Elites offer adult classes
Posted By Head Coach Lara McLeod
Posted 3 months ago
The benefits of gymnastics have been shown time and time again. Not only have I have been coaching the sport for many years, I was also a national competitive artistic gymnast and power tumbler. I strongly believe in the benefits of doing this sport for all ages, but this article will focus on adult gymnastics.
You may think that if you are over the age of 15, it is too late to start gymnastics. This is definitely not the case. You may be too late to become an Olympic gymnast, but it is never too late to gain the benefits from practicing this sport. Gymnastics will improve your performance level in all other sports, as well as improving overall fitness and functional strength to a level that most people never attain.
Doctors are finally coming to realize and publicly acknowledging the long term benefits of resistance training. Studies have shown that resistance training improves joint health, maintains muscular development and improves cardiovascular fitness. This is true for people of all ages. Gymnastics is all about resistance training. The conditioning involved in a progressive gymnastics program focuses on functional strength. An elite gymnast's strength to weight ratios are second to none. This is what enables elite gymnasts to perform skills that appear to be humanly impossible. While some of these moves might be out of reach for most people, with a focused gymnastics conditioning program, most adults will become stronger than they have ever been. Not only will this conditioning enable anyone to perform moves that will make most 17 year olds gasp in amazement, but it will also help prevent injuries down the road.
Stretching and flexibility is an area that is sadly lacking from most fitness programs. The 2 to 3 minutes spent stretching before a class is simply not enough. Being flexible allows for greater joint mobility, improves circulation and helps to prevent joint injury. There is a strong focus on flexibility in gymnastics. Most gymnastics skills are greatly benefited by flexibility and others are simply impossible without the proper flexibility. Gymnastics stretching is taught by people who really understand how to improve flexibility quickly and safely. Gymnasts are among the most flexible athletes in the world. As people age their flexibility tends to decrease. This is generally due to a lack of stretching and physical activity rather than simply a result of aging. If flexibility is trained throughout ones' life a high degree of overall wellness can be maintained.
There are a few points that must be considered when starting gymnastics as an adult. First is that it is difficult, at any age! Adults will start out with basic skills, and must be patient in learning new skills.
One of the biggest hindrances I've seen in coaching adult gymnastics is that many adults are embarrassed that 9 year old kids are significantly better than them at the sport. That is why we provide time specifically for adults, so everyone can learn at their own pace in a relaxed environment. Second is an awareness of safe progressions. Adults do have a higher risk of injury than children in the sport. This is due to larger body size. Even though the adult has more muscle mass to buffer the impact of a fall the possibility for injury is increased. That is why proper progression and focus on safety is critical.
The final and most important reason for starting adult gymnastics, it is fun! Learning how to tumble, flip, swing, and come as close to self powered flight as is possible is a blast. Gymnastics is anything but boring. There is always another step to learn. It is possible to learn something new every single class.
If you are looking for a new and fun way to incorporate fitness into your life, then this may be the class for you. Everyone is welcome to try one class for free, so come and join us on Wednesday evenings from 8-9pm @ the Sunrise School Division Education Centre (old Elementary School) on 2nd Street North. If you decide to stick with it, the cost is $10 per class, plus a one-time insurance fee of $12.50. Check out our website @ www.beausejourelites.ca for more information.
