How strong is the average gymnast?

Answer 1

There are two classifications of gymnasts to which this question might apply. Comeptitive gymnasts and recreational gymnasts. Because competitive gymnasts train much more than those who take classes once or twice a week they are usually much stronger as a result. To give you an idea I would like to point out that in the 35 years that I have been coaching gymnastics, each year a few of my team gymnasts, beginners and advanced, broke the record in their school for the fitness tests administered in gym class. These girls beat everyone, including boys their own age and much older. They set the record for their school. This is a very common occurrence among gymnasts. That should give you an idea of how strong gymnasts are compared to the average student. As far as recreational students go, the majority become much stronger than before they began training in gymnastics, even though they might only have class once or twice a week for an hour. This is because so much of the time spent in a gymnastics class or team practice is spent upside down in a handstand, cartwheel or other basic skills. Because they support their body weight on their arms for much of the time they spent in practice they become much stronger than many athletes in other sports. The best thing about it is that gymnastics is so much fun that students hardly notice the amount of work that goes into their average practice session. In comparison, if an athlete has to train with weights to get strong they are at a disadvantage because it isn't much fun and usually most people become bored and stop training. Also, because gymnasts learn a lot of different skills, they also come away from their training with athletic skills that help them to excel in other sports. If you look at gymnasts bodies you will notice that many appear similar to those who train with weights in that they have muscles that are defined and that stand out. Gymnasts muscles are as strong as they can be but without getting so big that they lose coordination and flexibility. That is a big advantage for people interested in participating in other sports in addition to gymnastics. I hope that this answers your questions.