Why Gymnasts Must Change How They Land
The topic of how a gymnast should land continues to be controversial for many coaches, gymnasts, and judges. I'm not the first person to bring this up, as my good friend Dr. Josh Eldridge as well as Rick McCharles have written on this up before.…
Treat Strength Like Skill Training – A Change In The Gymnastics Strength and Conditioning Paradigm
Today I am happy to bring readers another fantastic guest post by Rupert Egan. Rupert wrote Part 1 of this article series a while back, and I'm excited he is back for Part 2. I think Rupert brings up some crucial points here that coaches and…
Rehab Tips For Clinicians To Treat Gymnasts with Extension Based LBP – Part 5: Return To Training
Over the last two months I've been outlining my thought process for the rehabilitation of gymnasts with extension based lower back pain. The acute phase, sub acute phase, intermediate phase, and advanced phase of rehabilitation were Parts 1…
Rehab Tips For Clinicians To Treat Gymnasts with Extension Based LBP – Part 4: Advanced Phase
Over a few different posts in the last month, I have been offering my thoughts behind the rehab progression of a gymnast with extension based low back pain. In Part 1 I first covered the acute phase, then in Part 2 the subacute phase, then in…
Rehab Tips For Clinicians To Treat Gymnasts with Extension Based LBP – Part 3: Intermediate Phase
Over the last few weeks I have been trying to offer some of my thoughts around how I approach the rehabilitation program of a gymnast with extension based back pain. In part 1 I went over calming down acute hypersensitivity and addressing issues…
From Clinic To Practice #4: Gymnast With Chronic Hamstring Injury and “Tightness”; Due To Core Control Issues
I recently evaluated an optional gymnast who was struggling in the last year with pretty intense high hamstring pain and "tightness" limiting her splits, leaps, sprinting for Yurchenko's, and inbar skills. As it turned out, I felt her hamstring…
Why I Don’t Use Ankle Weights With My Gymnasts
To start, I'm aware this is another controversial topic in gymnastics. I have spent quite a long time organizing my thoughts and how to present them in a positive, constructive article. As a younger coach, I used to do a ton of ankle weight…
Mobility Exercise’s To Boost Shoulder Health In Male Gymnasts (Part 1)
Although I do spend more time in women's gymnastics, I want to start offering more information to help take care of the male gymnasts out there. Growing up and training, I had my fair share of injuries and wished that I had some ways to proactively…
Gymnastics and Lifting Weights: Don’t Fear Plates, Kettlebells, and Barbells.
This is an extremely controversial topic in gymnastics: should gymnasts use external weights and barbell work for strength. This "elephant in the room" concept is way too big of an issue to address in one blog post, but I still want to open…
Guest Post By Rupert Egan: Gymnastics Periodization To Maximize Performance (Part 1)
Today I'm super excited to start a guest post series from my friend Rupert Egan. I originally starting talking with Rupert last year regarding strength and conditioning concepts for gymnasts. I recently had the chance to spend a week with…