The thread on gymnastics and fighting made me interested to know if any of you had ideas/expereince mixing in gymnastics training with bodybuilding and/or powerlifting. I am not a fighter and have no intention of training to become one, but I do think gymnastics moves would be a lot of fun. I am a bit large and clumsy to ever really do gymnastics, but it would be cool to be able to do some of their stuff.
While gymnastic exercises might be fun for a while, I think that sticking to the barbells, and some of the more traditional free hand movements (Pull-ups & Push-ups) is the way to achieve more muscle.
There is a large element of skill involved with gymnastics. This is not a bad thing if that is your field. However, if you are after lower body fat and more muscle in the shortest possible time, then I don’t think gymnastics is the answer.
Gymnasts have great physiques no doubt, but they spend a great deal of time in the gym achieving that look. If you don’t mind training 3 to 5 hours per day in gymnastics for a physique that you can achieve in less than half that time with barbells, go ahead.
If nothing else it might be fun for a while.