Your first double under.
Your first handstand push-up.
Your first muscle-up.
Your first pull-up.
Whatever skill you’re chasing right now, there’s usually one big reason you haven’t gotten it yet:
You simply haven’t accumulated enough quality reps.
Most gymnastics and higher-skill movements aren’t about motivation or “trying harder.” They’re about practice, repetition, exposure.
And for most people, class alone isn’t enough.
You Need Reps Outside of Class
If you only attempt a skill when it shows up in programming, progress will typically be slow.
To help improve skills fastest you can get extra reps consistently by:
- Spend 5–10 minutes before or after class practicing
- Schedule a 20 minute movement session with a coach
- Attend skills classes on Thursdays
Just like anything, extra reps matter significantly when it comes to teaching ourselves new things.
The athletes who eventually get their first muscle-up or handstand push-up usually aren’t magically more talented – they’ve simply spent more time practicing the pieces consistently.
You Might Not Have the Strength Base Yet
This is another big one people don’t always love to hear.
A lot of people want to skip straight to the final movement without building the foundation first.
For example:
- If you can’t do a strict pullup… a rope climb is not likely going to happen.
- If you can’t do a strong chest-to-bar pullup or ring dip yet… doing muscle up progressions on the rings won’t get you very far.
- If you can’t do a strict handstand pushup… working on kipping can become very unsafe.
- If you can’t do an efficient Clean or Snatch… learning how to effectively use your hips to get any style pullup or muscle up will be far more difficult.
Progressions matter because they build:
- Strength
- Core stability
- Coordination
- Body awareness
Just like any sport that we preach to young athletes – the basics are far more important than the actual skill itself. If the foundation is not built strong and resilient, the skill may randomly occur on good days but will not become efficient, safe or consistent long term.
Stop Treating Every Workout Like Cardio
Some workouts are purposefully designed to be more skill-focused and less about redlining your heart rate.
Those are opportunities!
Instead of automatically scaling to move faster or trying to turn everything into conditioning, use those workouts to:
- Attempt new skills
- Challenge yourself
- Practice reps under fatigue
- Get uncomfortable
If a coach describes the purpose of the workout as “skill-based,” use that as your cue to try new things and get out of your comfort zone.
Because THAT’S where breakthroughs happen.
You Have to Be Okay Failing
This is probably the biggest part of it all.
Failing sucks. And failing a lot can become a big mental block. We get it! Us as coaches have ALL been there. You didn’t think we all just walked into The Gym to start working and were able to do these things, did you?
You will fail reps.
You will leave the gym feeling frustrated.
You will feel awkward and uncoordinated.
You will want to give up more than a couple times.
But with persistence, resilience and GRIT… something WILL finally click. And THAT’S what makes the whole journey worth it.
Because eventually, all those reps and time challenging yourself to be uncomfortable, add up.
And one day, the thing you “never thought you could do” suddenly becomes something you are most proud to do.
The Moral of the Story?
Try new things.
Get gritty.
Become resilient.
Build confidence.
Be PROUD. 💪