Muscular bodies

[kecks]

which is probably not that clever. they do highly specific strength work (pulling heavy tires while sprinting for example) and plyometric stuff (mihai's leg program and the like) which is very hard on the passive structures of the body and in all other sports requires - at least according to soviet and eastern germany methodology - to get strong using weights beforehand to support those structures from all the pounding. you get strong, then you start the highly specific explosive and strength work. coaches here say: build a base, then build the house. good on the men to include weight work.

you do not get bigger using weights if you know how to do it. look at the sprinters and jumpers in track: mass is bad there, because this is extra weight the athlete has to carry around. still lots of weight room for them, but no bulk. at all. (excessive bulk going with very little body fat is usually due to steroid use. after some years in the game you know it if you see it.) just lean, fucntional bodies, just like the female american gymnasts.

 

[Terry]

And how are the USA women doing relative to the Russians, Germans and US men? Just sayin'.

 

[kecks]

it is about performance but also about the injury rate. strength work with weights can protect from overuse injuries, especially for females on a calorie restricted low carb diet (which is what most athletes in the speed/explosive department like gymnasts use, have to use to reach that very low body fat levels) who have to endure lots of pounding. weight builds bone density up which lowers the rate of fatigue fractures and the like.

also see: female athlete triad.

 

[coachmolly]

Gymnasts in the US are also utilizing essentially the same training program. There are variations based on coach and athlete personalities, but the physical abilities and skill development is the same for everyone in the elite program from little ones on up and it is very strength focused. I think the type of gymnastics that is being done currently also self selects to some extent, girls who don't have the strength either have endless injuries or just can't keep up.
As far as weights, I don't think most gyms utilize lifting type skills, but many do use kettle bells, hand weights, resistance bands, and other forms of weight training. Lots of gyms in the US, especially those with high level athletes, are also able to utilize physical therapists and athletic trainers well versed in gymnastics to work with their athletes to better develop weak areas.
However, I feel like the US team, and the US National Team as a whole, has a pretty wide variety of body types despite the similarities in training. There are the Simone types who are compact, muscular, fast twitch; the Madison (or Nastia) types who are very tiny and lithe, still very strong but not quite as powerful but often excelling on bars/beam and able to use twisting skills to up floor difficulty; Gabby type athletes who are quick and powerful but also flexible and bit taller making bars a bit easier for them; and I'm sure tons of other combinations and make-ups. Compared to many other teams, the US National Teams are actually quite diverse and have become much more so in recent years.

 

[Terry]

it is about performance but also about the injury rate. strength work with weights can protect from overuse injuries, especially for females on a calorie restricted low carb diet (which is what most athletes in the speed/explosive department like gymnasts use, have to use to reach that very low body fat levels) who have to endure lots of pounding. weight builds bone density up which lowers the rate of fatigue fractures and the like.

also see: female athlete triad.

Right, like the Russian injury rate is something we should be striving to match. I just don't get your point.

 

[Iwannabemargo]

Just a note guys, as a source the Daily Mail (UK newsrag oft termed the Daily Facist) is not the most trusted of sources.

 

[Terry]

Define "weights" - some of them definitely use weights. Maybe not necessarily focusing on Olympic lifts.

Fair point. Gymnasts, including some on our national team, add light weights to increase the difficulty of some of their body weight exercises. So, for example, they might hold an 8 lb weight while doing their basic core exercises etc. I don't consider that weight training. And no girl or woman looks like Simone because they add an 8 lb weight to their basic body weight exercises.

http://www.espn.com/espnw/athletes-...st-aly-raisman-got-body?ex_cid=espnapi_public

 

[Deleted member 18037]

Just a note guys, as a source the Daily Mail (UK newsrag oft termed the Daily Facist) is not the most trusted of sources.

It was from an interview she did with Cosmo

And yikes all the ice

Resistance training be it with machines, free weights, body weight, is weight and conditioning work.

In other words they are doing more then just drilling gymnastics.

 

[Gymmommy71]

I think everyone's body responds differently to upper body strength training - some girls get larger almost like a body builder, and some stay thin and small but are still very strong. I honestly think this is genetics that determines how any one person's body responds and has very little to do w/ the training regimen - I see these differences even among the optional girls at DDs gym from and they are literally doing the exact same workout.

It could be that the ones who's body's bulk out are better at floor and vault, and thus it worked out that this year's US team was mostly bulky girls - but 2012 Gabby, who definitely fell into the thin and small category, was able to vault as well if not better than Aly this year. And Makalya Maroney really isn't very bulky either and she's our best vaulter ever.

 

[thecurseofthechalkyhand]

I think they do a ton of conditioning and weight work over and above their gymnastic training. And a lot of it is genetics.

When I quit smoking oh about 18 yrs ago, I joined a gym and hired at trainer. Changed my body completely. I was "cut". I was single, no kids, and had hours to spend in the gym. Yet I didn't have the "6 pack of some" close but not there. And I would be working out with my trainer and pointing out all the 6 packs I wished for. I was like, "How do I get her 6 pack.????????????? And he would say you would have to be her sister.

I'm not sure why he would tell you this. Getting a six pack is just a function of lowering your body fat enough so that your abs will show. I just saw a pic of Madison, Simone, and Aly on the beach. They all have four packs because they eat "too much" to have six packs. When you realize how little food goes into getting a six pack, maybe you don't want one after all! Link Removed

 

[Deleted member 18037]

When you realize how little food goes into getting a six pack, maybe you don't want one after all! Link Removed

A body builders program to get competition ready is not the life for me.

And there are people genetically predisposed to a 6 pack. I have carried my weight in my belly since birth. So heck no can I do what's required for a 6 pack. A 4 pack I could do though with some effort. My BFF in her hips, thighs and butt. She has A 6 pack easily. Some of it is genetics. I got what he meant.

 

[sce]

I'm not sure why he would tell you this. Getting a six pack is just a function of lowering your body fat enough so that your abs will show. I just saw a pic of Madison, Simone, and Aly on the beach. They all have four packs because they eat "too much" to have six packs. When you realize how little food goes into getting a six pack, maybe you don't want one after all! Link Removed

I am confused by what you call a six pack. Their abs are quite visible and are a six pack.

 

[sce]

Also, both my kids work out far less than elite athletes and probably eat far more. Yet they still have low body fat and very clear six pack abs. Quite impressive honestly.

 

[thecurseofthechalkyhand]

I am confused by what you call a six pack. Their abs are quite visible and are a six pack.

Three rows of visible abs. It's a derp moment for me because at first glance I saw a four pack but since their bottom rows are about even with their belly buttons that means we are seeing the lower four of a six pack. The top two must be covered by their bras.

I'm talking about six packs on adults since the person I was responding to was an adult. The typical adult can not eat whatever they want and still have their abs showing.

 

[txgymfan]

They also have the hip cuts that the swimmers have.

 

[Dahlia]

This article popped up in my fb feed today, and relates to this discussion. Link Removed

 

[sce]

Did not read the article yet, but I actually think that one of the reason gymnasts now look different than in the past is just age. 14 and 15yo girls are still growing and developing and gymnast of those ages often still have little girl bodies. 16-20yo women look different. Look at Shannon Miller from 1992 and 1996.

As well, the difference from the US than other countries now is similar to just the general difference in how people look from those countries. As a generalization Asians are often thinner and smaller (don't flame me, I said it was a generalization.)

 

[txgymfan]

Madison still fits the mold of tiny gymnast.

 

[gymdog]

That article also talks about how she doesn't use weights as part of her training.

Just saw this. I think she mean she doesn't use Olympic lifts or weight machines. She definitely uses weights for rope climbs, leg lifts, etc. Mihai probably has a rep for using weights for gymnastics conditioning more than most coaches.

 

[sewgood]

I think a lot of it is they just do so much conditioning. My kids do way more than I ever did at the same levels. Also, at the elite level, there is physical abilities verification/testing at every single national team camp. It's just as important to hit that is it is to hit their routines.