New Adult Gymnast

[wadergirl]

Hey guys! My name is Sarah, I'm 25 and from Milwaukee, WI. I was a gymnast for almost 10 years as a child, but now its been more than 10 years since I quit and like most teens and adults have been pretty sedentary. I work a desk job sitting 8 hours every day, and then come home to play on the computer. Activity has always been kind of low on my list of priorities, but as I'm really starting to come to the realization that I need a healthier lifestyle, and I want to achieve that with what I loved to do the most, which was gymnastics.

So... what I need right now? I need to find a gym that offers and adult class (thats not in the middle of the workday like my old Club) and I need to find a calisthenics and stretching regimen that works with my body type (I'm 5'4", 150ls, and naturally top heavy at 34F) so I can regain some of my flexibility and the skills I've lost over the years.

 

[ryantroop]

Congratulations on your choice of sport!! I wish you the best of luck..

While the list given is not necessarily the best, this is a "complete" list of gyms in Wisconsin.

Clubs

There are 2 in milwaukee, and a few in Waukesha/Gemantown/LaCrosse (I think those are close to Milwaukee.. I haven't been in the area since I went to Marquette almost 8 years ago..)

However, you can look at that list and start calling around and asking if they have adult programs, and the times they have available.

Good luck!!

Ryan

 

[Kiwi]

(I'm 5'4", 150ls, and naturally top heavy at 34F)

Wow, me too! Except I'm 44, not 25. I went back to gymnastics about a year ago after a 30 year gap (and I wasn't very good back then either). It is great fun and I found that although I was pretty rusty, most of the skills did come back even after all that time. I hope you can find a good class!

 

[wadergirl]

Thanks for the list of gyms.

I'm pretty familiar with most in the Metro-Milwaukee area, and there are only two that I know of with adult or adult-friendly programs.

Wildcard Gymnastics is adult friendly and was willing to put me in with their teenage level 6'rs. Not a bad option, but I'm starting at the ground level, and just watching one of their practices take off was too much for me to handle.

Swiss Turners has a nice adult program and I liked the coach, but they only have classes twice a week, once on Saturdays that I cant make, and the other from 3pm-4pm on a Tuesday. Unfortunately as a working adult, I cant take time out of my paying job to go to gymnastics (or I wouldn't have a job anymore in this economy) and though I asked they won't hold a class after 5pm because evenings are essentially reserved for teams and other FULL classes (there were only 5 adults who irregularly showed when I was going there).

Milwaukee Turners I think has at least adult friendly classes, if not specifically adult classes, but though they are closest to where I live, they are also downtown which makes them kind of hard to get to. They'll be my next stop though. Edit: Just checked their website and they aren't currently offering adult classes and are only open 3 days per week for their other classes, so I'm not sure if I can arrange anything with them right now.

 

[polevaultpower]

Maybe you could find a yoga class or the like to help you get more flexible and ease back into things. You're probably not fit enough to jump right back into a level 6 class, but if you got your fitness/strength/flexibility up, maybe in 6 months or a year you'll be in better shape to join a teenage class.

Even around your house you can do all kinds of body weight exercises/stretches to begin getting where you want to be.