Hi there,
I’ve been lurking for a few months now…
I’m quite impressed with all the talk of gymnasts in the past little while…
how many of you are/were gymnasts? Are endurance sports just a natural progression from days spent twisting and flipping?
Count me in.
Flip
You can only flip and twist for so long. Unfortunately, doing that stuff doesn’t really set you up very well for endurance sports. Slowtwitch vs. fast twitch. God this stuff is painful.
like I said, midgets on mats (strong, well co-orindated midgets)!
how tall are you?
Except for Heather Gollnick.
I attempted to learn gymnastics in high school but was nothing short of awful. The strength required to do the simplest moves (i.e. on rings in particular) is impossible to express. My body is much more suited to endurance events (as my high school build of 5’8", 120lbs would attest).
-dave
Your high school build was 5’8" and 120lbs, and mine was 5’5" at 145lbs. I was at 8% body fat at the time. I can’t seem to convince my training partners that my short legs just won’t take me as fast. Ask them to do some pull-ups though and all of the sudden they’ll tell me I have an advantage because my arms are shorter. We (short people) can’t win. 
I was a gymnast in my younger years, but alas, grew too tall (5’7"). Gymnastics is a pure strength and courage sport; a world away from endurance sports.
“Gymnastics is a pure strength and courage sport; a world away from endurance sports.”
Well, now isn’t that the inflamatory statement?
Can we agree that they both use different strenghts and courage is courage regardless?
Oh my god!!! I feel like I am channelling Rodney King!!! I may have to turn in my rabid USA fan card.
I don’t care if they are midgets on mats, that Maltese Cross thing is just scary ridiculous. Admit it, they use wires don’t they?? Come on, you can tell us.
Konaby: Speaking as a former elite level gymnast, I do agree that the mental toughness afforded by years in the sport do translate to triathlon. This is my first season doing tris, though I’ve been running for a few years now. I find that the upper body strength I had as a gymnast has helped enormously in swimming. Oh, and for the record, my high school build was 4’1 and about 70lbs until I hit grade 12 (and stopped gym). Now, at 23 I’m tipping the scales at 105lbs and would be lucky if I were actually 5’ Thanks for all your input, everyone.
Meg
Hola Chica,
One of the guys that I have the privilege of training with is not only fast (sub 10:20 for IM at 50-54) but has got to possess one of the most voracious appetites for competition that I’ve ever seen from an age grouper. His athletic background was lifeguard/gymnast in high school. He was good enough that he had a gymnastics scholarship on the table to a Division I program until Vietnam got in the way.
Anyway, he’s told me many times (as he’s dragging me up his favorite 8 mile climb) that he does not consider himself particulary gifted with regards to athleticism. Rather he believes that years of gymnastics training imparted to him a mental strength that, in his opinion, allows him to push himself longer and harder than others who “should be” faster than he is.
With regards to gymnasts (and possibly most national level athletes) I think it’s the mental tenacity that is associated with ascending to that level that affords one a good foundation from which to enter into multisport.
Miguel in the 'No…El Tribato
This pretty pedestrian next to the idea of mental toughness, but I think the biggest thing I have brought to endurance sports from gymnastics is flexibility. I have been injured way less, and sore way less than my training partners. I haven’t gotten hurt in my spills on the bike either, and I think a lot of that is from gymnastics.