Building Stronger Gymnasts - Dr. Sarah, PT, DPT

Building Stronger Gymnasts - Dr. Sarah, PT, DPT Dr. Sarah Barbosa, PT, DPT. Former Gymnast for 16 years | Adult Comeback
Helping gymnasts stay strong, prevent injuries & perform at their best.

STRENGTH & PREHAB TOOLS FOR GYMNASTS in links ⬇️

08/04/2026

12 years ago, I thought I did my last double back and giants on bars.

Growing up, I LOVED bars, but at the time my shoulders didn’t. After 2 shoulder surgeries, I was told it wouldn’t be wise to go back to bars, so I sadly hung the grips up.

But after years of rebuilding my foundation (and helping gymnasts do the same as a physical therapist), I got back on bars and been loving every minute of it.

This is a skill I used to compete. I’ve been training them onto an 8 incher in the pit for months, but I kept waiting for them to feel perfect before taking them here.

Turns out, they felt fine. So happy I finally let myself go for it. Now time to figure out where I am in the air so I open on time 😂

07/30/2026

I’ve probably made it obvious that bars has been the main focus of this comeback (it’s my favorite) but beam has easily been the scariest as an adult.

For the past year, my side aerial stayed on the low beam because I kept telling myself I wasn’t ready. I didn’t train beam consistently enough to feel confident moving it to the next step.

But doing it on a road beam on a higher beam recently made me realize it wasn’t that bad and I was holding myself back.

Tonight, after about 15 attempts, I finally went for it.

Confidence rarely comes first. It grows after you’re willing to try. 🤍

Shoutout to Alison Mann LCSW | Alopecia Therapist & Coach for the support (she’s my childhood teammate from 20 years ago who’s amazing and making her comeback too!)

07/27/2026

A big mistakes I see gymnasts make isn’t just skipping back training... it’s not actually using their back when they do train it.

And honestly… this applies to so many people I treat, not just gymnasts 🙃

When you’re doing rows, pulldowns, or pull-ups, don’t just pull with your arms.

On the squeeze part, think:
✅ Keep your chest proud.
✅ Think about your shoulder blade initiating and driving the motion.
✅ Squeeze your shoulder blade at the end of each rep (keep space open between shoulders and ears though).

On the way back, let your shoulder blade come forward to get a full stretch—that part is important too. But so many people skip the squeeze, which means they’re missing out on a lot of the benefit of the exercise.

Learning how to perform an exercise is just as important as knowing which exercise to do.

This is part of one of the coaching videos included in my Building a Stronger Gymnast 12-week strength program. I don’t just want to give gymnasts workouts.. I want to teach them how to move well, build real strength, and understand why they’re doing each exercise.

💪 If you’re ready to build strength that actually carries over to gymnastics, check out my Building a Stronger Gymnast program through the link in my bio.

07/23/2026

Practice lately 🤸‍♀️

•unexpectedly discovered straddle backs just might be my thing
•tried a double pike off bars
•vaulting more. Mini tramp feels great on the body
•freehip handstands still finding their groove
•making some moves with side aerial getting back to high beam

Been enjoying switching it up and trying new skills. Gymnastics getting better with age 💪

Doing gymnastics again at 30 has been one of the biggest reminders that my body was never “broken.”I was simply underpre...
07/13/2026

Doing gymnastics again at 30 has been one of the biggest reminders that my body was never “broken.”

I was simply underprepared for what I was asking it to do.

Looking back as a physical therapist now, and after years of strength training and rebuilding my body, I can see just how different things could have been if I’d understood strength, nutrition, recovery, and injury prevention sooner.

That’s why I care so much about spreading this message to help gymnasts.

If you’re where I was when I was 16, I hope this message finds you 🫶🏼

07/10/2026

Been training shoot overs for a few weeks and clearly they are still a struggle. Decided to try straddle backs for the first time ever and they surprised me. I know I can get a better swing into them jumping off a bar instead of this mat set up which felt like quicksand.

Sometimes one skill just clicks while another keeps you humble. 😂

Way too early to give up on shoot overs though. Going to keep working on them. But very glad I tried straddle backs 😊

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