Is GST Only for Younger Athletes?
As Gymnastics Strength Training™ spreads and continues to reach a larger audience, there are newcomers who see videos of youth gymnasts and super-fit young adults and think, "Is GST only for younger athletes?" For those of you in your 40's, 50's, or older, there are legitimate concerns that you may have about your joint health, longevity, and your time investment. Is it worth starting gymnastics training as an adult?
As you can imagine, our answer here is a resounding yes. Gymnastics Strength Training™ done properly through the GymnasticBodies curriculum will make you feel younger and better than ever. Your joints will move pain-free through full ranges of motion, your body composition will improve, and you will be setting a positive example for the next generation. Remember, it's not about where you start, but rather where you are going.
GST™ for Healthier Joints
Training in your teens and 20's may have been all about building big muscles, but as you age it becomes more important to freely move your joints through full ranges of motion without pain. Who cares if you can bench press 300 pounds if you cannot put a shirt on without shoulder pain? How useful is that 400-pound back squat if your knees ache whenever you sit up off the couch? Now, these lifts are not bad in and of themselves, but without proper physical preparation, your joints will create problems for you as you age.
Fortunately, the basic exercises that you will begin with in GST™ do a fantastic job at helping to promote blood flow to your joints for health and mobility. After a few rounds of warming up with movements like the cat and seal stretches, your shoulders, hips, and back will feel loosened up and ready to go. By prioritizing quality repetitions in fundamental exercises like push-ups and ring rows, your heart will be pumping blood throughout your entire upper body, helping heal old nagging aches and pains in your shoulders, elbows, and wrists. Add in some shoulder extension stretches for a cool-down, and now you have done the prehab drills to safeguard yourself against potential injuries in the future.
GST™ for Better Body Composition
The primary objective behind the GymnasticBodies program is to build strength and flexibility, helping to prepare yourself for the rigors of future training, sport, and life. However, a fortunate byproduct of working your body in this fashion is that you will build and maintain lean muscle mass while decreasing excess body fat. Balancing function and aesthetics is what building the gymnastic body is all about, as it is no secret that people all over the world are drawn to gymnastics to see the ripped, lean, athletic bodies that this style of training creates. Chiseled shoulders, broad chests, and six-pack abs are the norm for male gymnasts at the highest level.
For older adults, maintaining muscle mass and keeping body fat within healthy ranges are both key ingredients for longevity. All the pull-ups and dips in GST™ will certainly contribute to building lean muscle throughout your shoulders, not to mention the 360-degree core strength developed by countless hanging leg lifts and reverse leg lifts. These workouts also send a signal to your body to lose fat, something that is good for both your health and your pants size. Any discussion of body composition would be incomplete without also mentioning food, and GB Thrive has you covered by teaching you how to build a sustainable nutrition plan for the rest of your life.
It's not about where you start, it's about where you are going.
Lastly, hopefully we aren't shattering any dreams here, but if you start GST™ later in life as an adult, then you most likely will not be making the Olympic team for gymnastics anytime soon. That said, the goal is simply to be better tomorrow than you are today, and the path to get there is by putting in the work. After only a few weeks of training, your body will feel the best it ever has, regardless of whether or not you reach elite status or not. Furthermore, by committing to yourself and your body, you are setting a positive example for the next generation. How do you want your kids, your students, and your younger colleagues to view you? Without saying a word, you will be able to influence them greatly simply by showing up, doing the work, and staying true to the process.
Open up new health and fitness possibilities, no matter your age, with the GymnasticBodies Online Courses.
