Long-Term Athlete Developmental (LTAD) 

Our Philosophy on Training Hours

One of the questions we receive most often is about training hours, which is why we are answering these questions on our website for you here. Interestingly, we hear it from both directions -some families ask whether their gymnast can train more, while others wonder if they could train less.
 

The truth is that there is no single "perfect" number of hours for every gymnast. Appropriate training depends on many factors, including an athlete's age, stage of development, health, growth, recovery, school commitments, personal goals, and how effectively those hours are used. We have recreational, house league, developmental and travel competitive pathways to meet the different needs of everyone.
 

It's also important to remember that hours alone don't tell the whole story. A well-planned 12-hour program with purposeful coaching, technical progressions, strength and flexibility training, injury prevention, and efficient event rotations can be more effective than a poorly structured 16-hour program. Training quality, athlete readiness, and adequate recovery are just as important as the number of hours spent in the gym.
 

While more training is not always better, too little training can also present challenges. Gymnastics is a highly technical sport that relies on consistency. If an athlete trains below the level needed to safely maintain their strength, flexibility, coordination, and technical skills, they may be at greater risk of poor movement patterns, falls, overuse injuries, or acute injuries when performing skills.

Undertraining can also slow progression, as athletes spend more time rebuilding physical readiness and technical consistency rather than advancing to new skills.
 

The opposite can also be true. Too much training without adequate recovery may increase the risk of overuse injuries, fatigue, illness, burnout, and declining performance. Recovery is an essential part of athletic development. Sleep, nutrition, rest days, and time away from the gym all allow the body and mind to adapt to training.
 

Across Canada, many clubs train athletes in the CCP 6-7 range 12-20 hours per week, with larger programs often training toward the upper end of that range. Our competitive program has been intentionally designed to sit toward the lower end of the national average while still providing enough time to safely develop the technical, physical, and mental demands of gymnastics.
 

We believe this approach offers important advantages. It provides athletes with meaningful opportunities for family time, school, friendships, adequate sleep, and recovery, while still meeting the demands of competitive gymnastics. We see these as strengths of our program, not compromises.
 

Research consistently shows that athletes do not improve simply by spending more hours in the gym. They improve when training is appropriate for their stage of development, well-planned, purposeful, and balanced with adequate recovery. Our coaches continually evaluate whether each athlete is receiving the right amount of training based on their health, growth, attendance, injury history, goals, and overall well-being.
 

For some athletes, there may be times when additional training is appropriate. For others, temporary reductions or modifications may be the healthiest choice due to injury, illness, rapid growth, school demands, or personal circumstances. We encourage open communication with families so we can make thoughtful decisions together that support each gymnast's long-term success.
 

Our goal is not to train the most, it is to train well. We want every athlete to leave the gym healthier, stronger, more confident, and better prepared than when they arrived. By balancing quality coaching, appropriate training loads, and healthy recovery, we aim to develop resilient athletes who can enjoy gymnastics for many years to come.

Research & References
 

Our approach is guided by current research and nationally recognized athlete development models. Canada's Sport for Life: Long-Term Development in Sport and Physical Activity 3.0 (2019) identifies artistic gymnastics as one of the few early specialization sports, recognizing that many of the sport's fundamental movement patterns, flexibility, coordination, and technical skills are most effectively developed during childhood. At the same time, the framework emphasizes age-appropriate training, gradual progression, adequate recovery, and long-term athlete health over short-term results.
 

This philosophy is supported by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Consensus Statement on Youth Athletic Development (Bergeron et al., 2015), which recommends balancing training and recovery while considering each athlete's growth, maturation, health, and individual needs. The IOC further notes in its Consensus Statement on Training Load and Injury (Soligard et al., 2016) that injury risk increases not only when training loads rise too quickly, but also when athletes are inadequately prepared for the physical demands of their sport. Progressive, well-planned training with appropriate recovery is considered one of the most effective ways to reduce injury risk and support long-term athlete development.
 

These principles shape how we design our competitive programs. Rather than simply maximizing training hours, we aim to provide each gymnast with the right amount of training for their age, stage of development, goals, and overall well-being - supporting safe, healthy participation and a lifelong love of the sport.