Hi! Brand new to the forum and to the gymnastics scene

[Swift]

Hello everyone. A few things about myself. I am 23 years old and I am currently serving in the military. Very recently I hit a point in my life where I have this huge void in my life where I need a hobby I can pour all my effort into and have something to strive to get better at. I am already taking up dancing (I am currently doing swing) and although that is fun, I want to focus my endurance and athleticism from running and weight training into a sport I feel would compliment that. I am a workable stature for it (5'4 125lbs) but other than that I am completely new to the whole thing.

I also noticed I couldn't make a thread in question and answers so I figure I would just ask it here:

-Obviously I am not intending to be olympics bound, but do you think at my age it would be possible for me to eventually work towards becoming proficient at rings or tumble gymnastics? Maybe even pummel? It just seems like the only deterrent is that since I am older I didn't grow up with it so everything will come about harder for me. But that's fine, I love a challenge.

-if I did want to compete, do they have age brackets? How hard are adult gymnastic schools to come across?

-since I do go to the gym, what would be good exercises for me to develop in before I even step foot in a gymnastics gym?

-What do you guys do for legs?

I just wanted to make sure if my efforts if I were to pour them all in I would be in adequate standings to get decent enough at this to compete locally or nationally.

 

[mustlovejumping]

Welcome to the CB!! It is definitely not too late for you to learn. I am not a guy so I can't give you perfect advice, but I know any type of upper body strength, core strength, and leg strength can only help.

As far as adult classes go, the best thing to do is call around to gyms in your area and ask if they have any kind of adult class or open gym for adults. There are a few adult competitions but most of them are just for fun.

My last suggestion would be to just have fun with it. It's great to have goals, but we're adults with responsibilities and life can get in the way sometimes. The only way to advance as fast as kids is to train at least as many hours as they do, if not more, which is fairly unrealistic (although not impossible, there are some people who do it!) for most adults. As long as you are getting a great workout and having fun, you should be satisfied.

 

[Swift]

thanks for the warm reception mustlovejumping!

yeah if I were to compete it would be just to have the competitive element, but in a fun manner.

and that's precisely what I wanted gymnastics for. The strength gains and overall limberness and full package that comes from a gymnast's rigorous training regimen. That's what I care about, and it gives me something to work at and get better at.

But yeah I would only be able to give three days of the week towards it, but I could make up for it by doing about 2-3 hours on those days. There is literally no way to go to a class on one of my work days. it's literally impossible. haha