Don't Train Like a Little Kid

We just had regionals and some of the gymnasts did well and some didn't do as well and didn't reach their goal of qualifying to nationals.  I sit down and have conferences with the kids after they are done each season to discuss how they are working and set goals etc.

One of the kids I talked with came from another gym last year. He is very talented and works really hard taking a lot more turns than the other kids. Problem was he was inconsistent when he competed.  He was bummed because he feels he worked harder but got beat by the others.  I told him the problem was he still trained like a little kid and he was taken aback by that.  I had to explain what I meant:

The younger gymnasts have all the energy in the world and just take turn after turn.  This gymnast does that also which at first seems like a great thing. The problem is he took as many bad turns as he took good turns. He didn't absolutely commit to each turn because if he missed he would just make it the next time. I explained that while taking a lot of turns is great, every turn should count.  I would rather he try 4 routines and make 3 then try 7 and make 4.

I explained that every thing he does in the gym should have a purpose. If you are working a particular basic or exercise, really concentrate on what aspect you are working to improve.  Be aware of why you are doing something so you don't just go through the motions. If you don't know why, then ask.

Most importantly if he wasn't doing something that had purpose, then don't do it.  Why expend the energy and time on something that serves no use.  An example is he would get up on high bar and do 15-20 giants (goes around the bar) to "warm up".  He isn't working anything in particular, he's just swinging around the bar.  Of course he's also the kid that always has ripped up hands and wrists. The turn had no purpose. I learned this when I was a college gymnast.  My body would be sore and I wanted to conserve time and energy.  So I would try to get my work done in as few turns as possible.   I was very methodical in my training and didn't waste any time.  The result was I had a really healthy career and I was very consistent.

How does this pertain to you?  I think a lot of times people go through their life and workouts training like a little kid.  They do a lot, but maybe don't put their heart into everything they do, don't know why they are doing something and doing things that aren't beneficial.

If it feels like you are super busy either in life, work or the gym step back and look at your routine.  Try to determine why you are doing each of the exercises/tasks.  If it really doesn't have a purpose then don't do it.  Now put everything you have into the things that will really make a difference.