Get Stronger By Using Gymnastics Equipment at Home

(Photo: Frank Taillandier)

I wanted to share a few ideas to get you putting together or crafting your very own gymnastics equipment for home strength training and PR glory.

My household is pretty psyched about the Summer Olympics gearing up in a few days.

That’s actually an understatement.

My wife’s already been trying to auto-tune the opening ceremony.

(As of last night it’s not listed in the programming. But she’ll be ready.)

My girls have been checking out books on the Games from the library.

They both take dance, and are super excited to watch the women gymnast teams give it their all.

The older daughter wants to do all the tricks on the balance beam, while the younger one is all about wanting to master the vault.

How to Build Gold Medal Strength From Home

One of the things I think is interesting is the fact that Gymnasts, both men and women, aren’t always crowded in gym to train for their sports.

They build uncompromising strength with gymnastics equipment at home.

I know the men often supplement their training programs with weight lifting. However, at the core of their plans will be bodyweight exercises.

Time under tension is a remarkable thing.

Anything and everything can be a piece of equipment.

This is kind of the same philosophy I highlighted in my Parkour Workout article.

I’m going to stick with the traditional in this post. So, here are a few item you can include in your gymnastics equipment for home fitness rituals.

If you can imagine it then it’s possible.

Gymnastic Rings

Don’t know where to start?

Click here to check out some step-by-step instructions to get you going on building your own set of rings.

I actually like the look of these wood rings.

Their just cool looking.

If you add on some stain the wood you get that aged and classic feel…like you’re training in Old New York, with a top hat and a curly mustache.

If you were to go to the trouble of trying to craft plastic rings, I think it’s better just to go the metal route.

Metal won’t crack on you.

But not everyone has access to a coldren of molten metal.

So, to keep you safe—and free of 3rd degree burns—stick with the wood.

If you don’t have a place to setup your rings at home, you can always take them outdoors.

Either hook them up to a strong tree branch, or do as in this video:

Pommel Horse:

I really don’t think you need to dish out a couple of grand to get a Pommel Horse delivered to your door.

For the most part, unless you’re aiming to train for a competition you don’t anything that’s a full-on authentic.

This is why I like this simple design: The Mushroom.

It’s effective and a very popular design to train with. It works perfectly if you’re looking to get started on training to do Circles the right a way, or working your way up to mastering Flares.

I’ve seen other setups the involve a bucket hanging from a high bar. But I don’t like that design because it’s too easy not to realize your form isn’t where it should be.

If you’re got some more time and resources at your disposal I consider the EGE pommel horse a step up in gymnastics equipment for your home arsenal.

If I were to improve on this design, I’d attach removable handles, or Paralettes, so to keep your training moving forward. Just a thought.

Paralettes

Yes, these are pretty handy when you’re short on room for parallel bars.

I’ve included them in the DIY – Home Fitness Exercise Equipment section, and truly think you can get a pretty effective workout with no other tools.

Pull Up Bar or Peg Board

Besides using Rings to build your upper body, you should also be using a Pull Up bar.

In fact, there are more ways to supplement the pull up bar with gymnastic rings than it is the other way around.

But another hardcore option to build your arm, back and grip strength in to hook up a Peg Board up on a wall.

There’s no single design that works better over the other.

I’ve even seen Celebrity trainer Tony Horton displaying some killer Peg Board moves.

Most programs focus on scaling up and down, or even around the perimeter of pegs that are notching into the board.

There are also various pull up grips you can work into this kind of program, such as: close, offset and wide grips.

These are just a few gymnastics equipment for home workout ideas that can spur your creative mind, and fitness resolutions.

If you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to share them in the comments section below!

About the Author

Hey! I'm Mitch, and I've setup this blog to prove anyone can get in shape without needing a gym fee. Each article is drawn from my own experiences, expert trainers and bestselling fitness authors. Please feel free to chat me up on Facebook, G+ and Twitter. Also, I do reply to every comment...so drop me a line down below.