Increasing Gymnast's Sprint Speed & Tumbling Power Using Weight Training with Tom Callow -

Today in the podcast, I’m very excited to bring on Tom Callow, who is another wonderful strength coach working in Australia.

Tom has a ton of experience, helping gymnasts learn how to lift, helping them get stronger and more powerful, and working on their sprinting speed.

Originally from the UK, he has had various S&C roles with Bristol Academy of Sport, Aus International School Singapore, and now Tom Callow Performance.

His mission is to help athletes maximize opportunities in sport and life.

This is evident on his Instagram which showcases the phenomenal work he is doing with gymnasts and other sporting athletes to get stronger, more powerful, and really be explosive.

We’re seeing more and more gymnasts who are opening their minds and are using the hybrid model of one to two days of general weight training with dumbbells and barbells, and kettlebells, but then still doing two to three days of gymnastic-specific strengthening with rope climbs and leg lifts.

But coaches are still slightly overwhelmed with how to get the best of both worlds.

How do you get somebody stronger, faster, and more powerful from a weight room, but also try to make sure we don’t lose out on those essential handstands, rope climbs, and leg lifts.

I’ve been trying my best to get on a lot of great information about how we get this happy medium between the two.

In our discussion, Tom gives clarity on what general weight room training entails for athletes and explains in a way for coaches, gymnasts, and parents to understand.

We Discuss:

How to integrate general strength training into gymnastics.
The difference between strength training and bodybuilding.
Exercise you need in your general S&C programs for gymnasts.
Why the basics are key.
Exactly how to get stronger and faster for vault.
How much weight to start with and when. And…
Common myths about strength training in gymnastics.

Increasing Gymnast’s Sprint Speed & Tumbling Power Using Weight Training with Tom Callow

If you’re interested in learning more about Tom’s methodology and increasing gymnasts’ sprint speed and tumbling power, be sure to check out his lecture at the 2023 Shift Symposium.