gymnastics and working with your DD's coach to develop the most effective plan. Talk with your DD's coaches and see what they recommend her doing, either in downtime at the gym or at home. They'll probably know what your DD needs most.
I'm wondering why they aren't doing this strength as part of practice? Most kids around level 6-7 can do with more strength, so it would seem smart to just implement it into practices.

 

[Deleted member D3987]

Gymnastics strength, especially for bars, tends to be a little bit different than typical strength- largely because in gymnastics you need strength with correct body positions and technique. So if you were to explore the trainer route, I think I would want it to be with a trainer experienced in gymnastics and working with your DD's coach to develop the most effective plan. Talk with your DD's coaches and see what they recommend her doing, either in downtime at the gym or at home. They'll probably know what your DD needs most.
I'm wondering why they aren't doing this strength as part of practice? Most kids around level 6-7 can do with more strength, so it would seem smart to just implement it into practices.

you took those words right out of my mouth.

 

[drivingmom]

The gym is big on strength and conditioning, but the coach said it takes time (she had been at this gym less than a year). I however was always told she is very strong. She is the biggest 11 year on the team. When the girls arm wrestle or hand have handstand contests she always wins and is much stronger than her old sister a prep op gold.

Anyway just wondering if anyone has used a special trainer or think it can be beneficial.

Thanks for any help.

 

[2gymmies]

My first thought was core strength not upper body strength! Lots of core exercises...some of the bar conditioning we do is upper body, but most seems more core related. Windshield wipers (hanging hands and feet to the bar, back and forth with your legs), around the clock (clockwise and counterclockwise), levers (chin up pull over and back down to chin up and back over, etc. - core and upper body), leg lifts ( start in an L and feet to the bar, back to the L, etc.), and not on the bar but presses, candlesticks, lemon-limes (v-up, straddle up, alternating). Just my thoughts...

 

[sportyspice]

Make sure she has enough protein in her diet. My DD found handstand push ups and training olympic weightlifting with her brother helped (fully supervised by coach). Totally agree about core strength. Best to find exercises that work core at same time as upper body.

 

[MaryA]

DD's gym has a "special" coach who comes in 2x a week to teach "conditioning for injury prevention" and it's mainly core strength stuff. My daughter LOVES it. Freak.

 

[BlairBob]

Bar strength is about lots of core and upper body strength.

For home that means a lot of pullups and leg lifts. Pushups work upper body strength but many kids have weak core strength and perform them poorly because they hate them or because their core is weak. At home, you can have her attempt pushups where her feet are elevated higher than her hands (this progresses to doing pushups while in handstand eventually which is very deltoid and tricep dependent).

If she was going to work out at a gym, focus on the overhead press. It works both upper body strength and core strength.

However, I doubt she needs to get a personal fitness trainer. More strength work. Pullups, dips, leg lifts, etc.