The Difference Between Gymnastics High Bar and Hanging High Bar

Gymnastics high bar jump: the most important fundamental in gymnastics. It is also called the power bar. It consists of two parallel bars that are attached at the very top of a high rack using a rack mount system. The distance between the bars is six inches.

Gymnastics high bar jump: it differs from standard pullups in that the bar is lowered to the very top of the frame. This technique allows gymnasts to use a greater number of muscles during the exercise. Standard pullups limit all muscle groups to the wrist, elbow, shoulders, back, and buttocks; while the high bar allows all muscles groups to be used. Thus, even the smallest muscle groups are worked.

In the Olympic game, gymnasts generally use gymnastics high bar pullups, which are not part of the basic gymnastics skills. But, this is no indication of the superiority of gymnastics over standard strength training. There is no question that the standard pullup can be executed with minimal difficulty and using a considerable amount of strength. However, the Olympic games give prime importance to gymnastics strength training because in these games, the competitors have to be very skillful in performing very difficult tasks under difficult conditions. It is for this reason that gymnastics has been defined as a sport that recognizes the art of overcoming obstacles in the game of gymnastics.

One of the main differences between gymnastics and strength training is that the latter has several variants, whereas the former uses only two basic forms, namely the horizontal bar and the vertical bar. The gymnastics exercises that are commonly performed on the parallel bars are: the hollars and the uneven bars. The hollars are used for a more advanced program, whereas the uneven bars are used for warm-up exercises. While both bars are equally important for all the gymnasts, the importance of the uneven bars is more because it is easier to stretch the muscles of the body by using these than the horizontal bars.

While doing the uneven bars, a gymnast has to make use of the entire body weight. This makes it a difficult task to develop the upper body strength of the gymnast, which is an essential requirement for performing the high jumps and power snatch. However, the horizontal bar will be more suitable for developing the leg strength of the gymnast. This is because it is easier to balance the body and execute the necessary motions with the assistance of the horizontal bar than the vertical bar.

For developing the upper body, a power snatch or a power bar is more suitable than the hollars because the distance between the high bar and the floor is shorter. This facilitates better execution of the snatch. However, all these advantages of the high bar do not mean that it is better than the horizontal bar. A gymnast has to choose the particular type of bars depending on the specific needs and strength of the gymnast.