Strength & Conditioning - Roger Harrell: Week 1, Day 1

This week is the first of three weeks from gymnastics coach Roger Harrell. Roger is the Co-Founder of The Cave/CrossFit Marin and a former competitive gymnast. Roger is an expert at teaching gymnastics to non-gymnasts, so if you’re thinking of making progress on your gymnastics skills these are perfect workouts for you.

To learn more about Roger, read our feature interview:

Part 1 – Gymnastics for Adults

Part 2 – Gymnastics for Kids

Notes:

Warm up activities are to be performed at a level that is appropriate for you. No warm up movements should be strenuous. Be sure to scale appropriately. 5-15 minutes of stretching following each session is expected.

For a guide to stretching visit Drill and Skills: Stretching.

Week 1 – Day 1

We are starting out with significant handstand practice. When looking at the vast array of gymnastics skills the single most important skill that plays into all of gymnastics is the handstand. There are a lot of techniques to learn to establish a rock solid handstand, but time spent on your hands is the key.

For additional information see: http://drillsandskills.com/article/19

Warm up:

10 Candlestick rocks

10 Donkey Kicks

10 Push ups

10 V-ups

10 Arch rocks

Skill work:

Handstand practice

Workout Strength Couplet –

Allow 35 minutes for completion

Perform 3 handstand push ups then 3 Straight body lifts for 5 rounds