Introductions!

I'll start. I'm a former bodybuilder turned gymnast, and I mainly focus on ring strength. The reason I switched from bodybuilding to gymnastics training, was because I had muscle that wasn't as functional as it appeared to be. Looks aren't everything, so I've switched over to try to master my own bodyweight on the floor and on the rings. That, and being really heavy wasn't comfortable, and I lost a lot of flexibility due to the nature of my training, which wasn't fun when doing anything active. Anyway, that's my story in a nutshell.

Hey admin, how long have you trained like a gymnast and what skills have you accomplished?

So far, I've only done the rings for about a month, but due to my bodybuilding background, I have developed the front lever/back lever, and an advanced tuck planche (working on the straddle). I can do pistols, also, and a couple pistol jumps. I'm working on developing the iron cross, as well, which I'm hoping will come before the end of the year (with my progressions going as well as they are, I think it's feasible). So, that's on my to-accomplish list this year, as well as a muscle-up (I'm close, but the transition is killing me right now.) Before I started rings work, I used to incorporate handstand holds into my shoulder routine as a bodybuilder. Despite not having accomplished more technical skills, I have done plenty of research on them. Do you have any specific questions?

Just a short introduction of mine: I don't have any training background and I've been interested in ring gymnastics recently. Today I tested my strength on rings, I could do 2 pullups, 8-10 rows, 1-2 pushups, 1-2 dips and practiced the skin the cat. All were in strict forms. I hope I can accomplish muscle-up, back lever and front lever in several months. I heard that 15 pullups and 15 dips equals 1 muscle-up? How can I increase reps for pullup and dip fast?

Awesome man--most people starting out can't even hold themselves up in a support, let alone do several dips, etc. I've also heard variations on the 15 pullups and dips rule, but once you're around there, you should probably try for the muscle up or at least work on negatives through the transition.

As for increasing the reps on pullups and dips--the fastest way to do that, is to do pullups and dips. If you're having trouble advancing, you can jump up to the top of the movement and go through the negatives--so, just hold yourself up and SLOWLY lower through a pullup/dip. It's been shown that your decentric (I think is the term) strength, the strength through the negative movement, or the part where you're not contracting the muscles, is much higher than your CONcentric strength, which would be the actual pulling or pushing up in the dip.

Thanks man. I woke up this morning and my upper body is aching. Later today I'll practice skin the cat, pullup and row some more.

I love that feeling. If you're interested, you can post your workouts in the "workout programs" section for some more feedback. Good luck with the training!

hey guys im new, i just signed up. I've actually just started gymnastic type training. I really just want to workout on rings, and learn some basic handstands and stuff. I used to lift weights but cant attend a gym anymore so figured this would be a good way to keep in shape at home.

I haven't touched a weight myself in...almost two months? Something like that, and I'm getting great results. Ring training is definitely a good way to go in terms of convenience/a good workout.

Hey everyone. I also use to workout with weights. Im only 16, but Ive been weight training seriously for about 2 years. I haven't made any significant size increase or strength increase though. I recently joined wrestling, and Im trying to do some gymnastics training, (mixed with some olympic lifts) to develop strength for wrestling.

One question is, what equipment would be needed if anything? Ive read a lot can be done on the ground, and I have a chin up bar for now. I would guess if I bought anything it would be rings, but if I did, how do you hang them?

(BTW Im not sure where everyone trains but a gym with gymnastic stuff isn't ideal for me right now)

Thanks guy, looking forward to learning a lot from you guys.

Welcome to the forum! Gymnastics training can definitely benefit you, and with the inclusion of olympic lifts, you're bound to see some great strength gains.

Technically speaking, you don't necessarily NEED anything at all--you can do muscle-ups, pullups, dips, planche work, and tons more with just that bar and the ground.

Using the rings, however, will give you better strength gains, as well as working on all the stabilizers that you can't work using a stationary bar. And if your goal is strength for wrestling, your stabilizers play an important role in taking someone down, etc.

You can hang rings anywhere--I myself hang them from the beams in my garage, though you could easily hang them from that pullup bar, a tree branch...there are a lot of options.

And for future reference, the whole of this forum is dedicated to training without the use of a professional gym, as the average joe doesn't have access to one...

Again, welcome to the forum, and thanks for introducing yourself!