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Gymnastics Sprint Workouts

By: Jennifer Potts

Break Studios Contributing Writer

Gymnastics sprint workouts should be done by all competitive gymnasts. When completing your gymnastics routines, you will need to have a great deal of endurance. For long periods of time, your body will be working hard. This requires the strength of various muscle groups, as well as optimal lung capacity. One effective way to train for your gymnastics routines is to use sprint workouts.

  1. Use a tempo workout. Tempo training is when you run or jog at a moderate pace for a certain period of time and then run for a period of time at about 75% intensity. This means that when you’re sprinting, you should be running about three-fouths as fast as you can actually run. This is because tempo workouts usually last for a longer period of time. A sample tempo workout would be jogging for one mile, sprinting for another mile and then jogging one more mile.
  2. Ramp up the tempos. Once you have the tempo workout down, you can start to incorporate more sprints for shorter distances. The new tempo workout might include running for 100 yards at a moderate pace. Then, you would sprint at about 90% capacity for 100 yards, and end with a moderate jog of the same distance.
  3. Keep moving. As you complete your sprint workouts, you might have the urge to rest. However, you won’t be able to rest during your gymnastics routines. This means that you should never come to a standstill. Once you complete one set, rest for three minutes or so by walking at a moderate pace. Never stop to stand still. It will affect your endurance training.
  4. Incorporate movement into your speed workouts. Movement means not just running in one straight line or around a track. If you run in a circular or zigzag pattern, for example, you will be building up your agility. This is a very important skill to work on for gymnasts since almost all gymnastic routines require a great deal of agility to complete them successfully.
Posted on: Feb. 22, 2011