The Evolution of The Floor Exercise

Both men and women compete on floor. Men have a routine based on tumbling and strength while women have theirs based on tumbling and dance.  Men's routines last up to 70 seconds and womens have to be 90 seconds.  The men don't do their routines to music but the women do.  The floor is 39ft by 39ft.  It is a sprung floor to provide gymnasts with bounce for their hard tumbling passes and has a layer of cushion so the impact isn't as hard.

In the 1970's, floor was all about dancing with not that hard of tumbling passes.  Nowadays it's about being graceful, but most powerful.  Gymnasts now do much harder tumbling passes such as a triple twist instead of a double twist.
 

                                                  Nadia Comaneci at the 1976 Olympics

                                                Shawn Johnson at the 2008 Olympics