1. Conditioning for kids
  2. Gymnastics, 11 to 13 year olds

Gymnastics conditioning for 11 to 13 year olds

Gymnastics conditioning for 11 to 13 year olds at home means flexibility, strength and swing through 38 drills picked for the age. At 11 to 13, conditioning can build: a session may run to 45 minutes at 11 and 60 at 12 and 13, on up to 5 days, with rest days between. Why: Organized sport should total no more hours a week than the child's age in years, with two rest days a week (NATA youth sport specialization recommendations).

For parents and coaches: the physical drills that work at home for 11 to 13 year olds, one session to follow and the load rules the app applies to the age group.

By Coach Evan Waechtler Youth coach (U11, Cache Valley, Utah) and founder of SSTracker Updated November 5, 2026

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At a glance

The drills
38 physical-focus gymnastics drills work at home for 11 to 13 year olds, 20 of them gymnastics's own. 4 of them are jump, bound or sprint drills, which a plan limits.
How it is built
At 11 to 13, conditioning can build: a session may run to 45 minutes at 11 and 60 at 12 and 13, on up to 5 days, with rest days between.
Load rules
Still at most one jump, bound or sprint drill in a plan, so the legs have a day to recover. Box jumps and depth jumps wait until 14, and loaded lifting is not in an at-home plan.
What you need
Most used: mat (15 of the 38 drills), soft ground (3), wall (3), open floor (2), agility ladder or chalk ladder (1), bench, step or sturdy table (1), bouncy ball (1), broomstick or dowel (1). 4 drills need nothing but space.

gymnastics's own

Gymnastics conditioning drills for 11 to 13 year olds

These drills build the body for gymnastics itself: flexibility, strength and swing. Every one is open to 11 to 13 year olds by the app's age gates and works at home with one parent.

flexibility

Flexibility

strength

Strength

swing

Swing

balance & control

Balance & Control

Every sport

Athletic drills gymnastics players share

Speed, balance and control carry across sports. These athletic drills are the same for every sport, picked from the ones open to 11 to 13 year olds.

balance & control

Balance & Control

form

Form

strength

Strength

tumbling & vault

Tumbling & Vault

A 28-minute session

A conditioning session for 11 to 13 year olds

A warm-up, 2 drills and a cool-down: 28 minutes. Still at most one jump, bound or sprint drill in a plan, so the legs have a day to recover.

  1. 1Gymnastics Warm-Up, Ages 11 to 13A 10-minute moving warm-up for gymnastics players aged 11 to 13: running, moving stretches, plank, balance, landings and build-up runs, then gymnastics moves, with a note on growth spurts.10 min
  2. 2Hollow RocksBanana shape, rock as one piece.6 min
  3. 3Hollow HoldBack flat, banana shape.6 min
  4. 4Gymnastics Cool-Down Stretches, Ages 11 to 13A 6-minute cool-down for gymnastics players aged 11 to 13 after training: stretches for the legs, hips, wrists and sides, each held 15 to 20 seconds, never to pain, with growth-spurt notes.6 min

Healthy load

How much gymnastics conditioning is healthy for 11 to 13 year olds

At 11 to 13, conditioning can build: a session may run to 45 minutes at 11 and 60 at 12 and 13, on up to 5 days, with rest days between.

Still at most one jump, bound or sprint drill in a plan, so the legs have a day to recover.

Box jumps and depth jumps wait until 14, and loaded lifting is not in an at-home plan.

Organized sport should total no more hours a week than the child's age in years, with two rest days a week. (NATA youth sport specialization recommendations).

The research behind it

Questions and answers

What is gymnastics conditioning for 11 to 13 year olds?

At 11 to 13, conditioning can build: a session may run to 45 minutes at 11 and 60 at 12 and 13, on up to 5 days, with rest days between. The 38 drills below are physical-focus gymnastics drills that work at home.

What gymnastics conditioning drills can 11 to 13 year olds do at home?

A few to start with: Bridge from the Floor, Front and Side Leg Swings and Wrist Prep Routine. Most used: mat (15 of the 38 drills), soft ground (3), wall (3), open floor (2), agility ladder or chalk ladder (1), bench, step or sturdy table (1), bouncy ball (1), broomstick or dowel (1). 4 drills need nothing but space.