The sport of gymnastics demands great flexibility, agility and strength. The skills typically require many years to master. To reach the upper echelon of men's and women's gymnastics -- regional, collegiate, national and international competition -- athletes must train year-round.

You do the splits by extending one leg forward, while extending the other leg backward and lowering your pelvis to the floor. The splits require flexibility in the quads and hamstrings as well as the hip flexors and buttocks.

Warmup games for gymnastics are designed to help your kids get loose and limber prior to an instructional gymnastics workout. In addition to stretching, warmup games can help reduce the children's risk of pulling a muscle or straining a ligament during a rigorous gymnastics routine.

Gymnastics is an intensive activity that requires strength, flexibility, agility and balance. To successfully prepare for competitive or recreational gymnastics, create a training program that develops the necessary physical attributes in a way that complements the activity.

On the floor and the beam, gymnastics jumps are about height, flexibility, extension, form and speed. While the floor and the beam have some spring action, most of the height actually comes from the gymnast’s power.

A gymnast in action appears to have remarkable flexibility, turning and twisting in extraordinary ways. Gymnasts do not necessarily possess unusual muscle strength or elasticity, rather they develop their flexibility through a regimen of regular stretching and flexibility exercises.

Women gymnasts need to be both strong and agile. To accomplish this, they have to train for both power and flexibility. Gymnasts use every major muscle group in their body to perform the various moves that make up a routine.

The national governing body in the USA is the USAG, or the United States of America Gymnastics. The USAG has established 10 Junior Olympic levels, according to the World of Gymnastics. Beyond the tenth level, a gymnast competes in elite gymnastics.

A newcomer to the sport is getting a late start at 13 years old, at least compared to the world-class performers in artistic gymnastics. But a good athlete can learn the basics fairly quickly. "

Newcomers often are introduced to gymnastics by learning tumbling moves on the floor. This teaches them "air awareness, to know where their body is, what it is doing at all times,"

The intense workouts associated with competitive gymnastics provide a great source of physical exercise and encourage disciple as well as time-management skills. Gymnastics can be very demanding on competitive athletes, however, and several studies indicate that this sport can impact your child’s growth.

In every gymnastics facility, a large tub of powdered chalk is as common as bars, beams and mats. During practices and meets, gymnasts liberally dust their hands and legs with chalk to absorb sweat and improve their grip strength during events.