Flippies and Lifties (a Youth Competitive Gymnasts' Log)

Training Training Logs
1

I got some feedback from folks reading on my log and there seems to be some interest in the topic, so here goes.

Background

For various reasons, I’ve started my daughter’s weight training regimen. She’s a 7 year old competitive gymnast so the training priorities are: technique > flexibility > strength > size.

She’s done some general lifting here and there, but nothing targeted - just whatever she wanted to do, it was just for funzies (which is the best reason).

Admittedly, my area of expertise is specifically Hypertrophy and Body Composition, so this is out of my usual wheelhouse. But, just like with my other clients, this will be an experiment and we’ll adjust along the way.

Stats
Currently, my daughter is 7, 3’9 or 3’10 and ~55lbs (and lightly defined abs). Not posting pictures so you’ll just have to take my word that she’s an adorable little shit, and that I’m going to need these muscles to scare boys off in a few years.

Plan

I will have my daughter “T” working on a version of Phraks Greyskull LP as I like the coverage of all the Primary Movement Patterns (Vertical Push/Pull | Horizontal Push/Pull | Squat | Hinge (Deadlift)). But I won’t be having her follow the standard LP progression model.

Reason for Phraks: I find Phraks to be the most well-rounded beginner strength program. We know via research that strength training and hypertrophy training have similar hypertrophy results in beginners - but strength training yields far more strength gains (shocker). My intent to use this as a backbone to springboard off of (no pun intended) so that she has a strong foundation in all ways her body needs to be strong (both for gymnastics and life). I believe in this for all beginners, those coming back from detraining, injury, or otherwise in need of quick, effective strength gains - without much risk of injury.

Right now, this is intended to be a minimalist approach so that she is functionally strong, and so that this can be done quickly - virtually every day. Aim is a 20-30 minute intense workout early in the day. I’ll get into the “why” for that in another post.

*Not included: 4x 3 hour gymnastics sessions weekly, which have 30-60 minutes of “conditioning” each at the end of technique work.

Day 1:

Push Ups
3 x AMRAP (10, 12, 16 when tested)
Will move to BB Bench Press when appropriate

Cable Row
3 x 5-10 (8, 9, 8 x 22lbs when tested)
Will move to Bent Over Row when appropriate

Deadlifts
2 x 5-10 ( , , x35lbs, not yet tested)
Currently using our EZ Curl bar, guessing 35lbs weight

Reverse Hypers
2 x AMRAP (7, 8 x 0 when tested)
Currently no weight added

Walking Lunges
2 x AMRAP (not yet tested, but she will need weight)

Day 2:

Overhead Press
3 x 5-10 (9, 8, 12 x 5lb ea when tested)
Using DBs for now

Pull Ups
3 x AMRAP (8, 7, 7 when tested)
“gymnastics” pull ups for now. Will change to strict form soon.

Squats
3 x 5-10 (~100 x BW, 9 x 15lb when tested)
Started her off with bodyweight squats and she knocked out like a hundred of them. Moved to Kettlebell Goblet Squats, we’ll stay there for now but moving to BB squats soon

Glute Bridges
2 x 5-10 (not yet tested)
Form is real iffy here so we’ll stay light until it starts feeling more natural for her

Unplanned Nonsense Days:

Will probably consist of Sled Pushes/Pulls, Farmers Walks, and various functional exercises like Box Jumps, Clean Press, Turkish Getups, etc. Might just have WODwell be inspiration here.

Tagging those who ‘liked’ the post:
@LoRez @s.gentz @kleinhound @alex_uk @cisco_red

7 Likes
Dani's Rebel Log
2

Diet

Basically what you’d expect a 7 year old’s diet to look like, only with more protein. I meal prep a lot of food, mostly for me but I make sure to cook extra for the girls (wife and daughter).

Most of her protein is coming from chicken nuggs, chicken breast, thighs, fish or any beef I cook. I don’t track any of this and I wouldn’t suggest anyone do this either; I’m sure she is getting more than the minimum required.

If I were super into tracking this, I would follow this advice:
Carbs: Most children of all
ages should consume between
45% and 60% of their calories
as carbs. This of course means
that low-carb diets are almost
exclusively out of the question
for children and teens. Carbs
are the most important fuel for
both the highly active nature of
childhood and the developing
brain (especially for academic
abilities).
Fats: For children between 1
and 3 years of age, fats should
compose between 30% and
40% of the diet, including
plenty of saturated fats for
growth and development. For
children and teens between 4
and 18 years of age, fats should
compose between 25% and
35% of total calories.
Protein: For young children
(under age 10), protein can
compose between 10% and
20% of calories, and that upper
limit can go as high as 30%
for older children and teens.
The lower intake of protein for
younger children isn’t so much
a health concern (extra protein
is not toxic), but is lower to
make more room in the diet for
the fats and carbs they need.

Source: Renaissance Woman

3 Likes
3

Why?

It probably sounds like I’m pushing off my gym/lifting goals onto my daughter, but it’s not that.

Simply put: I want my daughter to be strong enough to do whatever it is she sets her mind to. Strong enough in body to make it happen, and strong enough in mind to not let anything get her down. I want her to be able to forge a life of her own, and be equipped to do that.

The best way I know how to help with that, is to give her the tools to succeed. Make her normal daily life include healthy activities and food choices. Make her realize that she is capable of more than she realizes by pushing herself to failure. It’s rare to find someone who eats healthy and exercises regularly to also be lazy or undisciplined.

Enough with the touchy-feely shit though. I only let my daughter see that side of me on occasion… if she eats her veggies. Anyways, Daddy lifts, Mommy lifts, Baby gotta lift, too.

I won’t be upkeeping this log every day or every session. What I will be doing, is adjusting the plan and jotting down lessons learned. Maybe sharing a big milestone or two.

Speaking of lessons learned: I need a barbell that isn’t comically oversized for a 7 year old.

3 Likes
4

Have any machinists at work that could bang out a knurled mini-bar to spec.?

Alternatively- cut a regular bar down, weld washers to width to act as inside collars, & spring clamps for the outside.

1 Like
5

Absolutely, but for way too much money.

I’m considering this one though

Better than shelling out like 3x the price for Rogue.

2 Likes
6

That should be great!

1 Like
7

Have zero knowledge about youth athlete training, especially gymnastics but this will be a fun thread.
Look forward to following along.

1 Like
8

Great to see this, assuming the above will still apply to the training even if it is a bit more structured?

Me too, but I saw a month or two back thibs had posted something around training his child in his journal.

1 Like
9

Yeah, she wants to lift and doesnt really care what it is - she just finds it fun.

6 Likes
10

That’s the real secret sauce with kids :muscle:

2 Likes
11

No real updates with my daughter; we spend almost a whole week at the Grand Canyon hiking and doing gymnastics competitions… not much time to train or anything.

But my daughter’s friend (8yrs, idk height but like 72ish lbs (not fat)) whose a beast at gymnastics was asking for some help with her “LV’s”… it’s basically a leg raise, but only toes to bar and back down to 90*, then back up.
She struggles to keep her feet together and legs straight after the first one, and the expectation is to do 15 by next season.

  1. I asked her to show me one, the way it’s supposed to look. She did it correctly, then did another one that looked like trash.
    1a) This tells me she doesn’t believe she can do it, but knows what it needs to look like. I told her I think this is a mental thing. I want you to close your eyes and tell yourself you can do 2 of these the right way, then do it.
    She did 2 the right way.
    1b) I told her that she needs to believe in herself. That she needs to believe she is good at this, and can do anything she sets her mind to. It seemed to take from me (a relative stranger) though I’m sure her parents have said the same thing a hundred times.

  2. She has her pullup bar right next to the bathroom. I told her that when I was bad at pull ups and expected to do at least 20 (USMC standards), that I got stuck at 12-13 and didn’t know how to get more. So I set up a pullup bar over the bathroom door and made a rule that every time I went to the rest room, I needed to do 10 leg raises and 10 pull ups. When 10 was too easy, I went to 11, then 12, until 20 was a cakewalk.
    2a) I told her I want her to do 2 proper LVs every time she uses the rest room except overnight (also noted to use the restroom first, so we weren’t spraying everyone with pee while training. There were chuckles, because I’m hilarious).
    2b) I also told her that when 2 was too easy, to bump it up to 3, then 4, until we could do 15 no problem. To turn our weakness into a strength.

It’s only been like 2 days so no word on progress or anything, but if she sticks with it - it’ll work.

2 Likes
12

Ive been doing cold plunges lately after being convinced by the Joe Rogan/Rock podcast episode. Not ice baths, i don’t have enough ice for that, but cold water in the range of 50° or so. I’m up to about 6 minutes.

My daughter asked me why i do it, and i told her “to get better at doing hard things, but also because it helps manage stress and gives mental clarity.” She asked how, i explained the cortisol response and all that, told her how doing this on purpose helps with that, then she wanted to do it too.

So i coached her through it, told her to calm her breathing and reminded her not to tense up her muscles.
I asked how long she wanted to try it for (to set a goal), she said “a couple minutes” which i said no to, and said “lets try 30 seconds”.
She argued for a minute lol.

I went over to the tub with her, talked her through it again, then plopped her in the cold water when she was ready.
She made it 30s, then 45, then a minute.

And we rushed her off to the warm shower.

I asked her how she felt afterwards… she said “cold” lol. I mean, she’s only 7, but she made a goal and pushed through to make it.
I get the impression shes not wanting to do it again though :joy:

Off to San Diego for State championship. Gonna battle a storm to get there too.

5 Likes
13

Good luck!

1 Like
14

Wish you the best bro. If you ever want to chat about raising kids, hit me up.

1 Like