Sports & Fitness
Adult Gymnastics
Learning cartwheels and handstands as an adult, with mats and a spotter
Many gyms run drop-in adult and tumbling classes that take complete beginners: forward rolls, cartwheels and handstands first, back tucks much later. Unlike parkour, you train on mats and sprung floors with a coach spotting you, so you can attempt far more. Adults are limited mostly by flexibility and shoulder strength, so half the early sessions are stretching. Never try flips unspotted.
First stepBook an adult beginner class at a gymnastics gym, practise forward rolls and a wall handstand with the coach spotting, and finish with one cartwheel on the mat.
Barriers
Cost to start
Under $50
Going deep → $300–2k
Alone or with people
On your own
Effort
Demanding
Without a teacher?
Needs a teacher
One session takes
1–2 hours
Where
A venue
Why people take it up