Here's some people who are insanely strong

tim_mcf · 02-May-07, 03:34 PM

glumbert.com - Sports Acrobatics: The 5 Disciplines

**gymgirl** · 02-May-07, 04:28 PM

ok that is just sick, yet amazing. wow.

MTG35 · 02-May-07, 11:01 PM

That is totally crazy. What amazing strength and balance.

arbit · 02-May-07, 11:22 PM

I feel sorry for them.
Did u see how skinny the women were ? esp the ones being thrown about. All of them for sure have some eating disorder.
They must also have no life, practicing all say long. No fun at all.

Blaze · 03-May-07, 10:15 AM

Wow...talk about assumptions and judgementalism.
It's called lean. Some people are just built like that. Haven't you ever seen horse jockey's. ome of them DO have problems, but many of them are just built small.

**gymgirl** · 03-May-07, 10:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by arbit

I feel sorry for them.
Did u see how skinny the women were ? esp the ones being thrown about. All of them for sure have some eating disorder.
They must also have no life, practicing all say long. No fun at all.

Arbit, you can't make assumtions like that. They look like gymnasts. gymnasts/acrobats are lean and most of the time it is not because they are aneroxic. You train hard when you are a gymnast and being lean is a result of that, not lack of eating. Do you think someone who is aneroxic would have the strength to hold poses like that, let alone while holding someone else on top of them?

Oh and to each their own, but just because you work had and practice a lot dosen't mean you don't have a life. It's called dedication Arbit. You also form very close bonds with the girls you spend all that time with. Would you recommend they do what most kids are doing now a days after school? going to the mall, watching TV or doing drugs?

Dan C · 03-May-07, 12:22 PM

That was some of the most amazing things I've ever seen!

It's no secret that eating disorders are prevelent in gymnastics but you'd have to have a certain bodytype and the right genetics to reach a level as those people in the video. And of course, LOTS of training.

It's interesting to note that sucess in bodybuilding also requires a certain bodytype, the right genetics, an eating disorder and virtually no life outside of training.

I actually do feel sorry for bodybuilders as arbit does for those gymnasts, but for some reason I admire the gymnasts. Maybe it's the isolation or the "self-absorbtion" of bodybuilding, maybe the lack of skill or obvious athleticism, maybe the drugs? I don't know, but it's interesting that a "bodybuilder" would make such comments... kinda ironic.

**maverick** · 03-May-07, 02:09 PM

I think the problem is that all of these disciplines are judged by their highest level. That's why everyone thinks gymnasts are anorexic, strongmen are fat, powerlifters are fat, bodybuilders are juicers, etc, etc... (with a few exceptions of course). At almost any physical disciplines' highest level, the participants are going to be doing things that the average can't or won't do for that discipline. Some see it as admirable, some see it as sad. Its in the eye of the beholder and luckily for the participants, they only have to rationalize it to themselves.

Dan C · 03-May-07, 02:54 PM

Good post Maverick, but I take exception to the bit about "lucky for the participants"...

Rationalizing problematic behavior is a very bad habit. It's very unfortunate (and unlucky) for them.

But problematic behavior could be at any level in any sport. Of course, the higher levels of sport are going to be the most scrutinized but that's only because the higher levels is what is made public. No one is going to post (or even bother to film) a video of 2nd class amateurs. It might be more apparent at the higher levels (especially in the case of "pro" bodybuilding) but I have no doubt that there are pre-teen girls out there stressing out over the fat content of various salad dressings.

It is in the eye of the beholder but some things you just can't get around, and no matter how they are rationalized, they are still wrong. Both drugs and the female athlete triad fall into this catagory.

In my eye, I am highly impressed by these gymnasts and their skill. Although some of them did look either very young/underdeveloped, I did not see a glaring problem as Arbit obviously did. I do however see such problems glaring in the bodybuilding community, and found it funny that a bodybuilder would point such things out.

tim_mcf · 03-May-07, 03:45 PM

Here's some video of 2nd class amateurs:

YouTube - Inspired by the gymnasts on tv. Part one.

YouTube - Dirty Dancing 3: Harlem Nights
(you can stop watching this one after the credits roll)

YouTube - Manito doing backflips

**gymgirl** · 03-May-07, 04:33 PM

Ok I have to just get this off my chest and sorry if this sounds a bit defensive. I honestly do not know why gymnasts have such a reputation for being aneroexics. Most of you know I was a competitive gymnast most of my childhood, and maybe my opinion will be considered worthless because I was not an olympic level gymnast. I was only a national level gymnast and when i retired I was one level below elite/junior olympic level. I have been through this and have spent a great deal of time with many high level gymnasts. Guess how many of them were aneroxic or had eating issues....absoulutely zero. It's just not possible to maintain yourself as successful athlete at that level while surviving on 400-800 calories.

We did have coaches telling us we were chubby, but luckily most of us had parents around telling us that we were buring so many calories that it didn't matter what we ate. I always ate pretty healthy and had treats like pizza and fast food and I never felt deprived. It was only AFTER I retired that I had a small like 1 week issue with food, and that was just me being a stupid HS senior who wanted to drink and stay small. It was more about my body changing from being a young athlete into a young woman.

Tim i'm going to have to check out your latest videos when I get home...my work computer is too slow...

arbit · 03-May-07, 06:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blaze

Wow...talk about assumptions and judgementalism.
It's called lean. Some people are just built like that. Haven't you ever seen horse jockey's. ome of them DO have problems, but many of them are just built small.

Jockeys.....
Did you know that the restrooms for jockeys has a special stall built for throwing up ?

Gymgirl, thats interesting, I thought eating disorders were rampant in girls practicing gymnastics.

Dan C, I'd like to classify myself as a "resistance trainer", I could never get anal about dropping to some ridiculous BF % like 4%. And I too find the current batch of steroid freaks to be sad.

**minime** · 08-May-07, 07:54 AM

oh my that video was amazing!! The girls are very lean, but they have to be if they are the 'top layer' or part of a mixed pair. The lighter they are the easier to throw etc. Do they all have eating disorders i doubt it, do some of them, probably. Fact is that in a discipline such as gymnastics OR bodybuilding, the lines between dedication and obsession are often blurred. If you follow a super clean diet all the time and freak out if you dont get your perfect 40/40/20 split, does that make you a dedicated bodybuilder or a disordered eater? I'm sure the gymnasts go for hours on end without food, and yes they realise they have to stay slim to perform and so their diet will probably reflect this but it doesnt mean they have an eating disorder.

Also it is possible that many of the girls especially the very little ones have naturally tiny builds and/or are very young.

I think it is amazing and I greatly admire their strength and skill. And their dedication of course.

**minime** · 08-May-07, 08:03 AM

gymgirl, i think it is a common belief that as arbit says eating disorders are rampant in women practicing gymnastics. Also Ballet as it is another sport where it is necessary for the women to remain as lean as possible.

however I wouldnt go to say that all gymnasts are anorexic or that those in the video are. I googled it and came up with a couple of things.

http://www.vanderbilt.edu/AnS/psycho...y/gymnasts.htm

http://www.wsm.ca/2003_essays/Eating...e_Gymnasts.PDF

PHYSICAL AND EMOTIONAL ABUSE OF YOUNG FEMALE ATHLETES

that last one says that in female athletes the % suffering from eating disorder is between 15 and 62 % which is much higher than the general population.

**LiftGirl** · 08-May-07, 05:26 PM

I think they are just young in most cases. Also consider the amount of upper-body strength needed to perform many of those stunts. That would result in very developed shoulers, making them appear thinner than they actually are.