Someone, I think in the forums or maybe in a comment to another post, asked earlier today why gymnasts are so muscular even though they don’t lift weights, and if starting gymnastics training would be a good idea for him to gain muscle.
Regarding the question “why are gymnasts so muscular?” I direct your attention to the following video, which captures mere school girls training for gymnastics. Observe the 5 million jumps, flips, hand stands, band training, and sprinting. Even when you use only bodyweight for these exercises, the power and repetitions over time are going to build really strong muscles – in the core, arms, legs, everywhere.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WC0X97kEhRg
Is it a good idea for a grown man to start gymnastics training? No, not really. You will get some benefits from it, but it’s not going to build bodybuilder muscles if you’re just starting out in your 20’s or 30’s. In fact you are more likely to hurt yourself… I’m not even sure if you can find a place to train 30 year old gymnasts who don’t have any experience with the sport.
Pick and choose some of the exercises that gymnasts use like jumps, handstand push ups, pull ups, muscle ups, and work them into your routine. You will most likely improve your conditioning, build speed and power, and increase your flexibility. Not a bad idea, but not a type of training that I’d bet the farm on.
Here’s another one if you don’t believe me.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KqFQ7cqKBoTags: bodybuilding, Conditioning, gymnastics
That Chinese Gymnast video looks like straight torture. The one from Texas looked amazing but man those kids in China don’t look like their having any fun at all…
There’s a reason why they start out so young, so they ca use the body’s natural flexibilty at that age and so they can get into the training regime early on. I agree, gymnastics for adults can do more damage than good, especially if you’ve been a sedentary person for the last 20 years.