Considerations for
Implementation: Season Goals
and Objectives
Before initiating the design of any
annual training and conditioning
plan, the coaching staff and/or
athlete(s) must formalize specific
objectives. These objectives fall
within a number of different classifications, including performance, technical, physical, nutritional, psychological, academic,
and social (6). Objectives for each
classification should be established first for the entire team,
then individually for each athlete.
Strength and Conditioning Journal
Performance Objectives
Team performance objectives in
womens collegiate gymnastics will
vary with the specific program and
the coaching staff; however, most
programs will likely select qualifying for the postseason competition
as the primary goal. This objective
is deceptively complex. To qualify
for National Collegiate Athletic Association-sanctioned Division-I
postseason competition, a team
must earn a top 6 score within its
respective region. Subjective judging and scoring makes obtaining a
specific score much more difficult
than in other sports that do not
formally use any measure of subjectivity. Despite what a team or an
athlete believes is the best performance of the year, judges scores
may not entirely reflect the teams
or the athletes assessments of
their own performances. Setting
23
specific scores as objectives is unrealistic in that a team or an athlete does not have complete control
on the scores earned. A far more
reasonable goal is to compete in
each meet either without committing or without counting a fall deduction. In womens collegiate
gymnastics, falls that occur in any
of the 4 events are assessed a fivetenths point deduction per fall.
Teams with 6 athletes each compete in each of the 4 events; however, only the top 5 scores for each
event are counted for the overall
team score. At a meet, a perfect
hit means that for each of the 4
events, 6 gymnasts on the team
perform without a single fall. Not
counting a fall deduction in any of
the 4 events may be a more realistic objective for other less talented
teams. Because only the top 5
scores from each event are counted, a team may go 5 of 6 in each of
the 4 events, or a total of 20 of 24,
and still not count a fall deduction.
Simply put, if teams perform highlevel skills and are able to consistently meet the goal of not counting fall deductions, then that team
will most likely qualify for the postseason competition. Additionally,
such goals are very easily tracked
and quantified as a means of
checking progress and maintaining motivation.
Technical Objectives
Next, technical objectives are of
vital importance in competitive
artistic gymnastics. The very
essence of the sport is to perform
specific technical skills that are as
close as possible to an established
standard. Additionally, the start
value of a specific skill or routine
depends on the difficulty and/or
the complexity of the skill. For this
reason, many teams may set a
technical objective of competing
with 24 routines with 10.0 start
values. Anything less than this goal
24
Physical Objectives
The coach, team, or athlete may
set a number of physical objectives
for the season. Without question,
the vast majority of published research concerns this aspect of
training (1, 4, 8, 18, 2124, 26,
29). This may be due to the fact
that it is typically quantitative in
nature and relatively easy to gather. One particularly problematic
physical goal in female gymnasts
involves body composition. Monitoring body composition levels
without damaging precarious selfesteem or triggering disordered
eating habits may be difficult;
however, such measurements are
essential to ensure the adequacy of
the annual training program. Investigators have documented a
consistent preoccupation with
bodyweight and body image
among female gymnasts (16, 17,
23). Recent work has demonstrated the prevalence of pathogenic
weight control methods among female gymnasts, including starvation diets and fad diets (24). It is
absolutely essential that every
member of the coaching and support staff, including strength and
conditioning specialists, athletic
April 2003
Table 1
Sample Weekly Conditioning Program, Phase: General Preparatory, Month: June
Monday
Tuesday
Gymnastics
Active warm-up and stretching 30 minutes
Basic skills (leaps, tumbling passes, etc.)
30 minutes
Bars: 20 min any 1 skill
Beam: 15 min any connected series
Strength and conditioning
Deep pool jogging w/ float belt 35 minutes
Squat 3 10 @ 70% 1RM
Lunge 3 10 @ 70% 1RM
Straight-leg deadlift 3 10 @ 70% 1RM
Lumbar stabilization/core exercises on stability ball
20 minutes
Push press 3 10 @ 70% 1RM
Shoulder cable pulley circuit (internal rotation, external
rotation, abduction, adduction, flexion, extension, horizontal abduction, horizontal adduction) 3 20 @ 55% 1RM
Gymnastics
Off
Strength and conditioning
Nonimpact cardio (elliptical runner, stair climber, etc.)
15 minutes @ 6575% HRmax
Abdominal/core circuit (medicine ball toss back sit up,
abdominal crunch w/medicine ball twist, combination
crunch, supine leg lowering w/spinal stabilization)
15 minutes
Interval sprint circuit (sprint floor exercise diagonally,
jog to adjacent corner of floor exercise boundary on
left, sprint floor exercise diagonally, jog to adjacent corner of floor exercise boundary on right): 5 5 minutes
with 2:1 or 1:1 work/rest interval
Total body circuit (bench press, quad. ext., biceps curl,
ham. ext., triceps ext., calf press, low pulley row) 1
12 @ 65% 1RM each station
Wednesday
Thursday
Gymnastics
Active warm-up and stretching 30 minutes
Basic skills 15 minutes
Floor: choreography 20 minutes, all tumbling
passes into foam pit 10 minutes
Vault: competition vault into foam pit 10 reps
Bars: skills combination/connection of choice
15 minutes
Trampoline: random flips and leaps 15 minutes
continuous
Strength and conditioning
Assessment of aerobic capacity, body composition
(skinfolds), anaerobic capacity, vertical jump
Friday
Saturday
Gymnastics
Active warm-up and stretching 30 minutes
Basic skills 30 minutes
Bars: 2 each skill in routine
Floor: choreography 15 minutes, all tumbling
passes into foam pit 10 minutes
Vault: competition vault into foam pit 10 reps
Bars: skills combination/connection of choice
10 minutes
Trampoline: random flips and leaps 10 minutes
continuous
Strength and conditioning
Power clean 2 12 @ 65% 1RM
Squat 3 10 @ 70% 1RM
April 2003
Gymnastics
Off
Strength and conditioning
Kip Cast Hand Stand with spotter 3 10 reps
Upright row 3 12 @ 65% 1RM
Dips 3 15
Shrug 3 10 @ 70% 1RM
Military press 3 8 @ 75% 1RM
Seated row 3 12 @ 65% 1RM
Abdominal/core circuit 20 minutes
Total hip (abduction, adduction, flexion, extension,
horizontal abduction, horizontal adduction) 3 12
@ 65% 1RM
Gymnastics
Off
Strength and
conditioning
Off
Sunday
Gymnastics
Off
Strength and
conditioning
Optional, Bicycle/
stationary cycle
45 minutes
25
trainers, and even equipment personnel, be alert to potential warning signs and concurrently avoid
any comments concerning bodyweight which might be mistakenly
interpreted by the athlete as
derogatory in nature. At the same
time, a concerted effort must be
made to educate athletes about
the basics of caloric balance and
sensible, sound methods of losing
weight and altering body composition. By educating the athlete and
monitoring body composition
using skinfold measurements, hydrostatic weighing, and body mass
indexes (BMI), the coach or certified strength and conditioning specialist can encourage healthy eating behavior while tracking
changes in the athlete throughout
the season.
Studies conducted on female
collegiate gymnasts have revealed a tendency toward the ectomesomorphic, or linear and
muscular, physique with upperbody hypertrophy and small
skinfolds (29). This somatotype is
well suited for the demands
placed on the body because it
combines high muscular power
and strength with a relatively low
body mass, thereby allowing the
gymnast to perform gymnastic
movements powerfully and efficiently (29). A curvilinear relationship between BMI and overall performance has been noted
among world-class female gymnasts in which athletes with relatively moderate BMI tended to
outperform athletes with a BMI
that either was particularly high
or was particularly low (26). By
demonstrating that athletes with
appropriate body fat levels consistently outper for med their
counterparts with excessive body
fat as well as those athletes with
minimal body fat, such literature
is essential in combating the notion common among gymnasts
26
Table 2
Sample Weekly Conditioning Program, Phase: Specific Preparatory, Month: December
Monday
Gymnastics
Active warm-up and stretching 45 minutes
Floor: 3 routine w/3 sprints in place of each
tumbling pass
Bars: 3 mount and first half routine, 3 second half routine
(no dismount), 2 full routine
Vault: 10 timer, 6 competition vault onto soft mat
Beam: 3 full routine, 3 flight series, 2 dance through
(no leaps/series), 2 any skill missed
Strength and conditioning
Four abdominal exercises of choice from circuit,
4 50 reps
Power clean 3 12 @ 67% 1RM
Nonimpact cardio of choice (elliptical runner,
stair climber) 45 min @ 75% HRmax
Tuesday
Gymnastics
Active warm-up and stretching 45 minutes
Basic skills 30 minutes
Floor: 3 dance through (no tumbling, no sprints),
2 each tumbling pass with no mistakes, 2 full
routine with tumbling passes
Bars: 2 all release moves, 2 mount to dismount,
2 full routine
Vault: 8 timer, 5 competition vault onto soft mat
Beam: 3 full routine, 3 dance through
Strength and conditioning
Stationary bike 45 min @ 70% HR max
Four abdominal exercises of choice from circuit
(at least 2 not performed on the previous day),
4 50 reps
Wednesday
Gymnastics
Off
Strength and conditioning
Pool deep water running circuit w/ floatation belt (includes wide strides, carioca, split leaps, tuck jumps, backward running, and forward running with 2:1 work/rest intervals every 5 minutes) 45 minutes
Lumbar stabilization/core exercises on stability ball, 6 exercises, 3 30 reps
Postural exercises (chin tucks, shoulder depression,
scapular retraction, pelvic tilts, Williams flexion
exercises) 40 minutes
Assessment of selected physical, nutritional,
psychological, and social goals
Thursday
Gymnastics
Active warm-up and stretching 45 minutes
Floor: 2 routine w/3 sprints in place of each tumbling
pass, 2 dance through, 3 full routine
Bars: 3 full routine, 3 mount to dismount
Beam: 3 full routine, 3 dance through
Vault: 10 timer, 6 competition vault, flip/stick drill (front
or back flip off of horse [depending upon nature of competition vault] with landing on competition surface)
3 10 reps
Strength and conditioning
5 5 Kip Cast Hand Stand w/spotter
Push press 3 10 @ 75% 1RM
Total hip (abduction, adduction, flexion, extension, horizontal abduction, horizontal adduction) 3 10 @ 75% 1RM
Shoulder slide board drill (athlete in push-up
position with hands on slide board and slide board
slippers on hands, horizontal abduction/adduction, paired
flexion/extension above 90 degrees
[may substitute abdominal dolly], and alternating
flexion and extension) 2 10 reps
Friday
Gymnastics
Active warm-up and stretching 30 minutes
Floor: 3 dance through, 3 each pass into soft pit
Bars: 3 routine w/dismount, 2 first half routine,
2 second half routine
Vault: 6 timer, 4 competition vault
Beam: 3 routine, 2 dance through
Strength and conditioning
Cardio of choice 35 minutes at 65% HRmax
Abdominal/core circuit 30 minutes
Shoulder stability exercises (sidelying internal rotation,
sidelying external rotation, front raise, lateral raise, prone
scapular retraction) 25 minutes w/ 5 lb dumbbell
Saturday
Gymnastics
Off
Strength and conditioning
Off
April 2003
Sunday
Gymnastics
Off
Strength and conditioning
Optional: pool deep water
running circuit w/
floatation belt (includes
wide strides, carioca, split
leaps, tuck jumps,
backward running, and
forward running with 1:1
work/rest intervals every
5 minutes) 60 minutes
27
Physiological Objectives
It is important to set a number of
psychological objectives before the
commencement of the competitive
season. This aspect of training is
especially important in gymnastics.
Investigations concerning psychological profiles among competitive
female gymnasts have indicated
that participants tend to have a
higher prevalence of external locus
of control, lower self-esteem, and
similar levels of trait anxiety compared with their nonparticipant female peers (14). Low self-esteem
scores are particularly problematic. The coach must make every effort to affirm the athlete and to promote a positive self-concept to each
member of the team. Additionally,
the coach may quantify relative
terms such as happy and welladjusted with the use of simple,
written psychological instruments
distributed periodically throughout
the year. Assessing the athletes enjoyment of the training program
may provide the coach with important information concerning strategies to use to make training challenging, engaging, and fun, thereby
improving levels of dedication and
commitment. These strategies may
involve adding some measure of
competition to regularly scheduled
practices, introducing some form of
reward system for exemplary performance, or introducing some
other novel aspect into the regimented practice schedule. Also,
these very levels of commitment
and dedication to team and personal goals should be assessed periodically. Such information will
greatly enrich the coachs ability to
adjust the program in subsequent
years to best meet the needs of his
or her athletes.
Academic Objectives
Academically, an athletes goals will
vary tremendously. Nevertheless,
April 2003
Table 3
Sample Weekly Conditioning Program, Phase: Competitive, Month: February
Monday
Gymnastics
Active warm-up and stretching 45 minutes
Floor: 2 routine w/3 sprints in place of each tumbling
pass
Bars: 2 mount and first half routine, 2 second half
routine (no dismount)
Vault: 8 timer, 4 competition vault onto soft mat
Beam: 20 walk down and back on beam, 2 full routine
Strength and conditioning
Three abdominal exercises of choice from circuit,
2 25 reps
Power clean 2 10 @ 65% 1RM
Low pulley row w/scapula pinch 2 10 @ 65% 1RM
Nonimpact cardio of choice (elliptical runner, stair
climber) 25 minutes @ 75% HRmax
Tuesday
Gymnastics
Active warm-up and stretching 45 minutes
Basic skills 25 minutes
Floor: 2 dance through (no tumbling, no sprints), 1 each
tumbling pass with no mistakes
Bars: 2 all release moves, 2 mount to dismount
Vault: 5 timer, 2 competition vault onto soft mat
Beam: 1 full routine, 1 dance through
Strength and conditioning
Stationary bike 15 minutes @ 70% HRmax
Two abdominal exercises of choice from circuit (at least 1
not performed on the previous day), 2 20 reps
Wednesday
Gymnastics
Off
Strength and conditioning
Pool deep water running circuit w/floatation belt
(includes wide strides, carioca, split leaps, tuck jumps,
backward running, and forward running with 2:1
work/rest intervals every 5 minutes) 30 minutes
Lumbar stabilization/core exercises on stability ball,
4 exercises, 3 25 reps
Postural exercises (chin tucks, shoulder depression,
scapular retraction, pelvic tilts, Williams flexion exercises)
30 minutes
Assessment of nutritional, psychological, and social goals
Thursday
Gymnastics
Active warm-up and stretching 45 minutes
Floor: 1 routine w/3 sprints in place of each tumbling
pass, 1 dance through
Bars: 1 full routine, 1 mount to dismount
Beam: 1 full routine, 2 dance through
Vault: 8 timer, 3 competition vault, flip/stick drill 1 10
reps
Strength and conditioning
3 5 Kip Cast Hand Stand w/spotter
Push press 1 10 @ 70% 1RM
Total hip (abduction, adduction, flexion, extension, horizontal abduction, horizontal adduction) 2 10 @ 65% 1RM
Shoulder slide board drill 2 selected exercises, 2 10 reps
Friday
Gymnastics
Active warm-up and stretching 30 minutes
Floor: 1 dance through, 1 each pass into soft pit
Bars: 1 routine w/dismount onto 8 in. soft mat
Vault: 2 timer, 2 competition vault
Beam: 1 routine, 1 dance through
Strength and conditioning
Cardio of choice 15 minutes at 65% HRmax
Progressive relaxation drill (supine position, eyes closed,
systematic contraction and relaxation of each major muscle group, visualization of flawless performance in each of
the 4 events) 15 minutes
Saturday
Gymnastics
General warm-up and team
stretching: 45 minutes
total
Warm-up rotations:
30 minutes each event
One-touch warm-up and
competition
Strength and conditioning
Active recovery on bike
after meet self paced
25 minutes
depicted by Kerr and Goss (14), female gymnasts tend toward an external locus of control. The external
locus of control is commonly assoStrength and Conditioning Journal
Sunday
Gymnastics
Off
Strength and conditioning
Active rest meet self and/or
travel
Optional: pool deep water
running circuit w/floatation
belt (includes wide strides,
carioca, split leaps, tuck
jumps, backward running,
and forward running with
1:1 work/rest intervals every
5 minutes) 30 minutes
Assessment of performance
goals
Social Objectives
Finally, the last aspect of training
to be addressed involves social
goals. As college students, student-athletes may be tempted to
let their social interests overrun
their academic and athletic obligations. By setting goals, the coach
may avoid the relatively ineffective
parent role in which rules are set
with little or no regard to their
practicality. Setting standards for
appropriate amounts of sleep and
tracking those amounts regularly
is absolutely essential to ensure
peak performance. Although the
amount of sleep required every
30
Collegiate Gymnastics
Periodization
The multifactorial training and
conditioning approach uses the
concept of periodization to divide
the season into more manageable
portions and to ensure peaking at
the appropriate time. A coach may
then break season goals and objectives into specific period goals
and objectives. Most authorities
advocate subdividing an annual
conditioning program into
preparatory, competitive, and
transition phases (3, 5, 11, 27,
28). The duration and goals of
April 2003
Figure 1.
in this phase because of the likelihood of inducing excessive training and burnout later in the season (5). The athlete may use this
time to develop or to regain difficult gymnastic skills or skill combinations. Alternative but applicable forms of training such as
swimming, cycling, and in-line
skating are useful in keeping
workouts interesting and novel.
Typically, training volume will be
high during this time for all aspects of training. Additionally,
training intensity will gradually increase as the period draws to a
close.
Some have suggested subdividing the preparatory phase into
2 subphases (5, 7). Alternatively,
others add a precompetition phase
(3, 11, 27, 28). The first subphase
of the preparatory phase, or the
general preparatory subphase,
involves high volume and gradually increasing intensity. In womens
collegiate gymnastics, this subphase typically lasts from May to
August. The second subphase, or
the specific preparatory subphase, is characterized by both
Strength and Conditioning Journal
Figure 2.
Nutritional log.
Table 4
Sample Weekly Conditioning Program, Phase: Transition, Month: Late April
Monday
Tuesday
Pool deep water running circuit w/floatation belt
(includes wide strides, carioca, split leaps, tuck
jumps, backward running, and forward running
with 2:1 work/rest intervals every 5 minutes)
20 minutes
Assessment of physical, nutritional,
psychological, academic, and social goals
Wednesday
Bicycle on campus, easy pace 45 minutes
Total body circuit (bench press, quad. ext., biceps
curl, ham. ext., triceps ext., calf press, low pulley
row) 2 12 @ 60% 1RM each station
Thursday
Team Fartlek jog off campus 25 minutes
Team building game (present team with challenge
that requires cooperation to complete task) in
pool 30 minutes
Friday
Total body circuit with free weights (bench press,
quad. ext., biceps curl, ham. ext., triceps ext.,
calf press, low pulley row) 2 12 @ 60% 1RM
each station
Stationary bike self-paced 25 minutes
32
Saturday
Off
Sunday
Off
April 2003
April 2003
33
Table 5
Described Aspects of Performance for Womens Collegiate Gymnastics
and Proposed Quantifying Measure
Domain
Specific quantity
to be measured
Test or measure
employed
Frequency
Performance
Routines without a
counted fall
Observation
Each competition
Technical/Tactical
Observation
Continuously
Physical
Anaerobic power
Monthly
Flexibility
Biweekly
Body composition
Monthly
Aerobic capacity
Twelve-minute run
Bimonthly
Nutritional
Nutritional logs w/
analysis
Randomly per
individual;
continuously per team
Psychological
Happiness or
Enjoyment
Weekly to biweekly
Monthly
Observation
Each semester
Observation/
consultation
Each semester
Prioritization of responsibilities
Monthly
Sleep log
Biweekly
Academic
Social
ment tools used for recording nutritional information, psychological status, and hours of sleep per
night.
After data have been collected,
they must be interpreted and
used. Although team goals and objectives may be discussed collec34
Table 6
Psychological and Social Assessment Tool and Sleep Log
Name: ___________________________________________________________
______________________________
Please answer each of the following questions honestly. For questions with a scale below them,
(1 = strongly agree, 2 = agree, 3 = uncertain, 4 = disagree, 5 = strongly disagree) simply circle the
number that best describes how you feel.
1. Overall, I am happy with my recent practices in the gym:
1 = strongly agree, 2 = agree, 3 = uncertain, 4 = disagree, 5 = strongly disagree
2. Overall, I am happy with my recent academic performance:
1 = strongly agree, 2 = agree, 3 = uncertain, 4 = disagree, 5 = strongly disagree
3. I feel like I am a contributor on this team:
1 = strongly agree, 2 = agree, 3 = uncertain, 4 = disagree, 5 = strongly disagree
4. I believe the practices lately have been too difficult:
1 = strongly agree, 2 = agree, 3 = uncertain, 4 = disagree, 5 = strongly disagree
5. I have noticed a change in the appearance of my body from the time training began:
1 = strongly agree, 2 = agree, 3 = uncertain, 4 = disagree, 5 = strongly disagree
6. The love of gymnastics is my primary motivator:
1 = strongly agree, 2 = agree, 3 = uncertain, 4 = disagree, 5 = strongly disagree
7. Right now, gymnastics is the most important thing in my life:
1 = strongly agree, 2 = agree, 3 = uncertain, 4 = disagree, 5 = strongly disagree
8. I am committed to becoming a better gymnast and a better teammate:
1 = strongly agree, 2 = agree, 3 = uncertain, 4 = disagree, 5 = strongly disagree
9. All my teammates are important and I value their opinion:
1 = strongly agree, 2 = agree, 3 = uncertain, 4 = disagree, 5 = strongly disagree
10. I believe our team will have a successful year if we continue to work like we have lately:
1 = strongly agree, 2 = agree, 3 = uncertain, 4 = disagree, 5 = strongly disagree
11. Please rank the following aspects of your life from 1 to 5 with 1 being the most important
and 5 being the least important:
_______ Gymnastics
_______ Family
_______ Friends/Boyfriend
_______ School
_______ God/Spirituality
12. Please record the number of hours you slept at night (dont count naps) each night for the
past week:
_______ Monday
_______ Tuesday
_______ Wednesday
_______ Thursday
_______ Friday
_______ Saturday
_______ Sunday
_______________ Average
April 2003
35
References
36
Conclusions
April 2003
Brooks
37