WAG How long does it take for strength training to show results on bars?

[FloMoGymMom]

My DD is fairly weak on bars as a L5. She recently changed gyms and they do the TOPS conditioning program, which is much more intense than her previous conditioning. How many weeks of that conditioning will pass before it really starts to show on bars?

 

[wh/gh]

That's a complicated question. Getting stronger will definitely help gymnastics in general - but it isn't just a question of getting stronger. One also has to translate strength into technique. Different kids also build strength in different areas at different rates. The conditioning program changes results, too - at a given point in the season, the coaches may design conditioning to target different skills/motions in different ways.

So the answer is - more strength can't hurt. Hard to say when or how it will show. Maybe months rather than weeks, I'd think.

 

[FloMoGymMom]

Thanks, that's a fair answer. I didn't know if there was a standard..

 

[gymjunkie]

6-8 weeks if it's a good program. Just because it has the name TOPs attached to it doesn't mean it is.

 

[needcoffee]

It's a really slow process IMO. Or maybe that's just my kid. She's been at gym for not quite 2 years, started on the level 3 team, now training level 6 and I've only recently noticed she's starting to get stronger on bars. It's taken her nearly a year to connect a kip to a decent cast.

They do a lot of strength and conditioning too.

 

[Ausi_poppet]

I don't think it's as simple as just having strength either. Our coach not only works on strength numbers, but strength with weights and timed routines. He's mentioned in the past that for gymnasts to be able to master the more difficult skills where they are shifting their body weight quickly, they have to not only be strong but be able to activate the muscles quickly.

From what I've seen in our gym, it takes a couple of months for the strong girls to progress a kip cast to past horizontal into a kip cast to handstand, and the same with a clear hip to handstand. Then the whole issue of confidence comes into it - being able to confidently do it in a competition, just like they do at training.

But being at a gym that has a really high quality strength program is going to help your daughter gain more difficult skills and reach her longer term goals, no question about it.

 

[Mrs. Puma]

We switched gyms June 23 and I'd say before the end of the summer there was a noticeable strength difference, so about 6 weeks? She went from maybe an hour a week to about four hours a week of conditioning. But, she still doesn't have a straight arm kip. It's MUCH better, but like the others have said I think strength alone won't necessarily perfect bars. Good luck!!

 

[Aussie_coach]

When you start a better quality strength program you do start to see some results very quickly. It will take some time for huge gains, but small gains are often seen in a matter of weeks.

 

[kris]

My DD has been doing new conditioning routines at a new gym since June and it just now starting to see real differences, as in she came home and said she nailed every single level 8 bar routine yesterday on a day when she was very tired before gym started. Her bars coach just started new shoulder conditioning with her about a month ago, in addition to all the conditioning the rest of her team does, and that likely also has something to do with a sudden upturn in her bar work.

 

[Muddlethru]

According to my daughter's PT, it takes 3 weeks to develope a muscle group. It is easier for a well comditioned athlete to pick up a skill. So once she developes the required strength, tack onto that how ever long it takes to teach a skill, learn a skill, perfect a skill and any other individual factors like fear, etc. There is no clear cut formula. But strength certainly helps.

 

[catova]

That's a complicated question. Getting stronger will definitely help gymnastics in general - but it isn't just a question of getting stronger. One also has to translate strength into technique. Different kids also build strength in different areas at different rates. The conditioning program changes results, too - at a given point in the season, the coaches may design conditioning to target different skills/motions in different ways.

So the answer is - more strength can't hurt. Hard to say when or how it will show. Maybe months rather than weeks, I'd think.

I agree with this and similar comments above. When my DD switched gyms, within a month, she was doing new skills (clean giants, free hip to handstands) and within 4 months, she won bars at states and regionals. Yes, the conditioning was a little more intense - more strength helps. But she said the big difference was the coaching/feedback she got on 'timing', when to shift her weight. The coach would literally say 'shift now' or 'push now' for the first few weeks and bam, that did it. Technique and timing adjustments were far more important for her than strength differences. The physics of bars is pretty interesting!

 

[Deleted member 14190]

Depends if the child is doing it. In other words, the weak kids almost always cheat, thats why they are still weak. So if the new strength program is intense, (coaches are on them) then you will see results in a few weeks.

 

[JoyAvenueMom]

Kipper switched to a new gym with a much better strength training program. It took about 6 weeks to start seeing some results, and about 5 months to see significant improvement on bars. I"m sure a lot of that was technique as well as strength, but not doubt the strength helped tons!

 

[duyetanh]

Depends if the child is doing it. In other words, the weak kids almost always cheat, thats why they are still weak. So if the new strength program is intense, (coaches are on them) then you will see results in a few weeks.

Wow. This is sooo true at my dd's gym...and gee, guess what? The ones who cheat aren't moving up now that the next level requires the bloody k**....