How Much is Too Much in Gymnastics? How Chronic Stress Impacts Young Athletes

Today on the blog I’m really excited to get out a new lecture that has been in the works for a while. It is one that I feel is the msot central topic currently facing gymnastics – how much is too much for young gymnasts?

This podcast is from a lecture I recently gave for the first time on the concepts of properly dosing stress, and the thin line between pushing for high performance and negatively impacting health.

The reality is that the proper dosage of mental, physical, and emotional stress in gymnastics can be a good thing, and when approached correctly actually is very good for developing youth athletes.

The other reality is that when not approached correctly, the massively destructive impact of chronic stress on a young athlete can quickly pop up. It can come in the form of overuse injuries, poor performance, burnout, massive mood swings, and many other negative mental health effects.

After reading this research for a few years, I was blown away to see the impact that both positive and negative approaches to this field can have. With great coaching, environment, and application of the science in training, it’s amazing what good can come from properly pushing athletes. In the opposite light with fear-based coaching, toxic training environments, and a haphazard approach to training, things can spiral out of control quickly.

This hour long podcast was taken from the lecture I recently gave, and shares all my current thoughts on this topic ranging from culture development in gymnastics, fear based vs transformative coaching styles, periodization, physical preparation, and the impact gymnastics can have on kids.

Click below to listen on iTunes, Stitcher, or Spotify. Also, remember if you rate and review the podcast by Dec 28th you are entered to win a SHIFT Shirt and free Skype Consult!