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What are the health benefits of gymnastics?

What are the health benefits of gymnastics?

Lucy Fieldhouse |

How gymnastics is super beneficial for your body!

I’m sure many of you wonder what the health benefits of gymnastics actually are. Will gymnastics increase flexibility? Will practicing gymnastics help with bone health? Will gymnastics help with balance? Well the answer is yes, and in this blog, we’ll explore why practicing gymnastics is actually great for your physical health!

Strength

Training in gymnastics helps increase your strength massively. Not only is gymnastics a full body workout (which is super for your body) it also helps improve your strength. This is because of all the training you have and you often have to lift your body weight in a lot of routines. Gymnasts use body weight exercises to help develop their upper body strength and core which ultimately leads to them becoming super strong (not as strong as superman but maybe close with enough training). So, will gymnastics make you stronger? Ultimately it will.

Flexibility

This benefit isn’t particularly shocking to most, we’ve seen the Olympics, we’ve all sat there and wondered “How on earth did she get into that position?”. Well, gymnastics is actually a brilliant exercise for increasing flexibility. Due to gymnastics involving various intricate manoeuvres, the more you practice, the more flexible you become and eventually you can complete even the trickiest of moves. Being flexible is super beneficial not only for gymnastics practice but also for throughout your life. As we age it’s true that our joints begin to tighten up (my hip already pops in yoga class), however if you’re flexible and practice exercises that increase your flexibility such as gymnastics, it helps prevent injuries such as pulled muscles.

Cognitive development

As well as all the physical benefits, gymnastics also offers various mental benefits too such as cognitive development. Children who engage in gymnastics often stimulate their imagination (they often ‘act’ during floor routines) and problem solving abilities (due to them deciding where is best to land after a tumbling pass). Due to the importance of co-ordination and reasoning in gymnastics, this sport helps children develop cognitively because of all of the complex exercise routines!

Balance

If you have ever watched a gymnast while they’re performing, you’ll see them balance in positions that make you feel impressed (if you thought the balancing in Dirty Dancing was impressive, you should see Simone Biles on the high beam). Gymnastics demands you to have good balance in order for you to complete some positions effectively, by training and commitment, over time with gymnastics your balance becomes better by the day. Engaging in regular gymnastic practice helps develop your co-ordination, so you’ll know when to grab the bars or where to land after that big somersault. This isn’t just beneficial for gymnastics; it also helps with everyday life (and if you’re ever in an egg and spoon race).

Bone Health

The key to healthy bones is using them effectively. With gymnastics, your child’s bone health will improve and develop over time. This is because gymnastics is actually a weight bearing sport. Gymnasts learn to carry their own body weight (sometimes just with one arm!!) this exercise helps them develop and strengthen their muscles so they become more healthy and strong. Unfortunately for us gals its proven that women experience a loss of bone mass as they age, so engaging in sports such as gymnastics helps out with preserving bone density. So, I think it’s pretty clear that ultimately Gymnastics has so many health benefits. Why not give it a go? If you are thinking of starting gymnastics and need kit for class just check out our collection on The Zone website – we recommend the ‘Sparkle’ leotard for your first lesson!