if you mean gymnastics as in ringwork and similar things, i'd say YES. it's going to screw with your balance so badly i'd honestly be surprised if it's actually doable, let alone without injury. but also what simon said.
If we're talking flips and springs I'd defiantely advise against it. The impact on the joints would be damaging.
That's what I figured, but I had to ask anyway to see what other people thought. The idea is to get faster and feel lighter.
I would suggest that gymnastic training will have that covered. Plyometrics is what you need to search for.
The same would apply for kicking with ankle weights... (as I think you mentioned in another post). Not really a good idea, even for the slow motion techniques in some advanced TKD patterns there are better ways of getting this type of dynamic strength and flexibility
What exercises are you planning on doing. I would say with most gymnastics stuff adding weight is bad. However there are a few exercises that could benefit from it (pistol squats for example). If you want really good info on training gymnastics go to this site (and its forum): http://www.gymnasticbodies.com/
I train sometimes with a weighted vest. 1st time I ran 3km with it, day after my knees and ankles were burning, so wont be doing this anytime now. However I do use the vest for pushups, empty squats, shadow fighting...and soon the plank. I still have not gained the speed and agility I was set to have...so am looking and experimenting. Cisco Lad
I was going to use weights during gynastics to improve my speed, but I have decided against it. Thanks to those who pointed me in the right direction.
I think it would be just fine to do gymnastics in a weighted mankini honestly. Perfect weight distribution to keep from throwing you off balance, keeps all the important parts tight . . . . probably some huge benefits to it.
why improve speed if you dont have a good base of strength? explosiveness will increase better with strength work and will provide a base for long term developments.