An absolutely remarkable performance from the Chinese gymnastic team earned them gold in front of 18,000 screaming home fans. After a worrying sixth place on the floor, they went on to win the pommel horse, rings, vault, parallel bars and horizontal bar to wipe the floor clean. The overall points difference between themselves and silver medallists Japan was greater than that between Japan and last placed France. How’s that for domination!? Expect plenty of individual Chinese golds to follow.

Gymnastics requires extraordinary strength and conditioning. Their core strength is phenomenal and an obvious prerequisite for each event. Here are some fundamental core strength exercises gymnasts might use:

The Plank: Lying face down on a mat the upper body is raised as the arms bend to 90 degrees. Elbows are positioned on the mat directly under the shoulders with forearms facing directly forwards. The body must remain straight throughout. This basic exercise tests core strength and in particularly the abdominals, erector spinae, gluteals and latissimus dorsi. Variations include lifting different limbs, alternating between arms and legs. This shifts the centre of gravity and improves core balance.

The Side Raise: Similar to The Plank, this also strengthens the trunk muscles, adding the crucial obliques to the list. Instead of starting face down athletes must be on their side and raise themselves into a position where they are leaning on just one elbow underneath the shoulder, with the forearm facing 90 degrees away from the body. The other arm must rest on the side of the body. This position is then held with the trunk pushing slightly forwards to maintain posture. With all the focus on one side the obliques come under great strain, which if performed correctly can vastly improve core strength.

With solid core bases gymnasts are better equipped to develop strength in important joints and muscles like the shoulder rotator cuffs. Just watch an event like the rings to see perfectly trained examples. As the gymnastics continues I will discuss how to strengthen these vital joints.

Learn how to improve your core strength with our Core Stability training report