strength/flexibility exercises for 5yo?

[sister]

I have a 5yo boy in a 'boys beginner' class at our local gym. They are learning extremely basic MAG skills. He is the smallest in his class, but has good focus and gives it a great effort. He wants to "get stronger and more stretchy."

Forgive my vocabulary, I come from ballet and cheerleading.

We have been taking 20-30 minutes after school each day to do light stretches (straddle, pike, standing hamstring stretch, shoulder/arm stretches) and to practice some strength things he does in class (pushups, table tops, bridge, "spider/bear walking", and handstands against the wall.) I have him hold the stretches and the strength positions for slow ten counts and then carefully lower down (no "collapsing," which he thinks is hilarious but looks dangerous to me).

Should I add/omit anything? I realize this seems like quite a 'regimen' to some, but he loves 'practicing' and it gives him self confidence when he manages to keep up with the bigger boys. This is fun for him, and he manages to focus and work on gymnastics like he won't with anything else.

A bonus question: his push-up form (and those of many in his class, actually) is ATROCIOUS. It's like he doesn't even understand the exercise. Anyone work with kids/have to teach a really dense person what a push-up was before? On second thought, maybe he's just not strong enough to do a full push-up? With some coaxing and help with his body positioning I have him hold a mid push-up position (up on toes, straight body, arms bent) for a slow ten count like the other positions. But as soon as we try to move it, it's butt and knees everywhere!

I appreciate any help/advice you can offer.

 

[Bobby]

If he's strong enough, "wheelbarrow" is fun. (You hold his feet while he walks along on his hands with straight arms - as if you're pushing a lawn mower - but you have to be careful to put him down before he runs out of puff or he'll fall on his face). It's very strengthening but without the need for tecnique of a push up.

 

[BlairBob]

I did some rudimentary foundation work on an article about scaling pushups.

A pushup is anywhere from 55-75% of your BW that you are pushing. It's not that cut and dry since you also have to have a strong enough torso to stabilize.

That's a lot for young children and those that are weak. That was basically the whole point of my would-be article that I never finished.

Start with pushups on the wall.
Then do pushups with his hands much higher than his feet. I would aim to keep the body at a 45 degree angle but having him put his hands on a small table or chair should suffice.
Next would be pushing while off the knees.

Another drill is to start from the bottom and push to the pushup/front prone support position.

Doing bent arm holds at 50% of the ROM (in the middle) help as middle. Hold at top, middle, and bottom. Similar to doing a flex arm hang for pullup training.

Other basics should be skin the cats, L or tuck supports/sits and pullup either doing them horizontally or spotted.

Another good basic is mastery of holding a lunge position and walking lunges besides something called a deck squat. Starting from a stand, sit to bottom, rock backwards to a yoga shoulderstand and stand up.

Here's a good start Powered by Google Docs

I would substitute regular situps for giant situps, glute bridges instead of push-ham (or better yet glute bridge slides with a frisbee), basic Headstands and handstands on the wall or "free" instead of headstand>handstand pushups, and simple hanging tuck holds or lifts until he can do them with straight legs.

 

[emorymom]

I don't know that this applies to your situation, but my son's tumbling team works their push ups with their butts way up in the air. This is how he wants them to practice. I guess it works more shoulders than chest or something. My daughter's WAG team does them as typical.

 

[gymdog]

I don't know that this applies to your situation, but my son's tumbling team works their push ups with their butts way up in the air. This is how he wants them to practice. I guess it works more shoulders than chest or something. My daughter's WAG team does them as typical.

Depending on their position, they might be doing piked pushups which are more like a beginning exercise for handstand pushups (upper body is inverted - pike position - but some weight is still on the floor). The benefit of "typical" pushups is that holding the body straight strengthens the core. Doing a pike pushup/handstand pushup is a little harder on the arms.

 

[Mack_the_Ripper]

If he's strong enough, "wheelbarrow" is fun. (You hold his feet while he walks along on his hands with straight arms - as if you're pushing a lawn mower - but you have to be careful to put him down before he runs out of puff or he'll fall on his face). It's very strengthening but without the need for tecnique of a push up.

I used to make my dad "wheelbarrow" me from the kitchen up to my bedroom every night before bed, probably when I was 5 - 7. I thought it was super fun, and I didn't dislike it the way many kids dislike strength training. I still think wheelbarrows are fun!

 

[BlairBob]

I don't know that this applies to your situation, but my son's tumbling team works their push ups with their butts way up in the air. This is how he wants them to practice.

From a tumbling perspective, strength in the shoulder girdle and HS is much more important than strength in the chest and pushing horizontally since the support and push is all through the shoulders.

However, for MAG, well you need to be strong in all 3 directions of pushing. Up through the shoulders, down through the support, and horizontally. Actually you need to be able to push behind you as well like a rear/back support/table (think pushup position flipped over).

 

[coachmolly]

I assign push-ups to my younger classes every once in a while for conditioning and usually just assign a very small number at one time, the more they do the worse their positions seem to get, and stand over them ready to correct their positions. I also really emphasis the bending of the elbows when they go down, not just shrugging their shoulders. Sticking their butt in the air is another problem, so I often find myself leaning their bodies more frontward/over their shoulders more.
I also do what BlairBob suggested and have them put their hands on something elevated (edge of TumblTrak, stack of solid mats, lower beam, etc.) and once again emphasize bending the elbows and trying to touch the elevated surface with their nose. Sometimes the HC has lesson plans that want the 5-6 yo kids do 20 push-ups, in my experience, that just doesn't work, at least not in a row. Split them up in smaller, easier to handle sets and concentrate on good body positions.

 

[BlairBob]

Split them up in smaller, easier to handle sets and concentrate on good body positions.

Bingo, higher rep sets tend to end up being repetitions with more error and done more begrudgingly by young gymnasts.