How To Get Back Into Gymnastics After Years

You stumbled upon this content because you want to know how to get back into gymnastics after years. Well, my answer for you is to return to the basics. You want to begin with strengthening your core muscles(abdominals).

When a person first starts gymnastics, their beginning experience will depend on how old they are at the time.

Many gymnasts say in the beginning that Gymnastics is thrilling, exciting, and scary at the same time.

Starting at a young age is best for gymnastics because the Fear Factor heightens as a person ages. You could begin a bit late and do pretty good, but others won’t.

In whichever case, you need determination to thrive. After all, the biggest villain is yourself.

But now, you dropped gymnastics for one, two, or more reasons. You want to get back into everything, but it’s been years since you last attempted those skills and routines.

Read this content for guidance!

 

Go Back To The Basics

Start with fundamental workouts like; aerobics exercises that will strengthen your legs, arms, lungs, heart, and abdominal muscles.

After some time, do some tumbling with simple equipment and continue this pattern for a couple of weeks.

Step up the difficulty level of your gymnastics routines but be careful. Do more reps to lengthen your muscles. Avoid lifting heavy weights.

The trick here is to start with the fundamental exercises you learnt when you ranked as beginner-gymnast with zero experience.

In this stage, your workouts should pass off as pre-gymnastics exercises.
As your body flexibility, agility, and strength return, you can start integrating more complex moves.
But if you can’t access Gymnastics Equipment or a Coach, settle for simple routines.

 

Don’t attempt difficult moves

Until you have access to a Gymnastics Facility and a Gymnastics Coach, stay away from difficult skills.

You can join community gym programs where you could meet gymnasts of all ages, classes, and levels, and get access to rec teams and open gyms.

With this option, you can pop up anytime for a Structured Class if you want to work on your flexibility and strength but don’t have access to any facility or a coach.

You could engage with a coach in the future, but a community gym program will give you strength training in preparation.

If you want a future in gymnastics after returning to it, you will need a gymnastics coach and a Gymnastics Facility. Nevertheless, a Gymnastics Online Forum is a nice place to start.

 

How Does It Feel Returning To Gymnastics After Years?

You’ll walk in and in a split second, the memories of a younger you will flood your thoughts when you inhale the dust of chalk that lingers in the air, or when you hear the laughter of children attempting forward rolls.

Then you’d probably think – why did I leave in the first place?

You’d be surprised by your body’s ability to do fronts on a trampoline without prior preparation. But don’t fret. It’s just your muscle memory at work.

You’ll attempt a cast – pullover – back hip circle. And the sound of your hands hitting the bars will remind you of how great a gymnast you are no matter how many years pass.

You’ll return home and when you’re about to sleep, you will remember your impressive first attempt at gymnastics after many years and fall asleep feeling splendid.

When it’s morning, you’ll try to get up but your body will feel numb. You’ll have trouble walking and bending for a week, but after one week you’ll be alright.

When you feel your body is doing okay, you’ll return to the gym and subject your body to pain again.

But don’t worry!

You’ll be freakishly excited to return to gymnastics after years of dreaming about it.

Do not try to do what you used to do before dropping gymnastics. Focus on stretching and doing strength work.

Take it easy while trying to get your skills back. Ensure your form is perfect on each routine before proceeding with the next.

Don’t overexert yourself or rush things because the harm your body will suffer from rushing a skill will far outweigh the benefits you think you’ll get.

Returning To Gymnastics After An Injury

Acute injuries are common problems among gymnasts.

The most common injury you will find in any adult gymnastics program is pulled or torn hamstrings. Experts suspect the cause to be Strain and Overuse.

Many adults have sedentary jobs. So imagine coming to the gym in the evening to do arabesque on the beam after sitting in one position for the whole day. The chances you’ll pull a muscle become higher.

When you return to gymnastics after a long while, the strength and flexibility you once had won’t be there. For some people, they’ll get everything back quickly and easily, for others, they could end up sustaining an injury.

I guess what I’m trying to say is to take things slow because it’s easy to feel your limits weighing on you.

Warm up effectively and stretch as your life depends on it. Be careful when performing routines, even the seemingly simple ones like cart-wheels.

Work on the beam slowly and steadily.

 

Conclusion

How to get back into gymnastics after years
Gam-Ol / Pixabay

We all know that classes are ten times more difficult the second time around. So imagine returning to something you left after years.

The fact that what you left is gymnastics doesn’t make it easier.

Gymnastics is a high-impact sport so you want to give yourself the best chance of doing well to avoid repeating a level.

You’ll be tackling many difficult levels so you can’t risk repeating a level.

With determination and consistency, you can maximize your chances for success.

 

FAQs

How do I find Gymnastics near me?

Head to Google maps and update your location.

Input “Gymnastics Near Me” in the search field. Navigate the search results on Google Maps to see Gymnastics Community Programs close to your location.

 

Can I watch gymnastics tutorials for basic training?

Yes, you can watch gymnastics tutorials through different videos on YouTube, Google, Facebook, etc.