Gymnastics - train your body and get in shape

As a former gymnast I have had a lot of experience with gymnastics, both good and bad parts. But can gymnastic be a great way to train your body and get in shape? Or are other sports much better at this?
The short answer would be - it depends on what you want.
Very few gymnastics are in good enough shape to run a 10km in a good time. Gymnastics training arn't great for endurance. A lot of the training can also be a little hard to do if you are overweight. Not saying it's impossible, just saying it can be harder. So for many this isn't the most ideal sport if you are looking to loose weight or run a marathon.
But gymnastics are great for a lot of other things. Flexibility, coordination, balance and strength are all things you can improve with some gymnastics training.
Combine it with an Airtrack and you will get a lot more strength training.

When using an Airtrack for gymnastics everything become much more fun. It's basically a big inflatable gym mat that gives an extra boost to your jumps and flips. This means that you can jump higher or fast and get much more out of you gymnastic training. Airtracks have become extremely popular over the last 5 years, both among the hardcore gymnasts but also among tumlers, home gymnastics and kids who just wish to do a few jumps and flips in their backyard.
Here's a few Airtrack resources:
What is the best Airtrack to buy?
Which Airtrack model should i Choose?
What are the benefits of using an Airtrack?
Can you become a better gymnast with a trampoline?
Where can i find Airtrack training videos?

Gymnastics are for all. Everybody will benefit of this type of training. However we ofte mainly see young people and older people do gymnastics. I personally think this is because you loose some of your flexibility when you get older, you may no longer have the time to stay as flexible as you would like to be, and then it becomes much harder to do the various jumps and flips. As you grow taller it also becomes more hard to do the different jumps, so at some point many start to loose interest in gymnastics. Then you get old and start to notice you are lacking coordination, strength and flexibility. And here gymnastics are a great way to train those things. Older people don't care about doing backflips or triple jumps they just want more mobility and a more healthy body, things that gymnastics are perfect for.
Gym training are perfect for those who want to become a little more flexible, stronger and improve their balance and coordination. Something that becomes even more important as you get older. This is why such a large amount of 60+ have started to notice the many benefits og gymnastics again.

A lot of gymnasts are using trampolines or Airtracks to jump even higher, but are they good gymnastic tools or something that's better left out? Personally I would recommend using a trampoline or an Airtrack as a part of your training. Do not make it your solo focus, but include it as a part of your regular training routines. Being able to jump higher makes it easier to practice the more difficult jumps, but it also makes it a bit more fun to do gymnastics. So I am a big fan of quality trampolines and Airtracks, and I think it's something you really should give a try. It can make training so much more fun and interesting. But you also risk getting stuck and only doing trampoline training or Airtrack flips, try to avoid that in order to be a good all around gymnast.