Skipping im's is it okay?

Hej hej!

Okay I have a bit of a problem coming up. From April until about October November I am goin to be without equipment and without Internet, which will make doing h1 and any im that require a weighted bar very difficult. I'll be traveling and it just isn't realistic for me to have access to these things during this time. So much question is, can I still progress through the pe's without doing these im's that require equipment? Or do I have to stop the pe aswell?

I might have rings with me as thy can be hung on a tree and are really light.

Cheers

I think it would be better to sub the weighted bar with a cane, broomstick, that not doing them at all.  Maybe even a towel works.

ausswe said:

Hej hej!

Okay I have a bit of a problem coming up. From April until about October November I am goin to be without equipment and without Internet, which will make doing h1 and any im that require a weighted bar very difficult. I'll be traveling and it just isn't realistic for me to have access to these things during this time. So much question is, can I still progress through the pe's without doing these im's that require equipment? Or do I have to stop the pe aswell?

I might have rings with me as thy can be hung on a tree and are really light.

Cheers

No: do not progress until you have mastered both the PE and the IM elements. If you can't do the IM elements, you can't master them.

I would put some thought into thinking about how you might substitute the weighted bar. Broomsticks can work in a pinch, for example. 

No it's not. You should find another thing/object that you can actually use for the im. You're going to progress, of course that, but iM it is a fundamental part of any program, HS1 most, and you can not skip it. So, you've several options:

1) Find another way to do the mobility

2) Don't do it and progress anyway trought HS exercises

3) Don't do anything

2 and 3 are the worst, specially the second one. Progress without mobility is add strenght to disfuction. 

My problem is I really won't even have access to things like brooms most of the time maybe if I am lucky enough to find a big strong stick then it's okay for those days but I definitely wouldn't be able to do it every time . And I was thinking of im's like Jefferson curl and I also just realised anything tht requires a pommel horse or bench like object is probably going to be out of the question most training days . The thing is on most of my training days there is going to be a lack of option for doing some im's and it seemed like a better idea to progress through the pe's I can do rather than do nothing at all... Correct me if I'm wrong.

ausswe said:

My problem is I really won't even have access to things like brooms most of the time maybe if I am lucky enough to find a big strong stick then it's okay for those days but I definitely wouldn't be able to do it every time . And I was thinking of im's like Jefferson curl and I also just realised anything tht requires a pommel horse or bench like object is probably going to be out of the question most training days . The thing is on most of my training days there is going to be a lack of option for doing some im's and it seemed like a better idea to progress through the pe's I can do rather than do nothing at all... Correct me if I'm wrong.

What kind of travel are you going to be doing exactly?

I'm having enough weight (5 - 7,5 kg) by filling some bottles (mostly 2,5L soda bottles) with water. These can be easily wrapped in a towel, which, if you're making enough effort to support, should even be perfectly straight. It's a matter of thinking about the function of the equipment and working your way around it. As coach also said, non-fixed weights seem to target stabilizers best.

Should you need more weight, a plastic bag can be filled with solid, denser material (such as sand, as it was previously said somewhere around). These can be arranged whenever you get somewhere and disposed of whenever you leave. You can even reuse the bag, for that purpose.

And yeap, I'm also doing F1 on the go, not at home. The only problem I didn't yet found a solution - but didn't yet needed to solve - are stall bars. But that's another story =)

Improvise a bit. For the Jefferson Curl, stand on two chairs, leave a space in the middle, use your suitcase or backpack as a weight, or get a foldable water canister like this one. It hold 15 liters of water which should be sufficient weight in a pinch, and when folded, it won't take up space when travelling. It could probably be used for the windmills as well. Use chairs or tables for bench dips. Use tables to substitute pommel horse.

I actually think F1 would be one of the best programs for travellers due to the minimal amount of gear required.

Do not skip iMs

Depending on where you're staying--you might be able to use the shower curtain rod from the bathroom along with milk jugs filled with water in lieu of a weighted bar.

thanks guys some good ideas coming in!  as for the travels it will be a lot of hiking involved and camping out.  I need to minimize the weight in my back pack as much as possible as well which is why i dont just bring weights with me.  probably wont have access to chairs  a lot but i guess there may be some rocks or something high enough laying around some times.  the towel idea would be great but my towel is going to be way to small for that too work.  i was thinking for the pommel horse stuff maybe sometimes ill be lucky enough again to have a rock or a low thick tree branch to do it from.  of course some times during my journey i will have access to these things my main question though is if i really have no choice which is the best option.  skip the im for those sessions and continue with the pe or just dont do anything of the training what so ever?  there may be quite a few sessions where that has to happen.

I can be pretty resourceful when it comes to these things but i also know that I am going to be in situations where some of these things just wont be possible for some of those training sessions.

ausswe said:

I can be pretty resourceful when it comes to these things but i also know that I am going to be in situations where some of these things just wont be possible for some of those training sessions.

So then why stress? Just do what you can when you can. As long as you get to legitimate mastery I don't think it really matters how you get there. I think the only important piece is to not move forward in the progressions until you have demonstrated mastery as then you are courting injury. But, if during a session you can't make an exercise work for some reason (main movement, or iM) then just skip it - all will be okay in the long run. You could always do an earlier progression that you do have the means to accomplish.

- Chris

First, have a blast! It sounds like you've got a great trip ahead. In the end, it comes down to a simple question: Do you buy into the Foundation concept which is, I believe, BALANCED progress. If so, the answer is; no it's not Ok. The iM are every bit as much a part of preparing you for the next level as the PE. If you proceed without the proper mobility, your body will start to compensate which often means compromised form. In essence, without the mobility your body will cheat its way through the subsequent PEs. You will not progress in a balanced manner. iM and PE are supposed to be equal partners so ask yourself the matching question: Is it OK to skip the PEs and just move to the next level?

I think that the above post has the right attitude. Work out when you can, but your travel may not be compatible with advancing. In the big scheme of things, a few months off isn't the end of the world. Just be OK with a pause in your training. In the end, you can't master what you can't practice so there are some progressions you won't be able to train.

That said, there are some great options as mentioned above. Anyone who has experience with intergalactic hitch hiking knows that a good towel is never wasted space. I've done a lot of backpacking. Here's a link for a type of towel custom made for backpacking. It's light and very small when packed. Really, though, you'll want to just hang it on your pack to dry as you're walking. http://www.rei.com/product/832935/rei-multitowel-lite-x-large-towel-54-x-25

The water bottle above is a great idea. Here's a page of great options http://www.rei.com/category/5760719 . I find that I've come to prefer the soft foldable bottle to rigid ones because the practically disappear when empty. They are virtually weightless. Neither this nor the towel are extra weight. You'll need both regardless of whether you train.

A lightweight hiking pole could substitute for a bar, though I've never used one, myself. http://www.rei.com/category/4500049

I'm not going to say it is ok. You should try to do as much as you can but also there is the realistic side of doing what you can. Keep in mind you may need some extra work to get some of the IM's done when returning.

Do what you can do. Life happens, adjust to it.

Maybe you should bring a bigger towel. You know it's the most useful thing in the universe a hitchhiker can bring .

Haha the towel I have is perfect because it folds I to nothing and drys very quickly although when unfolded it is only about shoulder width apart which would be good if my

Mobility was at that level. I guess I just really don't like the idea of not training. For 7 or. 8 months it is a huge set back I know because it has happened recently and it has taken me longer than the time I rested for to get back to wherei was in training. Mostly because I tendon and joint strength. It should only be some of the I'm's I am unable to do and only Half the time I'm training I won't be able to do them so my plan was to work on them when I'm done. But I will certainly have progressed through 2 pe's by the time I'm finished training. I do believe in the program but I don't think that at this early stage where all the exercises are quite easy that I will be failing in form because of missed im's sometimes and if I focus on this that I missed on my travel when I return home I can play catch up

I think I will try all the im's I think I will Miss out on before I go to see where I am at and who knows maybe my mastery isn't too far off and with the limited amount of work I so on them might be enough?

I wonder if some substitution could be made with bands fixed to an object on the floor to imitate the downward gravity of the weight?

Although the level of resistance would be lower the lower down your arms descend.