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I wrote a rather big post about pull-ups vs. chin-ups where I also discuss the issue of grip width. I did it based on a few scientific papers whose links you can find there.
Those papers study the grip width in percentage of your shoulder width. In other words, if your shoulder-to-shoulder distance is 40 cm, then 100% grip width corresponds to a 40 cm ...
7
Jim Bathurst, known for his web site Beast Skills, says in his human flag tutorial:
If you can do several full range handstand pushups against the wall, then you’re well on your way to getting the flag.
Overcoming Gravity, a popular book on gymnastic training for adults, has a chart comparing the difficulty of various skills. In the chart, a full human ...
7
Take a look at the book Overcoming Gravity by Steven Low, which is by far the best Gymnastics book known to me. I suggest reading the Amazon reviews for more details.
EDIT:
What I personally like about this book:
Many books on strength training tell you how to train, but not why to train this way. This book goes into detail with all the relevant topics -- ...
7
I think it is called "press to handstand".
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No. Different moves are different.
Most notably, holding dumbbells up is not the same as pushing down on rings.
7
This is not a traditional gymnastics move, and in addition would be nearly impossible to pull off without assistance. (Note the guy holding his body out vertical with the rope).
It is impressive, but it is solely a strength move, much like the people that can "spider walk" while hanging from a bar and other similar strength moves.
Training for it is ...
6
There are two elements to front-splits: The hamstrings and the hips. Both will need stretching to accomplish what you want. You'll also need to strengthen the surrounding musculature, or you'll be stretchy but not strong enough to safely get into and out of the position(s) you want. The length of time it'll take you to achieve this will depend on your ...
6
The shoulder is deemed to be a joint of the ball and socket type, as is the hip. The major difference is that in the hip, there is actually a bony socket on the pelvis (Called the acetabulum) that the head of the femur fits into. There really is no such structure in the shoulder, the "socket" in the shoulder is made up of tendon and cartilage structures.
...
5
I have no idea where you're getting your body image from of male ballet performers (as an example) being anything other than powerhouses. They don't train for hypertrophy, but plenty of male dancers (contemporary, ballet, etc) have very muscular physiques.
I'd venture to guess that the guy below (a contemporary dancer) has far better strength performance ...
5
Probably the easiest form of 'handstand press' is starting with your feet on the ground, legs wide, putting your hands between the legs, and lift from there. (This version is called 'straddle press'.) There are many tutorials on youtube, see eg. this.
To achieve this, you need: core strength, shoulder strength, hip and hamstring flexibility, wrist strength ...
5
Your suspicion that locking out your shoulders might be detrimental to your shoulders, I would say, is a correct assumption.
Our shoulders are one of the joints that, I think, are most prone to injury due to incorrect technique in a wide variety of exercise, so I would say that, you should always try to look up proper technique beforehand as well as listen ...
5
I'm not aware of any testing being done, and there is no guarantee that it would produce injuries, but it certainly could produce injuries. Some possible examples are:
Torn/strained muscles
Torn tendons
Stretched/torn ligaments
Avulsion fractures (Tendon tears away taking a piece of bone with it)
Actual fractures/dislocations
That is by no means an ...
4
Here's a few mostly body-weight exercises. If you want to add a lot of mass to your legs, you really do need to push some heavier weight. I did bodyweight strength training for about 2 years straight using some of the exercises below and gained about 1.5 inches to my thighs in the first 6 months or so.
Nothing compares to barbell squats for adding size. But ...
4
Lack of hip and ankle mobility is a common issue among most "Westerners," because we sit all the time.
One of the best ways to improve hip and ankle mobility is the Third World Squat. Just do it for as long as you can, as many times during the day as you can. This can be as static or as dynamic as you want.
Mark Sisson, over at Mark's Daily Apple, has a ...
4
Official gymnastic rings are 2,8 cm wide while most gyms ones are 3,0 cm wide. As gymnasts wear padding/gloves the ring they use feel fatter. Many crossfit like rings are 3,2 wide.
The main difference between various thicknesses is how easy you can achieve a "false" grip. Narrower rings make it easier.
So if you have small hands and you want to practise ...
3
There are many different variables at play here, and it's not just restricted to exercise routines...
Weight: It takes less effort to push a 110 lb body off the mat than it does a 200 lb body, so by having a leaner body they are more efficient with their muscles.
Practice: It takes practice to do complex moves, and flips are certainly no exception. Simply ...
3
Because you mentioned cheerleaders and the splits position: I think what you mean is the needle pose. The link leads to a wikihow article on how to train for it. They mostly mention how important it is to warm up properly. Both your legs and back need to be warm and stretched. In the linked article they say to practice this move by performing you splits on ...
3
I would say this is mostly CORE, shoulders, lower back intensive.
Exercises that would increase mobility and strength include:
Yoga - stretching flexibility core stabilization
Core work - planks, weighted crunches, leg lifts, hanging leg raises
Military presses lateral raises - work your delts and traps for stabilization to hold that position.
The ...
3
The shoulder joint is designed for flexibility and motion rather than for stability. Its stability comes largely from coordinated muscle control rather than its bony structure.
The shoulder blade or scapula is a foundation of the shoulder complex. When the scapulae are well stabilized against the chest wall, the rotator cuff and other shoulder muscles ...
3
Any time you change your body's orientation to an exercise the muscle is used differently. One of the easiest-to-see examples of this is your bicep. Bend your elbow so your palm is facing towards you and look at your bicep, then turn your hand away from you and you will see your bicep disengage and your brachialis engage.
Holding your hands at a wider ...
3
Extensive bodyweight exercises and repetition of their art for hours at a time is basically the answer. As noted by Dave above, Christopher Somner's writings are generally considered to be the fundamental word on it. His website can be found here. It's prohibitively expensive to get an actual copy of his seminal work, Building the Gymnastic Body, although ...
3
L-Sit Progression
Foot Supported L-sit
Sit down on the ground with your legs straight in front of you. Put your hands next to your thighs and push yourself up (straight arms!), leaving your feet on the ground. Hold for the assigned time period.
One-Leg Foot Supported L-sit
Do a foot supported L-sit, but raise one of your legs up from the ground.
Tuck L-sit
...
3
TLDR: You need to do more than just psuedo planche pushups.
if it's possible to learn a planche by only doing psuedo planche push ups?
I wouldn't say so. Doing psuedo planche pushups helps and it a good progression tool, but you need to work your entire body to be able to hold a planche. Chest, shoulders, scapula, core. To a certain extent you even need to ...
2
"Spanish Web" or "Corde Lisse"
There is a nice overview at this Aerial Arts FAQ.
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Building the Gymnastic Body by Coach Sommer is good, but I consider it fairly advanced. For a beginner like me, who isn't devoting all their strength work to gymnastics, it was a bit much. You could probably get a lot out of it.
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I could do a front lever when I was 20-22 years old. Haven't tried but I don't think I have a chance now. I find that it is a tendon/balancing exercise. One of the great things about it is that it really picks on your least acclimated body part. It shows you where you need to work.
Practicing
Get a partner who will take some body weight off of you ...
2
I relax fully at the bottom of the pull-up. This ensures that I work the maximum amount of muscle. Mark Rippetoe suggests the same approach:
If you relax your arms at the bottom and let your shoulders slide down, the muscles that have to pull you back up from that position are the lats and upper back muscles. Since we want to work them, use the full ROM ...
2
You might need to obtain prescription swim goggles in order to spot the surface of the water (or other visual reference points) more accurately.
Many divers think that simply “feeling” the dive in the air is enough, but in order to dive consistently, you must learn how to spot. For most, learning to spot is a challenge, but there are some tricks you can ...
2
I'd say absolutely yes.
Gymnasts perform some of the most impressive feats of physical strength of all time. This is because at all times, they perform feats using only their own bodies as resistance. That gives them an amazing ratio of strength to bodyweight.
Since it will generally improve your lean muscle gain, I believe it will decidedly aid you in ...
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