Kilogram for kilogram, gymnasts are perhaps the strongest athletes in the world. But it’s not because they pick up a lot of heavy objects. Many of them don’t lift weights at all. They either practise gymnastics or do body weight exercises. This just goes to show that you don’t need high tech training equipment to be strong and muscular. You need a bunch of low tech things and the grit to pull you along. Though it takes years to develop the specific muscles that allow gymnasts to perform those complicated routines, there are learnings from their routines that allow you to get on track. That’s why we’ve created a plan that will let you train your muscles the way a gymnast does but without needing to be a world class athlete. By combining the classic body weight exercises (you’ll add resistance to some) and cutting edge training techniques found in this workout, you’ll build shirt splitting muscle, realworld strength and a more athletic-looking body. And you won’t have to spend hours at the gym you’ll be in and out in under 50 minutes. You can jump hoops now!
CHINUP
Grab a chinup bar with a shoulder- width, underhand grip, cross your ankles behind you, and hang with your arms straight. Pull yourself up as high as you can. Pause, and then lower your body to the starting position. (Hard? Perform it on a lat pulldown machine.) To add to the challenge, hold a dumbbell between your feet or attach a weight plate to a dipping belt (most gyms have one) and hang it around your waist.
T PUSHUP
Perform a basic pushup, but as you push your body back up, rotate the right side of your body upward and raise your right arm quickly as if you’re trying to touch the ceiling. Yo should be facing sideways with both arms straight, so that they form a T. Return to the starting position and repeat, this time lifting the opposite arm and turning the other way. To make it harder, hold a light dumbbel in each hand as you do the exercise
INVERTED ROW
Secure a bar 3 to 4 feet above the floor. Lie under the bar and grab it with a shoulder-width, overhand grip. Hang at arm’s length from the bar with your body in a straight line from ankles to shoulders. Keeping your body rigid, pull your chest to the bar. Pause, and then lower yourself back to the starting position.
SWISS-BALL PLANK
Place your elbows on a Swiss ball and your feet on a bench, so that your body is stretched out like itis during a pushup. It should form a straight line from shoulders to ankles. Contract and brace your abdominals. Hold this position for 60 seconds. Rest 60 seconds, and repeat one time. Each week, try to extend the time you hold the plank by 10 to 15 seconds.