Do you do strength work at home?

[Jumeriah]

My daughter started gym a year ago and is doing well, she is yet to master the press but is getting there. I spent 2.5hrs at the gym yesterday watching and learning where she is up to and where she needs to be.

We have to work on her strength especially shoulder chest etc and her flexibility (splits etc)

He showed me some exercise to do with her at home which we started today and will do every day she isn't at gym.

I have no experience so have had her coaches show me each exercise.

Do you do anything at home with your child? Has it helped?

 

[ruby&jack]

We do a little, when my daughter feels like it. She sets out what she wants to do, and does it.
Mostly push ups, planking, V snaps, sit ups, etc.. not sure what she is expected to be doing, but she likes doing these.

 

[Ex member]

My youngest dd started "proper" gymnastics in November, she could nearly do the left splits and was a good few inches off her right and middle splits, she couldn't do chin ups or pullovers.

Fast forward to now and she can get her left splits to the ground (this is after warming up and doing conditioning during her 2 1/2 hour class), she likes to show me after class, her right splits is close to the ground and her middle splits has improved a lot, she can do a pancake stretch and get her chest to the floor. As dd only does on class a week at the moment they have been encouraged to work on splits at home.

I brought my dd a chin up bar mid January and she has been doing assisted pull ups and can now pullherself up so her shoulders nearly get to the bar (she is able to hold her self like this in a tuck for several seconds), she can do a pike hang for 10 seconds (could barely lift her legs before), a straddle hang for 11 seconds and a tuck hang for 20 seconds. Dd can now do pullovers from her folded mat at home and has managed to do one at the gym from a spotting stool (bar still above head height).

Dd has got stronger over the past 2 months from using the chin up bar and has looked to me as if her upper body is changing shape (she is a tiny 7 year old). Dd says that she can feel it in her tummy when she does pullovers so I guess her core muscles must get a good work out as well as her arms and upper body)

 

[Supportive_Mum]

hey Tiny Dancer where do you buy a pull up bar from...my daughter would love one...she is always using the handle bars of my exercise bike!

 

[Faolmor]

My obsessive little DD (who is still only doing fun classes) has started trying to do chin-ups (pull-ups? I never know which is which) at home. We have a bar in the shed - it's one of those single wooden bars with a metal frame. It was given to us by the people who lived here previously when they moved interstate, whose DD was also into gymnastics. I'm pretty sure it came from the beam shop.

I'm actually amazed how strong little kids - and in particular - how strong little girls can be, and just how fast they can improve! Just over the past week of swinging (all supervised by me...she's not allowed to touch it unless I'm there, literally standing ready to catch her if she comes off), she can now *nearly* pull her chin up to the bar; if I lift her up, she can easily hang with her chin held to the bar for 10 seconds (so, with bent arms), can hold an L shape for 10 seconds, can lift her toes up to touch the bar between her hands and outside her hands, and she can jump and catch the bar and swing out easily. A few weeks ago, she couldn't do any of this.

I'm not really one for allowing her to practice at home, aside from dancing around the living room doing "routines." And since she doesn't do "proper" gym yet, she doesn't need to do any strength stuff...she just does it because she likes playing on her bar. It does amaze me what a child with a bit of drive and determination can do! I wish I knew how to bottle it...