What is it?

• Gymnastics, yoga, weightlifting, trampolining, pentathlon and triathlon all come under this heading.  

• More details of each of them can be obtained from the specialist organisations listed below.  

• Most of them are carried out indoors, using special equipment.  Yoga is more of a formal programme of exercises (see also keepfit).  

• Pentathlon and triathlon combine a number of different activities;  these were traditionally forms of athletics but, in their modern forms, the range is more varied (including among other things horse riding, cycling,  shooting, fencing and swimming).

Find out more

Organisations

British Gymnastics  www.baga.co.uk/

Gaelic Athletics Association  0208 841 2468

Modern Pentathlon Association of GB  www.mpagb.easynet.co.uk/

British Triathlon Association  www.britishtriathlon.co.uk/

British Trampoline Federation  www.thebtf.co.uk/

Tug-of-War Association  www.tugofwar.co.uk/

British Amateur Weightlifters Association  www.bawla.com/ 
National Amateur Bodybuilders Association  0207 381 6724

British Wheel of Yoga  members.aol.com/wheelyoga/

Magazines

Gym Stars
The Gymnast

Gaelic Sport

220
Triathlete (UK) Magazine

Flex
Muscle & Fitness
Muscle News

Getting started

• Find a local athletics group or club (see organisations above).

• Take a class or course at your local sports centre.

• Consult books or magazines on different types of athletics.

• Check in your local library/paper or sports centre for more information.

What you need

Skills and people

• These activities can generally be carried out by people of different ages and degrees of physical fitness. 

• Training is often carried out on one's own, sometimes at home.  

• But many people belong to clubs and groups and take part in competitions from time to time.  

• It is better if the people you train and compete with are of roughly the same standard as yourself.  

• Yoga is an exception in that it is easily done at home on your own and is a non competitive activity.

Equipment or clothing

• To start with no more than normal sports clothing and footwear (basically something in which it is easy to move about) is needed.  

• But more specialised wear may be required in groups.  

• Equipment, needed for some of the modern triathlon and pentathlon activities, may be supplied by the group.  

A place or facilities

• There are facilities for many of these activities in many schools and  most sports centres, particularly for gymnastics and trampolining.  

• Yoga requires no more than an open quiet area.  

• Pentathlon and triathlon use outdoor facilities.