Pictures capture the muscle-bound USA gymnasts in full-swing at Rio 2016

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US Men's Gymnastics Team flexed their carefully honed muscles on qualifying day Saturday
Despite a smattering of mistakes and some patchy performances, they finished in first with 270.405
They will now go on to compete on Monday, alongside teams including Japan, Great Britain and Brazil
Captain and first-time Olympian Chris Brooks will be leading the USA team, despite a few mishaps today

Published: 18:33 EST, 6 August 2016 | Updated: 00:03 EST, 7 August 2016

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It was a spectacular show of human strength and gravity defying skill, as the US Men's Gymnastics Team flexed their carefully honed muscles on qualifying day.

The Americans showed they had the potential to go for gold and despite a few patchy performances, they made it through to the team final on Monday, with a top ranking score of 270.405.

Incredible pictures from Saturday's events show the gymnasts in full swing as they gave impressive displays on the horizontal bar, the vault, the pommel horse and rings, as well as the parallel bars and on the floor.

There were some mishaps, with captain and first-time Olympian Chris Brooks coming off the pommel horse and botching his vault.

But there were also exceptional performances from Sam Mikulak and Jake Dalton, who scored 15.800 and 15.600 on floor exercise, which were the best two scores of the day.

Despite some promising team members and a leading preliminary score, Team USA will have to streamline their performances if they are to secure any medals on Monday.

Challengers to the gold are Japan, who have dominated the sport for years and who came in second on Saturday, as well as Great Britain and host country Brazil, who sit third and fourth, respectively.

The greatest of ease: Danell Leyva performs mid air splits during his qualifying performance for the men's horizontal bar

Upside down: Christopher Brooks competes in the qualifying for the men's pommel horse (left) horizontal bar event (right)

Team USA! US Men's gymnasts, from right, Chris Brooks, Jake Dalton, Danell Leyva, Sam Mikulak and Alexander Naddour

US gymnast Jacob Dalton competes in the qualifying for the men's floor exercise and shows of his back flip skills

Seven-time NCAA champion Samuel Mikulak competes in the qualifying for the men's pommel horse event

A picture of poise and concentration, Jacob Dalton competes in the qualifying for the men's horizontal bar event

Going for gold: US gymnast Samuel Mikulak looks positive competing in the qualifying for the men's horizontal bar event

Alexander Naddour shows off his incredible arm strength during the pommel horse event (left) while a birds eye view of Danell Leyva shows the splattering of chalk left behind after his pommel horse performance (right)

Naddour makes shapes on the pommel horse and shows off a tattoo with the word London

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, center, watches gymnasts perform during the artistic gymnastics men's qualification

Success ! Mikulak (left and right) sits fourth overall in the individual all-around qualification, his 15.800 on the floor routine the best score of the day in that event

Captain and first-time Olympian Chris Brooks (pictured) botched his vault, came off the pommel horse and had a mistake on high bar

Brooks was a member of the U.S. Junior National Team 1999-2001, 2002-2005. In 2003 he was a Gold medallist at the USA National Championships

Family affair: Brooks's father, Larry, was also a gymnast which is how Chris got involved with the sport. Both Brooks's brother and sister have had involvement in gymnastics as well