Barbell training for 11 year old gymnast

[RBstrength]

Mark, my little girl is 11 years old. She's a competitive gymnast. Her coach told me yesterday that my daughter needs to strengthen her "core," particularly for her kips/muscle ups on the bars. I immediately thought of your distaste for that language. Can I start my daughter on a barbell program safely in order to strengthen her "core"? I'm not sure it's prudent for a kid this young to start, and I'm also not sure if my 45 pound bar will be too heavy for her to begin training?
Thanks for any thoughts on training "the core" in a young gymnast.

[Mark Rippetoe]

Can You Put Your Kids on a Strength Training Program? | Mark Rippetoe

[Bbinck1]

Can You Put Your Kids on a Strength Training Program? | Mark Rippetoe

I wish that article was required reading for every parent. And every grade school coach.

[FatButWeak]

This is as good a place as any to post this. Im wondering what Rip thinks of situps. I know he has recomemnded slat board situps in the past, but Im wondering if they have any vlaue..

Here's my premise: squatting, deadlifting, pressing, chins and all the other barbell lifts we do all strengthen the primary purpose of the abs/core/torse, which is the isometric contraction to facilitate the transmission of force from hips and lower body to the upper body, while protecting the spinal column. This strengthening allows for carryover into all sporting/working activities, whatver they are.

Situps, on the other hand, are a futile and pointless demonstration/performance of that developed ability. They have little to no inherent value due to the active flexion nature of the movement. I am also skeptical of situps' effect on spinal column structures to spend so much time in a flexed psoition WITHOUT BEING UNDER NATURAL LOAD (such as what one experiences lifting stones, for example). Therefore, while sit ups may be an interesting demonstration of strneght/endurance (such as walking on your hands is an intersting demonstration of overhead strength), they are a movemeent that ought not be trained.

Unless I am wrong. The OP's kid's coach is probably a fool (most sport coaches are, it seems). Buts its possible that he has recognized a weakness that needs to be addressed in this young athlete. While this girl is probably too young to train, what fun acitvities MIGHT address the coach's concers? More of the exercise/movemement in question?

I know that when I was a young scrote I was too weak to properly shoot a basketball from the foul line: a proper foul shot uses one hand to shoot/puch the ball, and the other is just a guide and you shouldnt have to "psuh press" (i.e. jump_ to shoot the ball. But if you are too weak, you need to use two hands and jump. I was too weak. Most kids are. Shouldnst SOME strenth training to address these weakeness be involved?

O specificall rememebr an idiot coach telling me to do fingertip puships to strengthen our hands - I who could not do a single push up much less fingertip pushups, That idito.

So, Rip:

1) Are situps mostly silly bullshit?
2) Isnt there some room to train for strength in a pre-pubescent athlete who lacks a specific ability?

[Mark Rippetoe]

Your Gut, Your Health, and Situps | Mark Rippetoe

[FatButWeak]

I knew my brilliance came from somewhere.

My theory is that situps might MIGHT demonstrate abdominal stregnth or endurance, but its stupid to train them to do so. Similar to how some "researcher" found that grip strength correlated positively to longeivty, then idiots said "we need to start training grip strength" instead of understanding that grip strength was a mere proxy for general strength. Situps might be a proxy for strong abs/torse but they should not be done for the purpose of devloiping a stong set of abs/torso.

Squat bench dead press is best. Especially press