Light Gymnastics and Oly Lifting

[Kevin Perry]

Question on incorporating the two. If gaining mass is not a concern and the main focus is Oly Lifting, can basic gymnastics work such as handstands, HSPU, ring work, and L-sit etc., be detrimental towards Oly lifting?

[Coach Sommer]

The following is an excerpt from an email I received from an Olympic Lifter who only had the highest compliments to give regarding the efficacy of combining gymnastics conditioning with Olympic Lifting.

Yours in Fitness,
Coach Sommer

www.GymnasticBodies.com


"Dear Coach Sommer,
First I would like to say I love your articles and am looking forward to your books. I am a 285 pound Olympic Lifter and gymnastics training is a big part of our teams training. We do handstand pushups, frog stands, pull-ups, dips, parallet training, back flips and hand springs… I really like the gymnastics work, my jerk went up 20 kilos in the last 4 months and I think gymnastics had something to do with it.

Thanks,
Vance, 285lb Olympic Lifter"

[Kevin Perry]

Well if thats the case then I look more forward to your books then. Thanks Coach.

[Kevin Perry]

To dwell into this subject a bit more. I coul use some advice from Steven or Coach on this. What are your recommendations for building a program around gymnastics for someone who has no experience in it? Im looking for some thing to work on but there is a lot of information on the internet it's a bit hard to put together something. I have a pair of parralettes and some rings and I would like to start there.

Bassically, I strength train twice a week normally on Mon and Fri and Oly on Wed. I'd like to mix some gymnastics work in between there if possible but really Im not sure what to start working on. I thought that working an L-sit up to 60 seconds, frog stand/tuck planche up to 60 seconds, and tuck front lever up to 60 seconds, and practicing on a handstand would be good areas to focus on. What are your opinions?