Strict Gymnastics as a Base

The height of a pyramid is the width of its base. This is a popular analogy in fitness, and it is used to show that the greater general fitness base an athlete has, the more potential he has in his top-end performance. This is easy to see in weightlifting. If an athlete wants to clean 200 lbs, he needs to first be able to deadlift and squat more than 200 lbs. The higher his base (deadlift and squat), the more potential he will have to clean a heavier weight. In gymnastics, our base is our strict movements. Having stronger strict gymnastics movements will allow us to have more control and be able to adjust ourselves when kipping is inefficient. If we have a stronger base, we also drastically reduce the chance of injury during kipping movements. For example, when we try to learn how to move better for a barbell movement, we use lighter weights. It is much easier to learn barbell movements with a low percentage of our max. When you lift at lighter weights, you are adding to your efficiency by increasing the amount of reps you can lift at higher and higher percentages of your max. As your squat goes up, so will all of your other lifts. People often forget that this same idea carries over to gymnastics. For gymnastics, we don’t get to choose the weight that day. Similarly, as our strict pull up strength grows, our body weight becomes a lower percentage of our max. Your strict pull up strength can be viewed the same as your back squat. If, for instance, you can only manage one strict pull up, you would have to be 100% efficient in kipping muscle ups to be able to perform one, which would be impossible. If you can increase your strict pull up strength, then performing a single muscle up will require a smaller percentage of your strength. When trying to learn or improve on a gymnastic skill, approach it from both sides. Perform strict gymnastic skills while also practicing kipping efficiency – just as weightlifters still squat to increase their base.