Body Conditioning Tips for Better Gymnastics

Workouts for competitive sports often include hours of strength training in the gym and vigorous aerobic exercise. Gymnastic workouts, however, vary greatly from the traditional methods of muscular development. Gymnasts must create agility, power, endurance, flexibility and strength by practicing the very exercises executed during competitions. Perform gymnastic conditioning exercises three days a week with a day of rest between workouts to allow time for muscle regeneration.
Chin-ups and Handstands
Build your balance and upper body strength with chin-ups and handstands. Chin-ups should alternate between over-grip and under-grip between sets to concentrate on strengthening different parts of your arms. Perform handstands to gain balance and control, as well as develop upper body and core strength. As you physically progress, try handstand pushups for ultimate balance and strength conditioning. Complete three sets of 10 chin-ups and handstand pushups.
Planches
Planches are gymnastic positions that require no physical movement once you have assumed the position. To build up to performing a straddle planche, which requires great core strength and upper body strength, begin with a frog stance, holding your body weight on the palms of your hands as you rest your bent legs on the outsides of your elbows. Move on to tuck planches, performed in the same manner as the frog stance, except your bent knees are on the inside of your elbows. Straddle planches are a more advanced planche, in which your bent legs are suspended in the air, legs pushed slightly further behind your body. Hold each position for three sets of 10 to 15 seconds.
Drills for Rings
Gymnastic rings offer complete body strengthening drills. Practice performing muscle-ups to learn how to properly hold a basic stance on the rings. Move on to press-to-handstands, swings and flyaways. Complete four to five sets in which you perform five muscle-ups, press-to-handstands and swings. After you perform a flyaway to finish the set, rest for 30 to 60 seconds before going through the round of exercises again.
Drills for Parallel Bars
On the parallel bars, perform half pirouettes and reverse pirouettes, in which you support your body weight on the bars and practice turning your body half way by switching bars with your hands. Move on to kips and kips to L, in which you form an L-shape with your body above the bars as you hold your body weight with your hands. Complete four or five sets of five to 10 repetitions of each parallel bar exercise.