My name is Brandon Wynn, Captain of the US Mens Gymnastics Senior National Team, AMA!
- Thread starter snowy123
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silentmatthew
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dougra2000
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viclarita1234567
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@snowy123 Just a few questions from a noob...
- What's the highest non-max rep set you usually do?
- Do you skip any part of your training when and if your body tells you you should?
- Do you use music during your training? Either as in making a routine around it or just for pure pleasure.
@snowy123 Hey Brandon! Hope I'm not too late to the party...
- How much do you use the dream machine/ring thing type equipment in your training? Would you say it's effective for building strength in the positions, or would you say its more just for practicing the movement? If not, what kind of steps do you go about to safely and progressively develop the strength and joint integrity needed specifically for straight arm skills like cross, planche and maltese?
- What's a safe rep range to work with for dynamic strength moves (e.g. straight body pulls, handstand pushups) and/or hold time range to work with for static strength moves? I.e. low enough that you're developing strength, but high enough that you can get enough volume in as well as minimize the risk of injury? How many reps/seconds should one aim to hit on an exercise in a single set before moving on to a harder variation? And how much total volume? (e.g. 5x10s Tuck Planche with a 16s max hold before Flat Tuck Planche)
- What would you say is the most common weak link in terms of muscles/joints that people have that limits their strength/puts them at risk for injury? Something that people would benefit in targeting specifically and doing extra supplemental training on?
- What one 1stPhorm product would you say contributes the most in terms of gaining strength and recovery for you? I.e. What do you get the most noticeable difference out of?
- Have you ever tried doing full range handstand pushups on parrallettes for max reps? How many reps do you think you can hit consecutively?
- What is your favorite sport to watch or follow (after Gymnastics)? Do you ever watch/do combat sports or martial arts? I imagine strength from gymnastics would carry over well to grappling!
- Are you going to be competing in Rio?
meredithhww
New member
@snowy123 Thanks for taking the time out to answer questions.
I am trying to nail the planche (at the moment, I can hold tucked, can get into semi-tucked without swinging). I get the progressions but how many times a week should I be training for the planche? (Also, I'm the wrong side of 40 if it matters?)
I am trying to nail the planche (at the moment, I can hold tucked, can get into semi-tucked without swinging). I get the progressions but how many times a week should I be training for the planche? (Also, I'm the wrong side of 40 if it matters?)
@meredithhww injury prevention is always first priority so the short answer is train as often as your body can handle. Ideally, train for your planche 4 to 5 times per week.
meredithhww
New member
@snowy123 Hey Brandon.How you determine your caloric intake ? Is there some source online that i can use ? Also on restdays do you eat less or for any reason lower your carb intake?If you have a 5 w/o days and then saturday and sunday for recovery,would you change something in the caloric intake for those restdays ? Thanks !
@snowy123 Thank you for your time Brandon!
So I'm primarily a barbell trainee, but I find gymnastics very fascinating. Currently I work L-sit and Handstand practice, as well as rows, chin ups, and lever work into my strength routine (coupled with squats, deadlifts, bench, press)
Are there any other key movements I should work on if I want to be a half-decent recreational gymnast on rings?
So I'm primarily a barbell trainee, but I find gymnastics very fascinating. Currently I work L-sit and Handstand practice, as well as rows, chin ups, and lever work into my strength routine (coupled with squats, deadlifts, bench, press)
Are there any other key movements I should work on if I want to be a half-decent recreational gymnast on rings?
dougra2000
New member
@snowy123 Hey Brandon. Thanks for doing this and for answering my previous questions. I just had a couple others, and I know you probably won't see this, but in case you do, I'd love to hear your responses to as many as you can/would be willing to discuss.
How many inches are your biceps/shoulders/chest/thighs?
How much can you deadlift and squat (or any other weighted exercises that you feel are particularly relevant), if you have any idea?
What specific supplements do you use, and what would you suggest for a novice, intermediate level and advanced level athlete?
How do you deal with the desire to eat unhealthy food, if you have that desire?
To the best of your knowledge, and in the context of what you've observed or are aware of, how common is the use of performance enhancing drugs amongst elite gymnasts, and those aspiring to become elite gymnasts?
At what point do you feel that different weighted exercises become more relevant and beneficial for gymnasts, and what specific exercises would those be for some different elements, to give people an idea of how to think about adding in weight training?
What elements do you recommend including in your warm up in the long term (i.e. I intend to include planche leans so long as I'm working on the planche, and weighted jefferson curls for an indefinite period)?
What's Kohei Uchimura like?
What is Mckayla Maroney like? She's obviously a tremendous athlete and competitor, and this may be totally baseless, and if so you're free to say it is, but some have said that she's got a bit of what they would characterize as a "mean girl" persona. Is there any grounds to that, or is it completely baseless?
Given that there are athletes like Donnell Whittenburg competing elements like his triple front vault, and given that I've heard some former olympians saying that it was considered nearly impossible when they were competing, what elements do you think are on the verge of being "impossible" that someone could have as a goal and possibly achieve in the coming years?
Have you ever witnessed a "strength giant" (iron cross connecting to victorian, inverted cross, maltese, starting from any of those)?
I'm well aware that this isn't a move that you would train for normally, but can you hold a close to impossible http://www.beastskills.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/JasperCTIFull.jpg ?
You're obviously an athlete first, and not a bodybuilder, but in the strength training world, there are a lot of people who think that maximal strength is preferential, where as others think that having the greatest pound for pound strength is the desirable goal, where as others still think that the ultimate goal is getting to a certain level of strength and then being able to apply it explosively. Do you find one of these particular goals to be inherently superior? If not, where do you think the panacea of strength training lies? In a more general sense, is there an upper limit to the "power" you think it's desirable for a gymnast to strive to attain?
In light of the recent closure of the Temple U.'s gymnastics program, do you feel that there are likely to be more closures of other universities programs in the future? What, if anything, do you feel can be done to stall or possibly reverse any decline in American gymnastics?
What other significant issues do you see facing gymnastics at the moment, and what do you foresee as being the significant issues in the coming years for it?
What do you intend to do when you retire from gymnastics?
Why did you do your degree in finance?
Do you have any thoughts on contemporary athletic trends such as the "street workout" genre, breakdancing, or crossfit?
What's something that is common knowledge or a widely held belief within gymnastics that would seem surprising or out of the ordinary for someone who is not involved in the sport?
This may sound a bit stupid or ignorant, but when I look at the stats and body types of gymnasts, I tend to see guys who are either waif like, like Kohei, and guys like Donnell and yourself who look probably a bit more like football players. I'm well aware that rings are something of a specialty for you, and that the extra muscle is probably overall beneficial for strength elements, but is there a reason for this gap in what I'm perceiving as proportionality, given that everyone still has to compete on all 6 events?
Why are the olympics so utterly "amorous," amongst the athletes, for lack of a more subtle word?
And lastly, just something kind of specific to myself, I'm 5'10 and 190 lbs. Do you have any recommendations on what I should cut my weight to, if I intend to take gymnastics seriously?
How many inches are your biceps/shoulders/chest/thighs?
How much can you deadlift and squat (or any other weighted exercises that you feel are particularly relevant), if you have any idea?
What specific supplements do you use, and what would you suggest for a novice, intermediate level and advanced level athlete?
How do you deal with the desire to eat unhealthy food, if you have that desire?
To the best of your knowledge, and in the context of what you've observed or are aware of, how common is the use of performance enhancing drugs amongst elite gymnasts, and those aspiring to become elite gymnasts?
At what point do you feel that different weighted exercises become more relevant and beneficial for gymnasts, and what specific exercises would those be for some different elements, to give people an idea of how to think about adding in weight training?
What elements do you recommend including in your warm up in the long term (i.e. I intend to include planche leans so long as I'm working on the planche, and weighted jefferson curls for an indefinite period)?
What's Kohei Uchimura like?
What is Mckayla Maroney like? She's obviously a tremendous athlete and competitor, and this may be totally baseless, and if so you're free to say it is, but some have said that she's got a bit of what they would characterize as a "mean girl" persona. Is there any grounds to that, or is it completely baseless?
Given that there are athletes like Donnell Whittenburg competing elements like his triple front vault, and given that I've heard some former olympians saying that it was considered nearly impossible when they were competing, what elements do you think are on the verge of being "impossible" that someone could have as a goal and possibly achieve in the coming years?
Have you ever witnessed a "strength giant" (iron cross connecting to victorian, inverted cross, maltese, starting from any of those)?
I'm well aware that this isn't a move that you would train for normally, but can you hold a close to impossible http://www.beastskills.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/JasperCTIFull.jpg ?
You're obviously an athlete first, and not a bodybuilder, but in the strength training world, there are a lot of people who think that maximal strength is preferential, where as others think that having the greatest pound for pound strength is the desirable goal, where as others still think that the ultimate goal is getting to a certain level of strength and then being able to apply it explosively. Do you find one of these particular goals to be inherently superior? If not, where do you think the panacea of strength training lies? In a more general sense, is there an upper limit to the "power" you think it's desirable for a gymnast to strive to attain?
In light of the recent closure of the Temple U.'s gymnastics program, do you feel that there are likely to be more closures of other universities programs in the future? What, if anything, do you feel can be done to stall or possibly reverse any decline in American gymnastics?
What other significant issues do you see facing gymnastics at the moment, and what do you foresee as being the significant issues in the coming years for it?
What do you intend to do when you retire from gymnastics?
Why did you do your degree in finance?
Do you have any thoughts on contemporary athletic trends such as the "street workout" genre, breakdancing, or crossfit?
What's something that is common knowledge or a widely held belief within gymnastics that would seem surprising or out of the ordinary for someone who is not involved in the sport?
This may sound a bit stupid or ignorant, but when I look at the stats and body types of gymnasts, I tend to see guys who are either waif like, like Kohei, and guys like Donnell and yourself who look probably a bit more like football players. I'm well aware that rings are something of a specialty for you, and that the extra muscle is probably overall beneficial for strength elements, but is there a reason for this gap in what I'm perceiving as proportionality, given that everyone still has to compete on all 6 events?
Why are the olympics so utterly "amorous," amongst the athletes, for lack of a more subtle word?
And lastly, just something kind of specific to myself, I'm 5'10 and 190 lbs. Do you have any recommendations on what I should cut my weight to, if I intend to take gymnastics seriously?
@snowy123 Hey Brandon.How you determine your caloric intake ? Is there some source online that i can use ? Also on restdays do you eat less or for any reason lower your carb intake?If you have a 5 w/o days and then saturday and sunday for recovery,would you change something in the caloric intake for those restdays ? Thanks !