The Science of Gymnastics

Advanced Concepts

Monèm Jemni, Monèm Jemni

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2017
• ISBN:
  9781351789110
• Edition: 2
• Topic: Tecnologia e ingegneria
• Subtopic: Scienze applicate

The Science of Gymnastics provides the most comprehensive and accessible introduction available to the fundamental physiological, biomechanical and psychological principles underpinning performance in artistic gymnastics.

The second edition introduces three new sections: applied coaching, motor learning and injury prevention and safety, and features contributions from leading international sport scientists and gymnastics coaches and instructors. With case studies and review questions included in each chapter, the book examines every key aspect of gymnastic training and performance, including:

• physiological assessment
• diet and nutrition
• energetics
• kinetics and kinematics
• spatial orientation and motor control
• career transitions
• mental skills training and perception
• injury assessment and prevention, with clinical cases
• advanced case studies in rotations, vault approach and elastic technologies in gymnastics.

A fully dedicated website provides a complete set of lecture material, including ready-to-use animated slides related to each chapter, and the answers to all review questions in the book.

The book represents an important link between scientific theory and performance. As such, The Science of Gymnastics is essential reading for any student, researcher or coach with an interest in gymnastics, and useful applied reading for any student of sport science or sports coaching.

Part I
Physiology for gymnastics

Learning outcomes, introduction and objectives

Monèm Jemni

1 Energetics of gymnastics

Monèm Jemni

1.1 Learning outcomes

1.2 Introduction

1.3 Aerobic metabolism

Maximal oxygen uptake (VO₂ max)

Gymnasts’ VO₂ max

Gymnasts’ metabolic thresholds

1.4 Energy cost of gymnastics exercises

1.5 Anaerobic metabolism

Power output of the gymnasts

Blood lactate measurement during gymnastic exercises

Variation of blood lactate production according to the competition rotation (Bessem Mkaouer)

Variation of blood lactate production according to the competition rotation in MAG

Variation of blood lactate production according to the competition rotation in WAG

1.6 Conclusion

2 Cardiovascular and respiratory systems of the gymnasts

Monèm Jemni

2.1 Learning outcomes

2.2 Respiratory and ventilation system

2.3 Cardiovascular adaptation to gymnastic exercises

2.4 Cardiac response during gymnastic exercises

2.5 Variation of the cardiovascular responses according to the competition rotation in artistic gymnastics (Bessem Mkaouer)

Variation of the cardiovascular responses in males’ artistic gymnastics

Variation of the cardiovascular responses in womens’ artistic gymnastics

2.6 Conclusion

3 Diet, nutrition, supplementation and related health issues in gymnastics

Monèm Jemni

3.1 Learning outcomes

3.2 Diet in male and female gymnasts

3.3 Supplementation in gymnastics

3.4 Effect of high volume and intensity of training on body composition, hormonal regulation, growth and sexual development

Body composition

Bone development and mineral density

Hormonal regulation, growth and sexual development

3.5 Conclusion

Review questions

Learning outcomes (Monèm Jemni )

This applied physiology to gymnastics part enables you to:

• Identify the specificities related to the energetics expenditure in gymnastics and the way aerobic and anaerobic metabolisms contribute during performance.
• Find out recent studies reporting gymnasts’ maximal oxygen uptake, their metabolic thresholds and power outputs.
• Explore specific biomarkers, such as blood lactate during gymnastic exercises and their energetic significance.
• Elaborate on the particularities of the gymnasts’ cardiorespiratory system and its adaptations to performance.
• Explore how to monitor cardiovascular stress and the way to interpret it in gymnastics routines.
• Find out about gymnasts’ diet, nutrition habits and supplementation.
• Identify health issues related to high training volume and intensity.

Introduction and objectives (Monèm Jemni )

Physiology is the science that explains how the body systems work and how these systems interact with each other to regulate their functions. The study of the individual organs and their operational biochemistries is also part of the human physiology.

Sports and performances have evolved throughout the last decades thanks to the application of different sciences to exercise. Amongst these sciences, exercise physiology had a major contribution in developing the understanding of “how human systems work under different exercise conditions and regimes”. One of the sports that has witnessed significant expansion is gymnastics.

One of the particularities of male or female gymnastics is that it is a sport which encloses different events; each event is different to the other although with some similarities between males’ and females’ events. Males’ competition is a successive rotation between six events, starting in the Olympic order, with the floor exercises, pommel horse, rings, vault, parallel bars and finishing with the high bar. Females compete in four events only: vault, uneven bars, balance beam and floor exercises. Such like the modern triathlon or pentathlon, the duration, the effort, the intensity, the power, the strength, the flexibility, the speed of the stretch, the coordination and the endurance as well as the energy required to perform each of these events differ from one to another.

The overall objective of this part is to provide the reader with a wide overview on several physiological aspects related to artistic gymnastics practice.

This part is divided into many chapters providing the most up to date physiological theories on male and female gymnasts. Starting by highlighting the metabolic energy supply during gymnastic exercises, then the cardiovascular and respiratory markers for training and performance. Physiological adaptations will be highlighted as well as key variables related to the aerobic and the anaerobic metabolisms. Moreover, issues such as diet and supplementation and the everlasting dilemma of growth, sexual developmental and hormonal regulations are also discussed in the following chapters; all supported by proof from the current literature.

1
Energetics of Gymnastics

Monèm Jemni

1.1 Learning outcomes

• Identify the specificities related to the energetics expenditure in gymnastics and the way aerobic and anaerobic metabolisms contribute during performance.
• Find out recent studies reporting gymnasts’ maximal oxygen uptake, their metabolic thresholds and power outputs.
• Explore specific biomarkers, such as blood lactate during gymnastic exercises and their energetic significance.

1.2 Introduction

Although gymnastics as a sport is becoming increasingly more publicised, attracting global media coverage for competitions such as the World Championships and the Olympics, it has not attracted the same scientific interest compared to the main stream sports. As early as the 1960s, authors reported that gymnasts were characterised by a low maximal aerobic power but a high level of strength (Horak, 1969; Montpetit, 1976; Saltin & Astrand, 1967; Szogy & Cherebetiu, 1971). This has been confirmed in a more recent review of the literature which has incorporated the modern artistic gymnastics (Jemni et al., 2001). Very few studies have explored the differences between the physiological responses in male and female gymnasts nor the energetics of the different gymnastic events. Facts which may have contributed to the paucity of the scientific database in this field include the complexity of the sport, the lack of adequate equipment and specific physiological testing protocols. During the 1970s it was suggested that male gymnasts, irrespective of their events, were considered as having an energy expenditure similar to that of running at 13 km/h on a treadmill (Montpetit, 1976). More recently, studies have shown significant different physiological, biomechanical and psychological requirements between running and gymnastics.

The aim of this chapter is to provide a current overview of the physiological and energetic requirements of the modern gymnastics, taking into consideration each artistic event separately. A current physiological profile of the modern artistic gymnast will be ide...