Aug/092
Great Rings Routine
People that have never used the gymnastic rings may know they are difficult but it takes a try on them to truly grasp the strength it takes to do an impressive routine.
I came upon this video awhile back. It shows gymnast Andreas Aguilar at the 1991 World Professional Gymnastics Championships. Its most likely just an exhibition, rather then competing, due to the moves he performs.
Of particular note I want you to pay attention to the muscle up in the L-sit position. That may very well be one of the smoothest muscle ups ever. A far cry from the kipping action most athletes use.
There’s quite a few iron crosses and you’ll want to pay attention to the very unique dismount.
Good Luck and Good Ring Training,
Logan Christopher
P.S. Rings can build awesome strength and you can buy a set of gymnastic rings here.
Aug/080
The Ringless Victorian
A big thanks to Chris for sending this picture in after last weeks email on the Victorian.
Who needs rings when you’ve got a partner? This is basically the Victorian held in a partner balance.
Notice how far the false grip is used. A necessity as every little bit helps the extreme leverage in this feat.
Having not tried this feat I can’t say for sure but I imagine the partner’s hands add a bit more support than the rings would.
And for a perfect Victorian the hands would have to be brought down a little more towards the hips.
Not to take anything away from this acrobatic feat. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything else like this one.
Which brings up another point. If you’ve got any remarkable hand balancing photos send them to info@lostartofhandbalancing.com and there’s a good chance they make an appearance up on the blog.
Good Luck and Good Hand Balancing,
Logan Christopher
Aug/080
Victorian on the Gymnastic Rings
Back for a little more Olympic Coverage.
Did you catch the Men’s Gymnastic Rings final the other night?
For anyone who has never mounted a pair of rings its hard to comprehend the difficulty of even basic moves.
But when you have, no matter your skill level or lack there of, you’ll have a greater understanding of what these Olympic athletes are going through.
It’s not just one move they do, but to string several highly difficult strength moves together flawlessly for close to a minute straight. Whew! Gets me tired just thinking about it.
But this Olympics saw something new. (Not 100% sure on this but I believe it was a first for the Olympics.)
That is the Victorian. Also known as an Inverted Maltese Cross.
Once thought to be an impossible move. Essentially it’s lying back so that you’re horizontal to the floor. You hold the rings near your waist with the arms not contacting the body. Kind of like a front lever except that your arms are to your sides instead of out front.
I have to give it to the French here. Their Danny Rodrigues performed the Victorian not once but twice in his routine. It wasn’t perfect but pretty close.
My guess is that in 12 to 20 years it will become a common move in the Men’s Rings event at the Olympics.
Danny didn’t score too high overall but it was fun to watch. I’m glad he went for it.
We also had Jordan Jovtchev up once again most likely for his final Olympics. Unfortunately a couple mistakes put him out of the run for any medals.
That’s how it goes in the Olympics. To win you have to be close to flawless.
To get to that level takes years of practice. Hours and hours in the gym training for a few minutes in the spotlight. You probably don’t have aspirations of Olympic Gold but what’s important is to train to get better.
Fortunately for you, you can still have Jordan teach you how to build up the strength and skill in the Ring Strength DVD.
Mastering the Victorian isn’t important. Improving from where you are is. Learning from the best is a big step in the right direction.
Good Luck and Good Ring Training,
Logan Christopher
P.S. If you want crazy bodyweight strength than you should be on the rings. If you don’t have a pair you can get the Elite Rings
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