Gymnastics abs workouts provide a spectacular way of building strength without requiring an external load and are a very effective way of improving your abdominal power.
Most gymnastics workouts are all about stability, balance and strength, and absolute control of the core muscles. You should work on all these aspects to perfect your gymnastics exercises and subsequently improving your overall performance.
Rarely do athletes show as much control and core strength as gymnasts.
In CrossFit, body-weight movements like air squats, push-ups and pull-ups are considered gymnastics. When performed correctly, mastering these bodyweight exercises will translate positively onto many aspects of your functional day-to-day life.
The hardest WODs can’t be completed without a strong core. Imagine attempting a handstand walk with weak abs; no matter how much weight your arms can carry, without the stability in the middle it becomes a pretty hard task to achieve effectively.
A strong core is essential for countless tasks and developing one through gymnastics abs workouts might arguably be the best way to work on stabilising and improving your strength.
GYMNASTICS ABS WORKOUTS
1. Work Your Core
For time:
- 50 Wallballs 20/14, 10ft/9ft
- 40 Pull-Ups
- 30 Thrusters 95/65
- 20 Toes-to-Bar
- 10 Alt. Pistols
Toes-to-bar are a tough but common exercise in CrossFit and routinely show up in the CrossFit Open.
Have a look at this toes-to-bar progression if you struggle with this gymnastics movement.
2. Gymnastics Abs Workout with L-Sit
EMOM 10
- 20 Second L-Sit Hold (rings or parallettes)
- 20 Second Hollow Rock
- 20 Seconds of Sit-Ups
When it comes to gymnastics abs workouts, there’s no exercise like the L-sit. Many fitness coaches regard it as the most effective ab exercise. Hollow rocks and sit ups are also great for building foundational abdominal strength .
The L-sit hold is a deceptively brutal exercise with benefits that go way beyond the visual. This ultimate abs exercise will improve the health of your shoulders, help you with your lifts, and build functional core strength as well.
3. Handstand Walk Workout
10 to 1 of:
- Burpee Box Jump
- Between each set 10m Handstand Walk
It takes time and practice to master a handstand walk; by raising one arm you commit the entire weight of your body to one point of support, making your chest, back and especially core muscles contract even more to maintain the position.
4. Night-Time Gymnastics Workout from Sam Briggs
4 rounds for quality:
- 30 sec straight arm false grip hold
- 10 skin the cats
- 30 sec L-sit hold
The skin the cat exercise has a big impact on your shoulder mobility, yet it also teaches you to master ring strength and control. This exercise develops both your strength and mobility and is a very effective tool to include in your gymnastics abs workout.
5. Hero WOD Glen
For time:
- 30 Clean & Jerks, 135lbs
- 6km Run
- 10 Rope Climbs
- 6km Run
- 100 Burpees
Rope climbs help you build great overall strength and develop your core whilst being good fun.
Rope climb workouts are unique in their capacity to build great overall strength, coordination and improve your performance for many other exercises.
They help you to build arm, back and core strength, as well as develop a much stronger grip and increase your stamina even with just a few reps. They’re also a brilliant exercise for building pulling strength.
6. 3 ROUND TABATA WORKOUT FROM TIA-CLAIR TOOMEY
3 Rounds: (TABATA STYLE; 20secs on: 10secs off)
- 8 Fast V-Ups
- 15 Tuck Crunches
- 30 sec Hollow Rocks
- 30 sec Superman
- Then Rest 1 min into Max Bridge Hold
Be sure to use the rest between the crunches and hollow rocks because those 30secs can get really hard.
The hollow body position is one of the foundational gymnastic approaches to midline stability. It is the basis for solid gymnastics movement.
Read more: 8 Functional Exercises to build a Solid Core & Abs of Steel
