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Your opinion - what is your "must have" core grouping of gymnastics exercises for vaulters? Let's say you only had one hour per week in a facility that had high bar, trapeze, rings, etc.

What would you use and what would you do in that hour?

i usually start on fun body control exresizes flips on a trampoline etc etc, then move to high bars and stuff that uses more strength toward the end giants on a high bar are very helpful once you learn them

Aggietom wrote:Your opinion - what is your "must have" core grouping of gymnastics exercises for vaulters? Let's say you only had one hour per week in a facility that had high bar, trapeze, rings, etc.

Trail leg swings on highbar and rings. Try to swing on the apparatus as you want to on the pole - including keeping your lead knee up.

I would devote 10 minutes a day, 5 days a week to these exercises - rain or shine. Lots of reps - at least 20 reps/day. Your body learns the proper motions thru repetition, and your muscles will get stronger in all the right places due to these repetitions. If you can't get in the gym 5 days a week, I would find (or make) a horizontal bar or chinning bar or rings in a playground or in your back yard to do these drills.

Climbing upside down on a rope is also a great drill. Ordinary situps are also good, and you can do those anywhere. Again - lots and lots of reps.

Any remaining time I would spend just having fun - experimenting with any and all gymnastic tricks on highbar, rings, and trampoline (including double-mini tramp or trampolette if your gym has one).

I suggest that one hour per week isn't nearly enough time to spend on gymnastics. I don't know what your total PV training time budget per week is, but at least 25% should be gymnastics. The other 75% (roughly) should be running, weight lifting, and vaulting. You can't vault properly if you're not strong enough to do it properly, and if you haven't done enough gymnastics to train your muscles to move "properly" on the pole.

Kirk Bryde

Giants in "pole vault position" a good split with the lead leg up. Love that excercise!

I'm not personally recommending giants - they may be too advanced for Intermediates; they could rip your hands if you're not wearing proper grips; and you need to work up to them only after getting good at swinging back and forth UNDER the bar. They also don't simulate the downswing and upswing of the vault as well.

If you have the proper hand grips, and you're advanced enough to do giants, then by all means GO FOR IT!

I loved doing them myself, but I didn't have the proper hand grips, and I didn't want to rip my hands open, so I only did a few at a time.

I forgot to also mention "kip to a handstand" - another great high bar trick - directly related to dropping the shoulders whilst raising the hips on the pole, and shooting straight up into a handstand on the bar.

Kirk Bryde

see if your gym has a strap bar. then you dont have to worry about your hands or your grip