Building the Gymnastic Body: The Science of Gymnastics Strength Training by Christopher Sommer (2008-05-03)

Since I was a kid I've loved watching the men's gymnastics at the Olympics. The display of strength and grace is awe inspiring. This year I finally decided to try it out and I bought Coach Summer's book.Good points* Exercises selected are great at showing how they would be used by a professional gymnast* The exercises are broken down into progressions which are very well explained. Summer is able to explain exactly when and how to move on, including tips on how to ease the progression between the two exercises. He will even identify other exercises (weights or kettleballs for lower back strength) to help improve progression of an exercise. This really is a major strength of the book. You are told exactly how to develop exercises, where to build strength and reasons you may fall.* Clear pictures on how to perform the exercises* The writing is accessible and easy to digestBad points* I feel like this needs an editor. Some of the introductory stuff is a bit of waffle. Summer knows his gymnastics and can expertly describe positions, but when it comes to other stuff. It's a bit so-so.* Summer references several other books. They are yet to be released. According to the forums, it's been about three years waiting. It may be never. This is annoying as some sections directly reference these texts for advice e.g. wrist strength or hand stands* You will need equipment for about half these exercises. It's a gymnastic book and to be expected. Although if you are weak and brand new to gymnastics, you can hold out buying the rings and push up bars. It doesn't teach handstands (another book) and rings require some serious strength.* I don't understand the appendix. Seems pointless. Just sayin.OverallThis book is definetly worth a purchase. I have also purchased  Overcoming Gravity: A Systematic Approach to Gymnastics and Bodyweight Strength  and while it is much better at builidng a gymnastic exercise routine, some of the exercise descriptions are poor. This is where Building The Gymnastic Body excels. I feel confident about what I am doing in exercises and know when I am putting myself at risk of injury. If you are starting out then buy this book combined with Overcoming Gravity. GymnasticBodies.com sells the book in PDF for half the price FYI.

This book wasn’t what I expected for the price . I figured , thought it would be chuck full of theory , detailed work outs etc . Instead it was mediocre anecdotes with plugs for the “ other books “ that the author has created . So No this book isn’t wasn’t a good one-stop shop for anyone wanting to know how to hone / sculpt their body as the gymnast . Not worth $94.00 new or used .

In Building the Gymnastic Body, author and Junior National gymnastic coach Christopher Sommer has made gymnastic strength training accessible to the non-gymnast.He's rendered out gymnastic-specific movements such as vaulting, tumbling, and swinging rings in favor of body-weight exercises that will to get you bigger and stronger.This book is one of the only --- if not THE only --- comprehensive look at gymnastic strength training for the non-gymnast.Prior to this, gymnastic strength training books were few and far between, and were either high-level and technical training and coaching dissertations (for example Arkaev), or general compilations of lists of drills and exercises, with little description or photographs, and certainly not designed for the non-gymnast.Both strains of gymnastic book certainly didn't show the level of variations of exercises like Building the Gymnastic Body.All that are required for most of the exercises are at most a pull-up bar, a dip station, or hanging rings. (More challenging variations will require a spotter.)There are two tricky parts to implementing the exercises in this book, and they are related.The first is program design. This is typically a tricky area to begin with. Exercise selection, reps and sets, and works days vs. rest days (among other variables) can be a challenge for a novice.The second tricky part, intimately related to the first, is that the program design requires, for the beginner, a huge heap of humility. Many of the exercises may be too challenging for someone without a modicum of strength and flexibility.However, Building the Gymnastic Body has a huge amount of basic pull-up, dip and push-up variations, some of which many people might not have seen, and which are worth practicing.I first purchased this several years back (2009?), and although I no longer specifically follow the workouts that Coach Sommer posts online at the Gymnastic Bodies forum, I still refer to and use in my training his exercises and descriptions. It's an invaluable resource.

If you have the NASM book you can use the OPT model to design your program and use the BtGB book to pick the exercises for each body part. It definitely adds a new level to making steady progress. The NASM book doesn't give progressions to go as far as this.I also like how Coach Sommer breaks down the body split. Work opposites together. Pullups with handstand pushups, pushups with rows, etc. It makes the most sense. Other books and bodybuilding programs break it down as Chest, Back, Shoulders and arms which doesn't make as much sense in terms of maintaining muscle balance.The only thing this book is missing is clear program. His new programs of H1 and F1 solve that problem though.

The content of this block is excellent. The price is possibly 10 times more than what it should have been. At over $300 I would have expected leather bound with gold leaf pages.