Easy Gymnastics Training

Pound for pound, gymnasts are some of the strongest athletes in the world. Take former gymnast Andrew Speer, C.S.C.S., owner of Speer Strength in New York City. (That’s him in the photo above.)

He’s one of the lightest men to ever complete the Russian Kettlebell Challenge “Beast Tamer,” in which he had to perform a pistol squat, a single-arm press, and a pullup—each with a 48-kilogram (106-pound) kettlebell.

HOLLOW-BODY HOLD AND HOLLOW-BODY ROCK

On your first day of training as a gymnast, you learn the hollow-body hold. The foundational position teaches you to brace your abdominals and create total-body tension—two skills that are integral to the sport, says Speer.

HOLLOW PULLUP

There’s only one way a gymnast performs a pullup—and that’s with a hollow-body position, according to Speer. And it should be the way every guy performs the exercise.

L-SEAT

Gymnasts perform this move on the parallel bars and rings. “It’s an isometric exercise that challenges the strength and stamina of your rectus abdominus (six-pack muscles), hip flexors, lats, and triceps,” says Speer.

PLANCHE PUSHUP

Gymnasts perform the planche to demonstrate their extreme upper-body strength and endurance. They even lift their feet off the floor until their body is parallel to the ground.

FORWARD ROLL

“Rolling is the foundation of tumbling in gymnastics,” says Speer. “It improves your spacial awareness and body control.”

Sure, you may not do back handsprings any time soon (or ever), but you should learn to somersault, he advises. “It’s hands-down the best way to prevent injury during a fall.”