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Join today<\/a><\/p>\n \n Already a member? People who know how to exercise<\/a> can get a great workout in \u2013 whenever they want, wherever they are. People who don\u2019t, often go without. This is the biggest difference I see between those who are fit and healthy<\/a>, and those who want to be. <\/p>\n For this reason, the most valuable fitness<\/a> gift I can give you is the ability to transform your body into a gym. Learning gymnastics<\/a> is the best way to do this \u2013 and you can do it at any age, according to gymnastics coach Barney Linssen<\/a>.<\/p>\n Gymnastics creates strength<\/a>, coordination and physical competency \u2013 your body becomes far more capable, Linssen says. This competence breeds confidence and, before you know it, you\u2019re exercising regularly. <\/p>\n You might find you enjoy it too. Working towards goals such as press-ups, pull-ups and handstands can feel far more rewarding than simply trying to shrink your waistline. A resilient, healthy, capable body is a welcome by-product of your training efforts.<\/p>\n All you need to do to enjoy these perks is get the ball rolling. Below, Linssen shows you how to do just that.<\/p>\n The benefits of gymnastics<\/p>\n Whenever you see someone in their seventies, eighties, nineties or beyond looking fit as a fiddle, the common denominator is how they move. They hold themselves well, their gait is smooth, and their limbs move with strength and purpose. A history of gymnastics delivers this. <\/p>\n \u201cThe overarching umbrella of gymnastics is bodyweight movement,\u201d says Linssen. \u201cThere are obvious physical qualities that this is going to develop, such as strength and range of motion. But also, when you become better at creating specific shapes and organising your body in certain ways, you create neurological adaptations which can be turned to other tasks.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s like learning a language. The more we practise controlling our body in different positions, the greater our physical dialect becomes, allowing us to speak the language of movement more fluently. This ability presents itself as a body that is strong, resilient, coordinated and capable. <\/p>\n Gymnastics also batters down exercise\u2019s common barriers to entry. If you can\u2019t get to a gym, you can do your workout at home. If you can\u2019t afford a gym membership, you can do bodyweight workouts for free. If you don\u2019t have much time, five or 10 minutes of movement in your garden is always an option. <\/p>\n Read more: Do these things now to protect your health and fitness for decades to come<\/a><\/p>\n As someone with two young children and hundreds of coaching clients, Linssen has found bodyweight movement an indispensable tool for squeezing in sessions when time (and space) is tight. During our conversation, he fondly remembers doing lunges while soothing his newborn back to sleep. <\/p>\n \u201cGymnastics lowers the barrier to starting exercise, and it gives you somewhere interesting to go,\u201d he explains. \u201cThe most important thing for building fitness<\/a>, beyond any of the specifics, is getting into the habit of moving your body on a daily basis. Set the bar much lower than you think \u2013 just focus on regularly doing something.\u201d<\/p>\n The average person in the UK<\/a> is very inactive, despite most knowing the host of health<\/a> benefits associated with exercise, Linssen says. This shows that, for most people, knowing exercise is good for you is not enough of a reward to do it regularly. <\/p>\n \u201cThis is where bodyweight movement shines,\u201d he continues. \u201cIf there\u2019s something you\u2019re interested in learning to do, such as your first handstand or full press-up, having that type of goal to work towards is much more likely to keep you intrinsically motivated to exercise.\u201d <\/p>\n And, once again, robust bones, joints and muscles, a reduced risk of many chronic diseases and improved heart health all arrive as desirable side-effects. <\/p>\n Read more: I walked for 15 minutes after every meal for a month \u2013 the effects were immediate<\/a><\/p>\n Start with the foundations<\/p>\n For many, much of our exposure to gymnastics has been through the Olympics<\/a>. And the idea of spinning around a pommel horse or launching from a springboard can feel a world away. <\/p>\n But, Linssen says, there are levels to every skill, and entry points for every fitness level. He advises starting with simple bodyweight movements, working on strength, alignment and creating the right body positions, then building from there. And there is more good news. <\/p>\n \u201cThe lower your training age, or the less history you have of exercising, the easier it will be for you to make progress, particularly with any form of strength training,\u201d he says. \u201cIf you can do two or three sessions per week for a few months, you will progress very quickly because your body adapts faster when a stimulus is new to you.\u201d <\/p>\n The best place to begin is building basic functional movement patterns such as the squat and press-up, then introducing skill elements over time, Linssen adds. His beginner plan, below, blends strength work with movement skills to deliver wide-ranging benefits for your mind and body. <\/p>\n Read more: No gym required: Why these simple \u2018movement snacks\u2019 are the key to getting fit and healthy<\/a><\/p>\n A gymnastics workout for beginners<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Preparation work<\/p>\n Wide stance squat, lowering yourself slowly and holding the bottom position for 10\u201320 seconds 2×5 Scapular press-up<\/a> 2×8\u201312 <\/p>\n Strength work<\/p>\n Squat progression 3×6\u201310 Press-up progression 3×6\u201310 <\/p>\n (You can find demonstrations of all of these exercises and progressions in the video above.)<\/p>\n Optional skills practice for five minutes<\/p>\n Choose one of the following:<\/p>\n For the strength work, Linssen recommends choosing a version of the squat and press-up that allows you to do six to 10 controlled reps. Once you can do 10 good reps across all sets, make the exercise slightly harder rather than just continuing to add more reps. For example:<\/p>\n Raise or lower your hands or feet during press-ups. The higher your hands, the easier the exercise<\/a>; the higher your feet, the harder it feels. You might start with a wall press-up, then progress through a hands-elevated variation, full press-up, then feet-elevated variationMove from a chair squat, or sit-to-stand<\/a>, to a free squat. You can then progress to a split squat<\/a>, then a Bulgarian split squat<\/a>Increase the comfortable range of motion, or the distance your body travels, you use with each repetitionSlow the lowering phase of an exerciseAdd a pause in a portion of the lift you find difficult<\/p>\n \u201cFor holds and skills, I\u2019d keep the focus on control rather than fatigue,\u201d Linssen adds. \u201cShort attempts of around 10\u201330 seconds are plenty. Once the position becomes repeatable and controlled, you can progress to a slightly more difficult version.<\/p>\n \u201cOne caveat is pulling work. It is very difficult to train meaningful pulling strength at home with no equipment, so if you own a resistance band, I would encourage you to add resistance band bent-over rows for three sets of eight to 12 repetitions once or twice per week. <\/p>\n \u201cIf you have access to a pull-up bar, hanging and assisted pull-up progressions are also excellent additions.\u201d<\/p>\n Barney Linssen is a gymnastics coach and educator with The Gymnastics Course<\/a>, which delivers coaching courses for fitness coaches, alongside online training programmes and personalised one-to-one coaching to help individuals build strength and master bodyweight movements.<\/p>\n Read more: You only need four dumbbell moves and 20 minutes to strengthen your entire body<\/a><\/p>\n
\n Log in<\/a>\n <\/p>\n![\"Gymnastics](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Gymnastics-coach-Barney-Linssen-coaching-a-group-class.jpeg\")
Gymnastics coach Barney Linssen coaching a group class (Barney Linssen\/The Gymnastics Course)<\/p>\n![\"Gymnastics](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1792237094_46_Gymnastics-coach-Barney-Linssen-coaching-a-group-class.jpeg\")
Gymnastics coach Barney Linssen coaching a group class (Barney Linssen\/The Gymnastics Course)<\/p>\n