- What's up, it's Chris Heria.
Welcome to another vlog.
We just arrived at a gymnastics gym,
because today I'm gonna be trying gymnastics
for the first time.
Now I had a friend back in elementary school,
about 23 years ago, his name is Jorgie.
I met him by the pull-up bars before school started.
I think I was about in first grade,
and I remember him doing some pretty cool moves
for only being eight years old.
And now he's training kids to go off to the Olympics.
So we're gonna go inside, catch up with him
and let's see if you can teach me a thing or two.
- Hello, everyone name is Jorge Valdez,
and I've been a gymnastics coach here
at Florida Gymnastics Training Center since 2007.
And I wanna see if we can get Chris
to understand some fundamentals of gymnastics
and pick up some new skills.
I first started gymnastics in 1997
when I was seven years old.
I can't perform anymore and train hard because
of an injury I sustained in 2011.
I broke C6 and C7 in an audition for Cirque du Soleil
in a trampoline accident.
I remember the first time I met Chris
at Blue Lakes Elementary School.
It was probably around the same time I started gymnastics.
I remember first seeing him in the cafeteria.
We were buying pencils.
But I also remember seeing him around
at the playground where, since I had started gymnastics,
I would kind of play around with some
of the basic skills on the low/high bar that's set up there.
Knowing Chris's physical capabilities right now,
from what I've seen, I think he'll excel more
than the typical person, but he is gonna find the respect
for some of the skills that is gonna be a little more
than he expected.
I think he'll fare well.
I have utmost respect for the calisthenic type work.
I'd say 90 percent of the type of training
that we do is calisthenic-involved training.
I'm all about calisthenics.
I like to see how it's evolving
and how people continue to push it to its limits
and get it to its highest professional level.
I think the differences between the two is
mostly a structuring of the apparatus
that they're proven performed on
and the details in terms of what are the criteria
of what makes the skill perfect.
I mean, I don't know as much about the calisthenic world,
but in the gymnastics world,
there's extremely strict guidelines on getting credit
for a skill and being deducted on a skill
for how it's being done.
- Jorgie, my brother, how are you man?
- Nice seeing you, Chris, how you been?
- Dude, I've been good.
I feel like I haven't seen you in 20 years, man,
over 20 years.
- It's been like 20 years, man.
It's nice to be at your spot, man.
I peeped out your Instagram right before coming here,
I saw you were training little ones to big ones,
top athletes like insane gymnastics skills.
So excited to train with you.
This is actually my first time
having a gymnastics instructor.
So what are some of the stuff that we have
in store for today?
- Well, we're gonna do a lot of basic things.
We're gonna run through different kind
of element groups that are in each apparatus.
So you could see that each event doesn't have
kind of one type of skill, there's different kinds
of skills per event that we can work on.
Given your physical abilities.
I'm sure you're gonna excel more than the typical person,
but I think you're gonna walk away
with different respect for the sport.
- For sure, I've seen so many videos.
I've seen a lot of kids be doing like Malteses on the rings.
Hopefully we can try some of that today.
- Oh yeah, man, be a lot of fun.
- Man, you guys got a whole playground in here.
I actually have so many goals that I've wanted
when I've seen gymnastic stuff.
I mean, definitely Maltese on rings was
definitely a goal of mine.
Even doing some tumbling stuff.
I can do back flips and stuff like that.
- [Jorgie] I've seen it.
- [Chris] But I've never tried front flips
or really any other flips.
Hopefully we can accomplish some of those.
- [Jorgie] Yeah, maybe with the new fundamentals
that you're learning, you could translate
that into new skills.
- Yeah, that would be the goal for today.
So where should we start?
- I think if we start up here on the P bars.
There's a lot of versatility on this apparatus.
There's gonna be three different types of groups
of skills I'm gonna teach you.
Now the most basic one is gonna be
what we call support swing,
where you're gonna be on your hands supporting yourself.
And then I wanna see you do a swing up to a handstand.
Use the momentum of the swing to bring you up all the way
and squeeze the hell out of those bars.
As you're going forward, you wanna lean forward a little bit
and as you get close to the handstand's
when you bring your shoulders more on top of your support.
- And keep a straight figure for the rest of my body?
- Ideally, yes.
(soft music)
- There you go.
- And then just come back down?
- Come back and try to repeat it again.
There you go.
Excellent control on the way up.
Way to keep a good body position.
So the next skill we're gonna kind of work on,
I'm actually gonna put the bars up more.
So what you're gonna do is gonna start here in this area
swing a little bit.
Let's do front and front.
- Woo, what's the history behind that move,
why is that a move that you guys incorporate?
'Cause it seems like such an awkward position
to be placed.
- In calisthenics, you want to kind of do the maximum
of what the body can do.
It's a different form of element.
So yeah, from swinging up, for example,
from a handstand, from support is not easy.
From here, it's even harder.
It's just like a next level.
- That's true.
- [Jorgie] So sometimes a lot of guys will perform a skill
from here to get more points.
And not only that, you're required
to show at least one skill from each element group.
- [Chris] During a whole set?
- [Jorgie] Yeah.
- Should actually start incorporating that
into street workout, calisthenics too.
If you're gonna do a P bar set, make sure
to add different elements to it.
- [Jorgie] Yeah it can't all be one type of skill.
- [Chris] You do that when it comes
to freestyling on the bar,
we'll do like muscle out 360, come back up,
hold like a planche on top.
- [Jorgie] Right, you have to have a hold skill
and a dynamic skill, it can't just all be swinging.
- [Chris] Yeah.
- [Jorgie] Or it can't just be all static skills.
- Exactly.
Do I press into it or do I do it with arms straight?
- Your arms straight?
You could kind of straight-arm press it
with the flow of the skill to make it look clean,
and it won't be the reduction
if you're good enough at hiding it.
But if you're shouldering a press, it's a lower value.
- Pressing is a big part of calisthenics
or street workout.
I'm talking more specifically of the next level.
Is that not the same for gymnastics?
- It is and it isn't.
On this event, there's only one skill
you're allowed to press.
Every press has, there is no bent arms.
- Wow, yeah, so that is quite the difference right there.
I was trying to find the difference
between street workout and gymnastics for this vlog,
and we just found a big one right there.
- So go on the floor with me like this,
and you're gonna go like this.
(legs slam)
- Oh, that is super hard, bro.
- Right, so apply that to the skill.
'Cause as you're doing this skill, you're getting that
and then finish it like that.
(techno music)
Alright, alright, alright.
We got up, we got up.
- I think I oughta keep practicing on that one.
I feel like I can definitely get it, though.
- Sometimes you're better off failing,
doing it the right way, to eventually get it perfect.
- I love that, that's what I say too,
perfect practice makes perfect.
- That's the truth.
So the next element group-type skill is a skill
that starts underneath the bars.
For this skill you wanna glide to a straight-ish position.
- [Chris] Hmm, okay.
- And then as you're reaching that position,
right before you reach, you wanna compress
your body in, next to your face.
Ride that pike, pull down with straight arms,
and finish the skill.
Good, that was better.
There you go, that was nice clean to an L.
- Really?
- You think a V you hit an L.
- So what's the level of a routine like that?
- For us, in gymnastics,
all the skills are given a letter value.
The most basic is A, the highest A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I.
All of the skills that we've done so far are A's.
A press, a straight-arm press, is a B though.
- Oh shoot, so let's see if we get that.
- Good.
- That's straight-arm press.
- That was clean.
Nice, that was a nice clean kip, I liked that one a lot.
The arms were nice, it was right to the position.
- Oh shoot, bro, that's insane.
You gotta teach me how to do that one.
- We'll work on it.
You know what you should do, actually, right now?
Get up and just do a bunch of little swings.
Feel where your shoulders are.
Just swing and just keep a good posture.
Head forward, head forward, there you go.
Head forward, excellent.
Now, as you gain confidence and as you gain control
at the peak of that, you kick, we go over.
How many athletes in this gym do you think can Maltese?
- None right now, they left to college.
- So this is like what level?
- A Maltese is a D, D's high.
So let's do this tuck planche, kick out
to the straight body planche
and then lower it down to Maltese.
- Okay
- Good.
- So you got heavy at the end.
You gotta consider the width that you give yourself.
If you're wider, the more weight is in the bottom.
So your legs are gonna come down.
And if you're too close, you're gonna tip forward.
So you have to find what is the angle of arms.
And in a sense, you gotta be thinking
that you're pressing, staying in the same place.
- And you want to engage your lats?
- You wanna engage your tongue brother.
You wanna engage everything.
- That's it.
Excellent, excellent, excellent.
. You're gonna get that.
Another thing I do, I usually do it down here,
I'll stack mats, and you can just basically start
your knees and let yourself fall.
And just a bunch of those bunch of those.
- A bunch of negatives.
- Yeah, or you can just do it on one knee
and then just kind of hopping it a little bit.
And that's kind of like what I have them do when
they're already tired or on a day
that we haven't done it in a while, so get back into it.
Because just like with the plan, there's gonna be days
that you're super good, that like where did this come from?
And you could hold the planche eight, 10 seconds.
You're like, I'm just a monster.
I'm not even tired.
There's other days that you go into it,
you just could barely touch it.
- Yeah, for like, three seconds or whatever.
- And it's because you gain half a pound,
- I love that you're saying that on camera
because that's a big thing that people don't even realize.
I say that all the time,
I'm not trying to gain weight too fast either.
'Cause then that also hinders your relative strength,
how many reps you can do, and how many moves you can do.
- So let's get another, I'm gonna bounce you on this one.
(techno music)
So we're gonna try a little different spot now,
working up from a straight-body planche,
from there we're gonna lower down to a Maltese.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
- How much rest time do you guys normally take
between these type of moves?
- Depends, like if we're trying to focus
on resistance, 30 seconds, and you're not gonna get up
and do a full-on set right after.
How often you do a full set?
With a basic dismount, move 30 seconds,
the last two skills of the routine, 30 seconds.
And then you'll go up in a handstand
and hold the handstand as long as you can.
- Okay, so we go right back up.
- That's it, that's it.
Yeah.
- Yeah, that felt nice, bro.
- That flat.
- Killer dude, I didn't expect to do a Maltese
on the ring.
- I'm gonna try a new spotting technique on you.
It's gonna help you feel the perfect horizontal position.
And then after that we're gonna hit some
other preparatory exercises
that's gonna help fix your body position.
- Okay. So this is basically like drop-setting, basically?
- Exactly.
(techno music)
Yes. - Geez.
What do we got next?
- This exercise is as old as it gets.
Literally, will help any strength-based skill in gymnastics.
You're working the segment from the chest down.
What you're basically gonna be doing,
I'm gonna put you in a Maltese,
but it's gonna be easier, in the sense that
instead of being supporting on your hands
your shoulders will be touching.
So you're gonna straight-body it down
and then press that up.
And that's something that you said earlier
that's gonna apply to this,
is is how perfect practice making permanence.
Now you gotta focus more on the body position.
Good, super straight.
Super pushed away.
Up, up, up, up, up.
Yes, sir.
Up, up, up, yes, sir.
One more.
Hold this one for three before you go up.
Three, two, up, yes, go, yes.
(hands clap)
- Ugh, oh my God, I can't wait for two weeks of this.
I can definitely fill myself leveling up.
- You get a rhythm on this.
You could, this is something you could do every day.
I'd recommend for you to be doing daily.
On three, I'm gonna like fling you up
and I'm gonna catch you and you'll do a Maltese.
- What, okay.
- One, two, three, push.
Yes, heels up.
Yes.
- That's a tough one.
- Heels, heels.
Yeah.
- That's a good one. You definitely need to have
some solid, straight-arm strength for that.
So what's next?
- So you're gonna wanna walk, your hips up.
- Geez.
- All way across.
And you wanna keep your fingers pointing more forward,
all the way across.
And when you get across, walk it back.
Everything has to be as excruciatingly uncomfortable
as possible.
The more uncomfortable you are, the more correct it is.
Fingers forward more.
I'm gonna get like a stick and hit you.
- It's like old karate class.
- Yeah, that's good though, that's good.
You feeling your upper tricep?
- Yep.
- Two more big steps.
Bring it back.
Three, two one.
- What are some like rehab things that gymnasts do?
- The main thing that we do is just simple
with bungees, resistance type exercises.
We warm up not only with flexibility
but with lesser strength skills.
Skills that aren't so much taxing on the body
but just to activate the full body.
Every day, before my guys start training,
they'll do exercises for their ankles,
their knees, their hip flexors, their lats,
their abdominals, their lower back, all of the above,
on top of flexibility to activate the muscles
and prevent as much injury as possible.
- Yeah, you're only as strong as your weakest link.
So what are we doing over here?
- I think that we're gonna play around a little bit.
The front tuck.
- Okay, I've never done a front flip before.
So this is, we're doing a whole bunch at first today,
so I'm ready for it.
- So what I want you to do,
is you're gonna do a little run up,
hit the floor with both feet at the same time,
your hands above your head, you're gonna swing the arms down
to a handstand onto that higher part of the mat,
and just roll out of it.
- One, two, three.
- I want you to flip it a little harder.
Miss your hands, grab your knees, and land on your butt.
Good, a little early with the kick out.
- That was like a slam.
- Now I want you to try the actual front flip on this.
I'm gonna give you a quick little tap spot,
- Okay.
- To make sure you get around better.
But I want you to feel inside of that front flip,
once you grab, a sit up.
- Oh shoot.
- You're ready.
Two attempts.
Third attempt, just go for it.
- Long, high.
That was better.
You're gonna make contact.
Get your chest back more.
Chest back.
Good, yes, sir.
That was gorgeous.
- Dude. You're a sick coach, man.
I'm so excited to start training with you.
- You're picking it well.
You're doing the right steps.
Easy to apply the good techniques.
So I think this is a combo thing.
- I feel like we did a lot for today.
If there's anything else we can train
or you think I should rest.
I mean, we could be here till 10 o'clock at night,
if we keep going.
- That's true.
Maybe we should save some of these skills
for the next session. - Yeah.
- 'Cause we definitely gotta get it on the vlog.
I definitely want to touch the high bar with you.
Just getting my high bar, free-styling, to the next level.
- Are you looking to compete?
- No, this just for me, man.
I used to be so passionate with freestyle calisthenics
specifically, like freestyling on the bars,
like I'll do muscle, jump on the bar, 360s.
But one day I got injured on one of these events
and was never really the same ever again
because I fell off the bar one time.
I still freestyled and stuff like that,
but I guess the passion wasn't as there anymore.
- Filled it up with something else.
- Yeah.
- Boxing, other stuff, music.
But now I'm fired up.
Now that I got some new arsenal to my team
and I'm fired up to get back in there
and just take my freestyling to the next level.
So Jorgie, thank you so much, man, I appreciate that.
- It's a pleasure, bro.
I love to work with people who are passionate like this.
It's not work.
- And I had so much fun
and I can't wait to start training with you.
We're definitely gonna bring some more vlogs.
So guys let me know exactly what you want to see
in the next gymnastics vlog,
because we're gonna keep this going.
Just leave it in the comment section, down below.
We're gonna get around to it in the next couple weeks.
Jorgie, I have one last question for you.
How do you think I did coming in here, and to now?
- Honestly, you had a above-average preparation,
gave you a big advantage.
I gotta say that your ability to adjust was above-average.
I'm gonna give you a five walking in here.
I'm gonna leave you at a six walking out.
The way I'm looking at it in terms of levels of gymnastics.
- Yeah.
- Someone who's gonna start off as a level one,
you're walking out of here easily as a good level six.
- Wow, dude, that's amazing.
Well, I can't wait to keep this going.
Definitely check out Jorgie.
Check out his Instagram and we'll see you guys
in the next vlog.
Mad love, peace, out.
(techno music)
- Smash that light button guys.