If you’re new to them, you can always start with your head higher than your feet – pushing up from a bed maybe. Consider putting your hands close together or wide apart.
You won’t bulk out, but you will start to do things you didn’t think possible. And after just a few sessions you’ll start to notice the difference.
Commit and you’ll learn mental and physical discipline – plus endurance. Discipline – gymnastics is a challenge for mind and body.Ward off illness – finding regular slots in your week for some gymnastics can offer lasting health benefits, giving you a cardio boost and reducing risks of developing heart disease, cancer, obesity and diabetes.Calorie burn – gymnastics gives you a workout to remember, burning calories, toning muscles.Particularly good for women as they get a little older. Increased bone density – weight-bearing exercises are great for your bones – making them stronger and more resistant to fracture.Flexibility – even for absolute beginners, gymnastics boosts flexibility, increasing your range of movement and reducing risks of injury.But you don’t have to be an elite athlete to reap the extraordinary physical and mental benefits. Strength, power, grace, agility, flexibility, co-ordination, balance – from the Ancient Greeks to us moderns, gymnastics is one of the great expressions of human physical perfection. Seeing an elite gymnast in action is awe-inspiring.
Women’s artistic gymnastics became hugely popular in the 70s after breath-taking performances by elfin stars like Olga Corbet and Nadia Comenici. For men there’s the rings, the parallel bars and the pommel horse. For women it’s about uneven bars, the balance beam and floor routines. Arguably the most popular form of gymnastics among spectators – and one of the most watched sports at the Olympics – artistic gymnastics is all about short routines on a range of equipment.